Again it is choices? The best thing about building a KR2 is, it's your plane, so you can do what you like.
For me, I bent the stainless sheet around the corners of the firewall. I use a fireblanket between the firewall and stainless sheet. If you have fire blanket or firewool material between the wooden firewall and the Stainless, as advised, if you just abruptly trim the stainless to the same shape and size as the wood, it exposes the firewool edge. Now when you have an oil leak, and you will, or wash the engine with fuel, the firewool soaks in the oil and fuel like a wick and it sits on your wooden firewall. This is very important on the bottom as well, as this is where all the debris ends up. Some type of seal between the firewall and stainless is then very much advised, or this will eventually affect the wood. Also, if you abruptly cut it to size and don't bend the stainless backwards along the fuselage, it leaves a very sharp edge that you will have to do something about. So I bent mine along the fuselage side and secured it. I used screws but you could bond it. https://www.planespotters.net/photo/131644/g-bylp-private-rand-robinson-kr-2 So it depends if you want a sleek plane, with everything flush, or you don't mind 3/4 of an inch of stainless bent easily (it's thin) around the corner, hiding and protecting the firewall? You can then cover this with the cowls if you like, the stainless will act as a good rubbing strip. I wanted my plane to last rather than to be exotic and flush. So it's choices. Also, I placed importance on sealing with RTV every nut and bolt or cable and wire that goes through the firewall, so again, oil and washing products cant get between the wood and stainless and rot it out. Google 'KR2 G-BYLP' or G-BYLP for images. There are some that show the cowls. You are not overthinking this. A few hours of thought on this could save months of repairs or endless swearing at it later on. CH. ________________________________ -Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html -Change list delivery options at https://list.krnet.org/list/krnet.list.krnet.org/ Affinity List Info Board -Search recent KRnet Archives at https://list.krnet.org/empathy/list/krnet.list.krnet.org/ -Search John Boyea's decades of archive at https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/
