Big Muddy Finish Line

Just had to post this video.

Cozy Girrrls Oil Miser

With all my engine compartment mods, I had to ditch my old bulky oil separator that I installed about a hundred years ago. Somewhat predictably, through all the new test flying without separator, I was shocked, yes shocked, at the amount of oil streaming down the belly of my new paint job. I resolved to find a new one that fit.

Somewhere along the line I purchased an Oil Miser, from the Cozy Girrrls. It was much more compact than my old Aircraft Spruce separator and the price wasn't all that bad. I had the thing for six months and I finally got around to installing it a couple of weeks ago, just before our Big Muddy Air Race.

Unfortunately, the drain nipple was opposite the intake tube, so I had to use some hardware parts to make the U-turn, but as usual, I somehow made it fit.

I have about four hours on it and it seems just dandy. For the Big Muddy race, I topped off the oil and normally the belly would now be full of oil, with some even dripping off the tail wheel. I haven't really scrutinized it, but things seem to be very clean, and there is no oil dripping from the crankcase vent tube.

I give the Oil Miser two thumbs up.

After the Sawsall - Snorkels and Oil Coolers

I thought I'd throw out a few photos so you can see what I'm up to.

I dug out the Sawsall again, this time to chop off my beloved intake snorkels. I put in a lot of hours on those things - oh well. I have been having trouble with oil cooling and I bought a couple of coolers to try and install. But, I thought, the oil cooler will have to divert some air from cooling the cylinders and my #1 cylinder gets hot enough as it is. So, I thought, if I install the oil cooler and the cylinder temps get higher - then what? I 'll tell you what - I would next remove the snorkels.

So going around the whole process, I decided I may as well perform the snorkel circumcision, as it were.

I'll let the photos do most of the talking.

Here is what it looked like - pre-Sawsall.

Used some two-part foam to glue a block in place to the intake.

Shaped the block so it looks like something.


Close to finishing carving.


Glass the form, let it cure, then dig out the foam.

Trim to approximate the cowl.

Cut a hole in the cowling.

There was some more trimming and fitting, which I don't have photos of. I also took the Sawsall to the two snorkels in the inlet.

Did it help? I believe it helped a lot.