I designed the oil access door in SolidWorks. Using the large, flat piece of material that was cut out of the bottom of the cowl, I asked my buddy at work to lasercut the part out for me. It turned out really nice. This access opening will be 1-inch wider and 1-inch taller than the opening in the previous cowl which will make it much easier to check the oil level and fit an oil bottle inside for top-offs.
This identical Hartwell flush latch was selling for $80.00 (yes, EIGHTY DOLLARS) at Aircraft Spruce. I bought this one on eBay for $8.50 which included free shipping.
Cutting out and filing to size a perfectly fitted hole for the access door is going to take a lot of trial and error. No room for mistakes in this task.
UPDATE — This is what the final product looked like. The opening is 7.5″ wide by 6″ tall providing ample space to look inside and also fit an oil bottle inside for top-offs.
