Warbird Information Exchange

who did your canvas work?

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Taylor Stevenson

It looks really great! It will look great however you choose to finish it. My vote is to give it one of those "New Mustang" mirror" finishes.
Exceptional attention to detail. Any placards or data plates referencing the Vultee plant in Nashville that was in production during WW II?

I'm prepared to be proven wrong, but I think all the BT production was in Downey, California.

[quote="Second Air Force"]That is really going to be a fine machine, Mark. I'll trade ya for our project:




Hi Scott

Looks like quite an undertaking on your hands!!. We had it down to every rib and former. One thing that I do not know is why the hell would you want a wet wing It would have been so much easier with stress doors like the T-6 and I think it would have been more popular. I would do another one though! It should be at Osh next year but if any of you are in the southeastern Pa region, PM me

When I first got mine into the shop I started exploring the center-section and removed all the lower inspection plates. I was pulling out handfuls of what seemed almost to be tar soaked sawdust and I remember thinking "Well, now I know why they leaked!" And a few years ago in Air Classics there was a photo of some women at Vultee with buckets and paint brushes of sealer working blind from below a new BT, through those round inspection panels to seal the tanks and I just rolled my eyes and laughed. What an awful job.

" What an awful job." Yes, it sure is! One of the downfalls of having skinny arms is getting "volunteered" for the sealing job. A helpful hint is to put "saran wrap" on your arms.....

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Regards,

Jase
www.b26marauder.com
"I'm having a BLAST!!" 2007 CAF Wing Staff Conference

RIP Gary Austin..always in our hearts

Fortunately ( ) my center-section has to be completely stripped and de-skinned, so we're going to take a slightly different approach to the fuel tank problem while we have it apart. But I'll keep the "saran wrap" in mind! Thanks!

Dan: When you get ready to install the new skins, use the current version of FMS 1044 B6 that is compatable with gas when you get ready to do the final install. Layer every joint and rivet line with a .050 to .090" average layer and cleco the fright out of it.
You can superglue AN960D series washers to the bottom faces of the screw holes of the cover plates and then wax the surface very well and use the same grade of sealant spread over the skin to make formed-in-place gaskets. Tape around the cover hole so that there is a fine gap around it and coat the area for the gasket with the sealant. Screw the covers down and torque to the approximate install torque and let the sealant cure out. When cured, trim it up, remove the cover and trim the hole area and clean the coverplate of the wax and pop the washers off. You should then have a cover that will seal when installed.

When you have finished the new skin install, make sure that you do a long pressure test. The one we did had some areas that still leaked a little and it took keeping the tanks filled with water and slight pressurization for a couple of days to find them. The real trick is getting the tanks filled completely and all the air out of them.

Thanks for the ideas. We've got a ways to go before we're at that stage but I'll sure be happy to hear anyone's ideas for improving the fuel system. As far as operational limits go, the Vfe is going to be artificially lowered as apparently overspeeding the flaps results in pretty much immediate leakage.

can I use these pictures and information for my BT-13.org site?

Thanks!


paul

You can use my photos Paul

Mark D

Yeah

I have been elbow deep in the center section just like that lady many years ago - some things never change.