Having a full time job makes this project a very slow go. I am only able to work on it two to three days out of the week and then only a few hours a day. Usually Ed Bird and I can be found there on Wednesday and Thursday. This last week we had a new volunteer. (Note: ALL museums are in need of volunteers). Old Chuck helps when time permits, but as paid staff his other duties take priority.
Most days are spent either attacking the old paint with sandpaper, or a power washer. Here is a shot I took Thursday before coming home:
The old national insignia looked so bad from years of exposure that I sprayed some primer on it to hide the bad looks:
We also have sanded the underwing emblem so that there will not be a noticable outline when painted. Did not want that Aurora model look!
The canopy had been sand blasted in the past to remove the names and obscenities carved into it. Unfortunately that left it looking almost as bad. I have experimented with using finer and finer grits of sandpaper. Gee, just like a model. It will still be milky and not clear, but will be better than before.:
When we opened up the access panels in the belly we found that quite a bit of sand and dust had built up over the years. That needed to be cleaned out. So in addition to the hinged portion that is often seen opened on aircraft being serviced, I also had to remove the "Engine Starter Tank Access Panel". When I did I found that the small drain holes were clogged and in the wrong place to completely drain anyway. I also found surface corrosion on the inside of the panel, so I took it home to clean it up and paint. I also drilled a drain hole in the center of the panel to allow moisture to vent and water to drain. Finding actual zinc chromate is not easy, so I sprayed the cleaned surface with primer and covered that with Model Master Green Zinc Chromate.
This is an older photo of the open engine access panel in the belly
And a before photo of the starter tank panel:
And an after:
This has been an interesting project so far and we have learned a good deal about F-84F aircraft and differences between the various block numbers. One thing about this airplane that has always bugged me is that the speed brakes look funky. Well... it turns out that the F-84F-1-RE through the F-84F-20-RE (and F-84F-1-GK through the F-84F-10-GK) have a smaller brake. Somewhere early in the F-84F history a scab plate was added to the speed brake to increase the area. Our's is an F-84F-20-RE. From the F-84F-25-RE (and F-84F-15-GK) a larger brake was fitted.
Small brake with scab plate:
Small with scab plate removed:
Scab plate (We will use this to trap a screen when we put it back on. That will keep the birds from building nests inside.):
The larger brake on Pima's F-84F-40-RE:
The external electrical connection location:
Hopefully we can start painting before June.
While we are working on this project there is real work going on as well:
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Had God intended for man to fly behind inline engines, Pratt & Whitney would have made them.
CB
http://www.angelfire.com/dc/jinxx1/Desrt_Wings.html
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