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Question on Pre-J Cowl Options and Differences


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Alright, I’m going to play my Mooney newbie card again....  As I’m trying to learn “all things Mooney” the cowl mod options have me a bit perplexed or maybe just overwhelmed.  I see references to Laser 201 cowl, Laser cowl enclosures, LoPresti Super, ARI, and Sabre Cowl.  I am assuming the Laser 201 is essentially a replica of the J  cowl (based off Roy LoPresti aero improvements) and am somewhat familiar with LoPresti Super as they also make cowls for Tigers. LoPresti, from memory, were quite expensive though touted extremely high performance improvement numbers. From Laser pics, I get the general idea of what the “enclosure” but don’t have a sense of how or if it’s effective and if so whether it’s worth the upgrade and.... I have limited knowledge on the others. With so many different options, I’m curious if there is an technical based “best answer” or if this is one of those personal preference topics. I would be curious if real data/info exists on benefits of one Vs the other in terms of: cost, speed and cooling performance, improved cowl removal time (for maintenance) and if not what experiences any of you have had on whatever cowl upgrade choice you made. 

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I like the LASAR cowling enclosure mod.  To me, it is the best trade off between price, performance, ease of installation, and appearance.

-Price: cheapest

-Installation: easiest

-Performance: maybe a little (2-3 mph)

-Cooling: maybe a little better.  Biggest difference is that CHTs are more uniform and stable.

-Appearance: definite improvement, but not as much as the other more $$ options.

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Alright, I’m going to play my Mooney newbie card again....  As I’m trying to learn “all things Mooney” the cowl mod options have me a bit perplexed or maybe just overwhelmed.  I see references to Laser 201 cowl, Laser cowl enclosures, LoPresti Super, ARI, and Sabre Cowl.  I am assuming the Laser 201 is essentially a replica of the J  cowl (based off Roy LoPresti aero improvements) and am somewhat familiar with LoPresti Super as they also make cowls for Tigers. LoPresti, from memory, were quite expensive though touted extremely high performance improvement numbers. From Laser pics, I get the general idea of what the “enclosure” but don’t have a sense of how or if it’s effective and if so whether it’s worth the upgrade and.... I have limited knowledge on the others. With so many different options, I’m curious if there is an technical based “best answer” or if this is one of those personal preference topics. I would be curious if real data/info exists on benefits of one Vs the other in terms of: cost, speed and cooling performance, improved cowl removal time (for maintenance) and if not what experiences any of you have had on whatever cowl upgrade choice you made. 


There were a number of cowl mods throughout the years.

The Lasar cowl mod is to close the lower half of the guppy mouth Mooneys. I have that mod on mine.

d90b1fc1f5e803c599e711a03f249a04.jpg

The ARI cowl was another aftermarket.

a45cff487524f844704977b12efc7f46.jpg

The LoPresti cowl is essentially a J cowl (with some differences like the inlet) retrofitted on vintage Mooneys. It is expensive.

cd95687454031d35cdfc5a2113892d53.jpg

SWTA used to make a cowl. Think it was called the Texan. I don’t think the new owners are making them anymore.

And you have seen the SabreCowl.

52ba9906bdfff0bd4b7eebf30be470e8.jpg




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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This is a great collection of photos and deserves a post-it sticky on it! :)

Lopresti was The Godfather of aerodynamics for Mooney.  Known For using fiberglass parts to produce compound curves where aluminum wasn’t able to...

Sloping windshields eliminated energy robbing eddy currents...

Speaking of energy robbing currents... the airflow in and out of the cowl came as a surprise...to some.  Others have seen oil drips leave a trace exiting the cowl out the front...

Some cowl closures are simple lower cost items...

Others are more ornate...

An actual 201 cowl is one that came from an actual 201 and put on a previous model.  (Factory built parts)

The Lopresti cowl was built and sold by Roy Lopresti and company (still has family in the business). Really nice, but... Cost as much as a CB’s car...

The middle zone is a cowl mod, designed and built by a Mooney pilot, Mooney mechanic, and an MSer...   David S.@Sabremech this cowl is growing in popularity as the STC work is expanding to cover additional years and models of Mooneys... the objectives of the mod include better CHTs, modern oil heat exchanger location, updated air intake design, and speed to go with a modern image... (air intake for cylinder cooling, air intake for engine feeding, and air flow around the cowling, are improving as the development phase is nearing the end...?) http://www.gdsaero.com/vintage-airworks/

Lasar is a great Mooney resource...  Siri will often re-spell their name to laser when you are not watching...

All mods are going to want to be painted to match the plane, or to stand out from the crowd...  :)

PP thoughts only, my M20C had the wide open guppy mouth...

Best regards,

-a-

If I missed any details let me know.  Happy to update this and any other post I wrote...

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As usual, you guys are a wealth of information.  (Wiki-Mooniac’s)  :) Seeing these all in one place is hugely helpful for comparing so, thanks to all for contributing pic’s and facts.  I have to admit, given the pics above, I do like the looks of the Sabre.  @Bob_Belville that cowl with dual lights and that paint scheme just look awesome! 

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12 minutes ago, Jpflysdfw said:

As usual, you guys are a wealth of information.  (Wiki-Mooniac’s)  :) Seeing these all in one place is hugely helpful for comparing so, thanks to all for contributing pic’s and facts.  I have to admit, given the pics above, I do like the looks of the Sabre.  @Bob_Belville that cowl with dual lights and that paint scheme just look awesome! 

One is a spot - landing - and the other is a flood - taxi.  But I almost never have to fly at night any more. Nancy think the head on look is a smiley face. 

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1 hour ago, Raptor05121 said:

Speaking of cost, do we have an approximation on the Sabre cowl yet?

Anywhere from $4-6k depending on whether a new spinner is needed or not. The SabreCowl Gen2 is a complete new cowling. Will fit most models of vintage Mooney’s through the J model.

Thanks,

David

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40 minutes ago, highlowfastslow said:

One thing that wasn’t mentioned yet is putting an original J cowl on a pre-J frame. No idea what it cost to do this on mine, but I doubt it’s worth considering anymore from a cost/benefit standpoint. A8CCBE86-3041-4E23-A384-A6943E7D583B.thumb.jpeg.c6b08681434dd3fd0f57f306b3ebc346.jpeg

I suppose the J cowl is longer than our E but maybe not...

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I put an original J model cowling on my F.  The advantage is that the cowling can be removed quickly, but it does take 2 people to do it safely.  

It also eliminated the "chin" on the original cowling which cuts into speed improvements.  

I bought a used cowling for $2000 and rebuilt it completely for $8000.  The installation costs are more since you need to install a new cowl deck (with 201 windshield to do it right), cut the thickness of the firewall flange and install cowl flanges which the 201 cowl rests on to keep the cowl flush to the airframe.  

All the J mode updates to my plane make it a 160 kt. airplane at 9000ft and 175 kt airplane at 17000 ft.

John Breda

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5 hours ago, highlowfastslow said:

One thing that wasn’t mentioned yet is putting an original J cowl on a pre-J frame. No idea what it cost to do this on mine, but I doubt it’s worth considering anymore from a cost/benefit standpoint. A8CCBE86-3041-4E23-A384-A6943E7D583B.thumb.jpeg.c6b08681434dd3fd0f57f306b3ebc346.jpeg

Sort of mentioned, but not very clearly...

 

‘An actual 201 cowl is one that came from an actual 201 and put on a previous model.  (Factory built parts)’

 

:)

-a-

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 7/8/2018 at 2:31 PM, Sabremech said:

Anywhere from $4-6k depending on whether a new spinner is needed or not. The SabreCowl Gen2 is a complete new cowling. Will fit most models of vintage Mooney’s through the J model.

Thanks,

David

Wow, that's less than I expected. 

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On 7/8/2018 at 1:03 PM, Raptor05121 said:

Speaking of cost, do we have an approximation on the Sabre cowl yet?

I heard that the first 2 were FREE, but some quick CB club memebers already got them!

Clarence

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I'm sure if someone came along with an interest in taking over the STC's the SWTA Cowl would be available. 

JD is just a bit swamped at the moment trying to get the maintenance business off the ground and keep the new kid in diapers ;-)

 

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12 hours ago, M20Doc said:

I heard that the first 2 were FREE, but some quick CB club memebers already got them!

Clarence

That’s not going to happen or there won’t be more than 2! 

 

12 hours ago, gsxrpilot said:

I'm sure if someone came along with an interest in taking over the STC's the SWTA Cowl would be available. 

JD is just a bit swamped at the moment trying to get the maintenance business off the ground and keep the new kid in diapers ;-)

 

I tried to purchase the SWTA cowling and windshield STC’s from Russell but he never returned my calls. I couldn’t wait any longer so moved onto my own design. 

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1 hour ago, Sabremech said:

I tried to purchase the SWTA cowling and windshield STC’s from Russell but he never returned my calls. I couldn’t wait any longer so moved onto my own design. 

Russell would have never sold them... JD, however, bought all of SWTA from Russell's estate just after he passed away. It includes all the STC's. 

But there's certainly nothing wrong with your design. It really looks great!

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