New baffling

[Todd]

The baffling on my 0-320 powered PA22/20 is looking pretty ratty and I've heard that a Van's RV-6 baffling kit is a cost-effective ($275) start that needs modification to fit the Pacer, but beats scratch-building. I've got a rear-mounted oil cooler. Is this a reasonable approach?

[Jim]

Hi Todd,

.......Van's RV-6 baffling kit

I borrowed a baffling set from a Vans RV 7 0360 install and it was pretty much useless for making patterns from. Why can't you copy what you're removing? They are a lot more work to fabricate than I gave credit to when I did mine.

[Glen Geller]

Ratty may be in the eyes of the beholder.
My baffles (especially the side pieces above the heads) were pretty ratty too but I was able to remove, straighten, reinforce and paint them and they are now quite solid and look good too.
Look at engine compartment pictures on this and other sites (SWPC, Supercub.org, Steve's Aircraft, etc) to see what some others have done and might be appropriate for your bird, like upgrading the felt seals to flexible gasket material as found at Wag-Aero and the like.

[rmalone]

I just prchased the RV-6 O-320 baffles from Vans and the quality looks good. You can't beat the price. I think they will work good. I have heard of other people using this method as well. Good luck.

[Steve Pierce]

I have used the RV6 O-320 baffles and they worked great. I made templates off the first because of all the material on the top that you have to remove so the next few sets went real easy. All those curves and angles are a lot of work to copy if you want to copy the originals.

[Todd]

This is an attempt to revive an old thread, but I'm finally installing my baffling, working with a Van's RV6 O-320 kit. The quality of their parts is excellent. My question is that they box in the aft side of the engine differently than the original PA-22, putting the aft pieces right up against the cylinders instead of the original's inch or so clearance. I'd like to go with Van's design and make use of these parts, but is that going to be legally problematic? I'm wondering how others using this kit have adapted it to PA-22s.

Thanks for any opinions out there.

[Gilbert Pierce]

We originally built my baffles as the VAN's drawing shows. Since my oil cooler was behind the #4 cylinder and I was having oil temp problems we extended the left rear baffle back about 2 inches. It made no difference in the CHT or Oil temp. Putting the original leather seal around the air filter-lower cowl dropped the oil temp and CHT. On the #3 side it has always been right up against the cylinder and I have no temperature issue there either.

[Todd]

Thanks Gilbert. Glad to find out it will work. My oil cooler is back there too. I thought I might set the oil cooler mount back an inch or so to provide a little more room for the cooling air between the cylinder fins and the oil cooler passages. The other part of my question is whether a knowledgeable IA might disapprove since it's not the original design. Seems like a pretty minor deal to me.

[Gilbert Pierce]

In my opinion it is a minor modification. You can't get the original baffles from Piper any more so read AC 23-27, Parts and Materials Substitution for Vintage Aircraft. I would call it a minor modification and make a log book entry. Of course your IA may feel differently. If so give him the AC to read.

I have not seen any drawings of the original. They are not on the Drawing CD, They are listed as missing on the CD so who's to say what is orginal and what is not original. There is a large number of flying with the VAN's baffle kit.

http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Gu...AC%2023-27.pdf

[captbill1956]

Check out these PMA'd baffles:

http://www.airforms.biz/catalog/inde...d259c9f307a6f4

Bill Meredith
Kingsland, TX
N7749D