The advice I got way back when was;
if air gap area in the baffles total more than the area of a 25 cent coin, you basically negated the effectivness of differential air pressure between the top & bottom cowl...
Which are planned for & useful air bleeds.And what's the diameter of the opening for the cabin heat air flow? And any blast tubes installed?
Which are planned for & useful air bleeds.
The point is that you should make the baffle seals as effective as you can.
The advice I got way back when was;
if air gap area in the baffles total more than the area of a 25 cent coin, you basically negated the effectivness of differential air pressure between the top & bottom cowl...
With that in mind, I always strived for the tightest seals I could get.
pictures right themselves when expanded...
… I tried to picture how I cut pleats(?) to help pinch the strips to the top contour of the inner cowling. I cut all the pleats (flutes?) the same distances but either compress or expand the distance of the rivet spacing to help mold the seal to the convex or concave cowl contours…
No, my rivets were evenly spaced. Areas that overlapped were shaped with a tab (as pictured). I use the seal material supplied by Vans, I find it easier to seal, it comes rolled up, I use that natural curve to initiate the inward bend of the seals that makes installing the top cowling easy, it also helps with the sealing.
I tried to picture how I cut pleats(?) to help pinch the strips to the top contour of the inner cowling. I cut all the pleats (flutes?) the same distances but either compress or expand the distance of the rivet spacing to help mold the seal to the convex or concave cowl contours
Hope this makes sense...
Is Van's no longer supplying pre-cut and punched baffle seals for the RV-14 FWF kit? It should be plug and play except for the 2 mislabeled pieces.
Leaks are cumulative. A little here, a little there..
The finning on the angle valve engines will let you get away with murder...CHT will fall in the acceptable range, even if higher than other installations with good sealing. Oil temperature will be the wildcard.
Don't take this the wrong way, but you're asking for validation of work you know is not as good as it could be. When your heart says it's not great, do it over.
Looking good.
Finish off by shooting a bit of black silicone sealer in between the aluminum & rubber strips to close up any leakage there.