Cowl Welting Problem

chrs1961815

Well-known member
I bought the kit to put new cowl welting on my 28, but I have a problem. The last person pop riveted all the pieces on. Is it even worth trying to put new stuff on? Did they drill additional holes?
 

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They probably did not drill any new holes. Your new lacing kit will contain only 1 or 2 extra split rivets. Count the pop rivets and compare with number of split rivets in kit. Since you've already got a new welting kit, why not replace those pop rivets with something authentic? There are very good instructional threads here on the best ways to install a new cowl welt.
 
I got the gas tank welting put on with the wire and hook, but it does not seem to be as tight as it should be?

Also, for the cowl welting rivets, how are you supposed to crimp the ends over if you do not have access to the head side?
 
I got the gas tank welting put on with the wire and hook, but it does not seem to be as tight as it should be?

Also, for the cowl welting rivets, how are you supposed to crimp the ends over if you do not have access to the head side?

As Tom Wesenberg said in the posts I quoted, you pull the wire as tight as possible and them use the hook to do the final tightening. If I remember correctly I pulled it tight and then clamped it with vise grips on the side I was pulling from and then fed it through the hole and back around like is shown in one of the posts.
On the rivets I couldn't get with the special tool I used a screwdriver against the head and spread the legs with a pair of side cutters.
Hope this helps.
Neil
 
I figured out the problem. The kit from Brattons had a wire about as thin as safety wire. The kit I got today from Snyders had a beefy wire that is very thick. I switched out the Brattons wire for the Snyders wire and after installation, it looked and felt much better.

I started on the cowl welting by drilling out the old pop rivets. The firewall and cowl panels don't quite mate up the way they are supposed to. The holes didn't quite line up. I inserted a split rivet to see and it is tight. But it will fix itself if I get a tight fit. I still am pondering how to get the split rivet nice and crimped and tight without the tool. A two man job yes, but what tools should be used?
 
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