What Are You Working On?

[Steve Pierce]

I normally work on Saturdays but today a bunch of my daughter's high school classmates were supposed to be here to build a catapult. Well they didn't show up when they were supposed to so Lee and I decided to finish Cathy door that we took apart a few weeks ago to find. The latch and then found the dreaded cancer. I finally got the door blasted, primed and painted last week and we made a new skin today. Cathy requested we make a window in the bottom of the door so with my husband head scratching that is what we did. Not quite done as the kids eventually showed up but this is what we did today. Curious to see others progress on making their airplane a little better no matter how big or how small.
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[cgfyl]

Very nice work!

[rocket]

Steve,
the door looks great but I wanted to see the catapult!

rocket

[gliderman]

I'm working on my 54 Tri-Pacer. A windshield replacement has turn into a total rebuild. Just finishing up the wings and planning to put a new cam in my 0-290. ( headed out in the AM to start dismantling the engine)
will post pictures as soon as I figure out how to do this

Shane-o

[cgfyl]

Jealous and want to help. Sadly I have to out tomorrow to a friends 20th anniversary party.

[pmanton]

Shame on me---a Long Wing--an 85 HP Aeronca Champ.

Paul
Salome, AZ

[rwdurham]

Steve, you trying to turn that Tri-Pacer into a Maule? That door will look remarkably similar to my patrol doors on the Maule.

[Glen Geller]

That door looks pretty cool, nice work Steve.
My saga of the extended annual on One For Papa (1955 PA22-150) continues. With every part I touched in this progressive tear-down, where there is a gasket, hose, seal or clamp I have ordered and installed new replacement parts. Here's where it started more or less:
The P-Lead assembly sheilding was frayed and oil-soaked, so that came off and I remanufactured it (I'm an electro-mechanical aerospace tech, this was pretty easy.) All the mounting screws from the tin enclosure were different and shabby, now they are the proper parts.
While under the dash reconnecting the leads from the key switch, decided the universal joint in left control column was looking shabby, it has had worsening play the last few years and I don't want it to fail in flight. NOS part arrived yesterday from local supplier and will go in next week.
The muffler shroud had a couple loose SCAT tube fittings, the rivets had torn thru, so I had to pull the exhaust system off. Bought a used shroud with decent welded tubes from Kelly as he just put on some fancy stainless high performance exhaust on 38Z. Our IA swung over to check progress and approve my old muffler and new shroud, and observed the paint on the motor mount and nose gear frame was crappy (a technical term) and needed attention. In order to access the motor mount tubes I had to remove the nose gear frame. That required pulling the intake runner from #4. Saw the intake runner hoses were prehistoric so those will be replaced. Since the nose gear was off (tail held down with a big bucket of lead shielding from an old electron microscope) I might as well replace the strut seals as they have been leaking, tho they are probably over 12 years old. (Helpful hint, keep a squirt can of Aeroshell #4 Fluid, aka red hydraulic MIL-5056 in the plane, squirt the exposed seal and chrome strut before and after each flight to extend life of seals.) Having watched my neighbor struggle with his strut seal replacement last year, I had put off the seal replacement but figured out a pretty easy and successful technique that took all of five minutes. I'll post that in a new thread, I think PA22 owners will like my procedure.
Strip, prime and paint nose gear frame, inspect bearings for compliance with AD (check for proper installation of original open-race bearings or upgraded sealed bearing, I had the latter) I removed the bearing shields where possible and re-greased the balls and reassembled. These bearings are very expensive so I want to preserve them as long as possible. I found them in ggod shape, running smoothly, so butoned them up and back in service they go. Interior of steering head was nasty, no rust but lots of crud that must have come in thru the weep hole, so I wiped it clean and sprayed with ACF-50 to preserve it.
Paint motor mount in place (sectionals and aluminum foil to mask surrounding area.)
Remove remaining intake runners, polished flange faces and replaced the hoses. Gasket unwilling to come off #3 intake port so there's another project.
Remove old hoses from Accessory case vent, wet vac pump outlet and vac regulator to wet pump, all will be replaced, plus the aluminum overboard vent tubes.
Found the rubber hoses at bottom of cylinder rocker box return tubes were very loose (this might be my elusive oil leak!) so those will be replaced too.

My IA is aware of everything I do, knows my experience in aerospace and military equipment service, checks and confirms that everything is in compliance.

OK gotta go, have fun everyone!

GG

[RobertC]

OK, the project is not a short wing but I do own a short wing if that counts. The short wing will be my next project. I bought a basket case four years ago, worked on it part time for three years and have spent the last eight months working regularly on it. I have attended three of Pierce's restoration seminars that have been invaluable and have a very knowledgeable and helpful IA that has helped get me to this point.
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[Brian]

Great Progress Bob ! Nice Work !