The Strip Down

With a broken plane in front of me, I'm just dumbfounded on where to start first?

I know that I need to make room in my garage to do the repair work, and before that can happen, I need to get the good wings out! So I will need to make a set of wing dollies.

But until I can get that done, I will start cleaning out the cockpit and assess the work needed to get the "B" back into shape.

As with my previous project, I began stripping the cockpit components out, documenting everything prior to and after the parts were removed.

The control cables to the vent and water dump were corroded and need to be replaced, so I drilled out the rivets holding the panels and cut the cables. The control knob and cables were the same found at any auto supply shop. The emergency canopy release was also frozen in place. I don't know if this was due to the plane being stored outside for a year, or it was that way from the beginning.

But it makes you think if it was working in the first place, since the hinges were cut when the firemen extracted the pilot out of the trees.

I removed the rubber grips from the stick and gear retract handle. They were quite nasty. The next task was to remove the flap control crank wheel. There are three screws holding that in place, then just remove the bolts to the two control rods, crank it back, and out it comes!

Another nasty sight was the wheel well. After removing the ABS plastic covers from the top, I found that the wheel well is nothing but a couple of pieces of thin aluminum and a plastic cap riveted together.  This plane has a lot of pop rivets holding it together.

From what I can see from the inside, the push rods were free from any surface rust. It was just dirty in there. The forward wing alignment cross rod has some rust, but that can be cleaned up without much fuss.

The vinyl tubing was yellow and the connectors were a combination of plastic and metal fittings. All of this will be coming out!

The CG release was also gummy.

The ring was rusted. I spoke with Tim Mara of Wings and Wheels, and he was able to give me some core credit on a replacement.

The ABS covers were in good shape, but I thinking of replace these with fiberglass. I will make female molds and pull new covers. Over time, the ABS plastic becomes brittle.

Also that corduroy stick boot has gotta go!

The nose vent and pitot tube has no access. There is a ABS cover that is glued in. After speaking with Robert, he suggested two options.

1. Lay up a mold and make a fiberglass cover, and then cut out the old one and clean up the area to mount in the new piece. or
2. Cut an access hole and make a cover.

For the time and lack of working space, I chose option two. I was at least able to reach the butterfly valve and pitot tubing.




When I can get the fuselage up on a jig, I will then make the mold to replace the ABS cover with fiberglass.

All that is left to remove are the placards.

Then a little sanding to remove that nasty black-gray paint.

I just can't believe anyone would paint a cockpit black! It would have had to have be an oven in the sun!

The cockpit strip down went quicker than I remember when I was doing my Libelle.

Next - the damage assessment.