Cooling Drag

[Colorado Brett]

Hello, does anyone have any ideas or mods for cooling outflow drag? I have a 1947 with down draft cooling. The air goes through the engine and then there is a bulkhead that supports the engine mount and this blocks the air from evacuating out of the cowl flaps. It must form a tornado below the engine and create significant drag. Is there a bulk up kit to reenforce the engine mount bracket and then cut out the bulkhead part?

[JamCoats]

@Colorado Brett I've been thinking about this question. My airplane is 2500 miles away right now and I am having trouble visualizing. I know that one of the reasons that bulkhead is made the way it's made is to force air through the oil cooler. Need some of the more versed tech guys here to chime in with thoughts.

[Rangemaster_Tango]

Can you post pictures? I don’t completely understand your situation.

[Colorado Brett]

This bulkhead that the exhaust goes through is blocking so much of the cooling air before it reaches the exit out the cowl flaps.

[Rangemaster_Tango]

My Rangemaster has clearance around the exhaust in that part. Not sure how the structure is different. I can take and post some pictures if you want.

[Zach8910]

I have much larger holes it seems...

[llangston1]

Those large holes might have been for the Fletcher augmentor tubes. On that one pic of the orange hose laying on the edge of the baffle opening you might want to pit some of the plastic “caterpillar” edging to prevent the aluminum baffle from sawing into the fire sleeve and hose. I had to replace my fuel hoses because of that this year.

[Colorado Brett]

Those holes are much larger. Good idea on the plastic cover to protect the orange fire hose. Thank you guys.

[Colorado Brett]

Here is the NAvion

[Hal]

The larger holes for the rear exhaust are part of the basket beef up for the higher horsepower continental engines (240 hp and up).