Restoration of NA-64 Yale 3383 and 3456

[warbird_patrick]

Hey Legend of Aces Squadron Leader.

You never mentioned your name.

And others who have restored a T-6.

I have restored many aircraft over the years.

Just wondering thoughts of others on how to proceed. Seems Legend of Aces you are starting on the seats first and basically overhaulng the pieces as you take them off to end up with parts laying on racks and then going to put them all back?

I am contemplating how i want to do this one. Taking everything off down to the frame and then start by overhauling the frame and then overhauling parts and put them back on?

Or starting on other sections like wings and get worn out on that first before tackling the frame.

Or- Doing like u LofA and Overhauling parts as they come off down to the frame.

Have thought of doing the engine first but threw out that idea thinking of how we ended up with the engine sitting a long time on our F6F which is at Kermits now after some trading that I didn't approve of. We did the restoration to 90% finished and then Kermit got it and it sat for many years with a sign on it saying it had been restored in his shop. Someone at the museum must have made a grammarical error because my father and I worked on that for many years together on Corrosion Corner.

I am older now.... And old man of 43 and I don't want to get worn out starting my next project by going a more tedious route.


Just another "master" restoration tech (sheet metal, forming, heat treating trained by Bill Stoia, engine, recip and radial trained by David Robinson and jet at AeroThrust and Miami Field Service and overhauling Boeing 502's and GTC85's, Wood and Fabric trained by Leo Singleton and paint by Tam and general wasted time aviation studies (tongue in cheek) at George T Baker.

I like sheet metal and am really good at smoothing out mangled up messes to look as perfect as the first day out of the assembly line but don't want to get worn out on wings and tail before tackling the frame.

I really want to enjoy this one.

I have been doing a lot of flying over the past ten years culminating with getting hired by UAL an tne promptly laid off 8 months later so alot of restoration projects have taken back seat for a while. But now its time to get back into my first love restoring antiques.

This will be a -never sold- not for profit and flying airplane as it is the embodiment of my late father David (Robbie) Robinson of the actual NorthWest Corner Corrosion Corner on Miami International.

I really like the thread you have started here L of A. I will be watching for encouragement. It takes encouragement when you have to pay bills which puts aircraft restoration in back seat. Thank god I don't have kids god love em.

Mike Robinson N169D
912-547-5477

I am looking for another steel tube T-6 frame and mangled wings and tail cone for another project.

Oh and yes...... Bead Blasters are the most Wonderful thing. Especially if you have a big compressor and many tanks in series. Still hooking mine up after finishing the new hangar I built by piece by piece by hand myself with no help. 5000 sq ft. Lucky I didn't fall and become paralized.

Hello Mike,

My name is Patrick

My plan, as I have done on other aircraft projects is to dissemble one part at a time, restore that part and set it aside tell needed, and do this in a manor so I can reassemble it in the reverse order.
I have a list that, when i remove a part i add it to the list so i know what order it came off. Once all of the interior parts are restored, i will remove the tubular frame form the wing center section and tail cone. Once the frame is completed, and the tail cone re attached I will start to re-assemble all the restored parts. I have done it both ways were the aircraft was torn all the way down, for me it works better because this is more organized, plus I got a lot of good clean shelf space for the restored parts.

Sorry to hear about the F6F, it sucks when people take credit for work they did not do. Best of luck Mike on the T-6. If i come across any airframe parts Ill get a hold of you.

Patrick

[Mike Robinson]

Hello Mike,

My name is Patrick

My plan, as I have done on other aircraft projects is to dissemble one part at a time, restore that part and set it aside tell needed, and do this in a manor so I can reassemble it in the reverse order.
I have a list that, when i remove a part i add it to the list so i know what order it came off. Once all of the interior parts are restored, i will remove the tubular frame form the wing center section and tail cone. Once the frame is completed, and the tail cone re attached I will start to re-assemble all the restored parts. I have done it both ways were the aircraft was torn all the way down, for me it works better because this is more organized, plus I got a lot of good clean shelf space for the restored parts.

Sorry to hear about the F6F, it sucks when people take credit for work they did not do. Best of luck Mike on the T-6. If i come across any airframe parts Ill get a hold of you.

Patrick

Thanks Patrick.

I've been holding my breath for some extra airframe parts for a long long time.

You have a good system. Sounds good. I think if you haven't patented it I would like to borrow it. The list seems to be the key. As well as storage space for parts not to get scratched.

My own projects were interupted due to moving three times and good thing I remember where everything went.

Now I have built my own hangar by my own two hands on private land so I hope things can be a bit more organized. I have a bunch of roll around parts carts /shelves but I have just got to get rid of all those Boeing Air Start Turbine engine parts off of them since they are now boat anchors. We used to rebuild them.

Good job on cutting out those steel metal lock pieces.

[warbird_patrick]

Update January 10, 10:

Today I decided to air up the landing gear as per the manual to see the condition of the struts, and am very happy to see them holding the air and in remarkably perfect condition. Know she site a little bit higher.

I also picked up a new old stock upper recognition light and MKII Aircraft Identification Switch Box (morse key for lights) for the plane:





Patrick

[Mark D]

Hi Pat

Great find - where did you find these and are there any more?

Mark D

[warbird_patrick]

Hi Pat

Great find - where did you find these and are there any more?

Mark D

Hello Mark,

I got the light from http://www.warbird-parts.com/, I think he has a couple left. The morse key off eBay, he has a couple left:http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/RAF-Spitfire-Aircraft-I-D-Switch-Box-New-NOS_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem588576289fQQitemZ380196235423QQptZMotorsQ5fAviationQ5fPartsQ5fGear

Patrick

[Fleet16b]

HiGuys

The ident. light and the morse code unit were common to almost all RCAF trainers. My Fleet Finch has the light located on the belly .So do Tigermoths .They both have the morse key also.
There are still plenty of the lights to be found. I myself have close to a dozen and know the location of close to 100 more of them.
The morse units are a bit harder to find. I bid on that very unit myself when it was on Ebay but as I was only needing it as a spare, the price seemed practical only I did not have one at all.

As for Yale wings, I was always told that none of the Harvard variants were compatible with a Yale
Yale wings are very rare now .In fact the last pair I had were from a crash and the buyer was very happy to buy them anyway.

[warbird_patrick]

HiGuys

The ident. light and the morse code unit were common to almost all RCAF trainers. My Fleet Finch has the light located on the belly .So do Tigermoths .They both have the morse key also.
There are still plenty of the lights to be found. I myself have close to a dozen and know the location of close to 100 more of them.
The morse units are a bit harder to find. I bid on that very unit myself when it was on Ebay but as I was only needing it as a spare, the price seemed practical only I did not have one at all.

As for Yale wings, I was always told that none of the Harvard variants were compatible with a Yale
Yale wings are very rare now .In fact the last pair I had were from a crash and the buyer was very happy to buy them anyway.

Hello,

Yes the Yale outer wing panels are very hard to come by, the wing panels for 3383 are in great condition and should only need minor work. We still are going to open them up and inspect everything.

[warbird_patrick]

Update 1-15-10:

Well I spent a good 5 hours yesterday at the library transferring the Micro Film drawings into PDF files, managed to get 1000 of the drawings done, got 13 rolls left. I was able located the drawing for part #19-52615 , which is the universal joint for the flap controls, The drawing calls for universal AC 270 B-10, which is the MS20270B10 as I had expected.

[Mike Robinson]

Those wings do look good.

I did get started: I moved mine from one side of the hangar to the other and squirted PB Blaster on everything i could find.

As well as removing tons of Boeing 502 air start turbine carts from build up racks to use them for the parts as I overhaul them as they come off like you do.

[b747cf]

Hi Mike

I remember seeing your T-6 at OpaLocka attached is a fuzzy photo of it.
Good luck with the rebuild.

http://picasaweb.google.com/b747cf/Misc ... 1564706722

Mark Fidler

[Mike Robinson]

Wow yeah there it is along with the 150 and my faithful forklift I changed the oil in the other day I built my hngar with. I hated that place except for nights and weekends. I lived in the building which was the only way I could afford to keep everything. And someone stole my T-6 Tow Bar and Engine Work "L" Stand and Wing Rework "L" Stands. I am on the border of Florida Georgia near Jacksonville now on a paved county strip. That was a DC-3 wing in the foreground. Pictures though of the actual Corrosion Corner are always wanted. Sorry Pat your thread... but your thread is keeping me going.

[warbird_patrick]

Wow yeah there it is along with the 150 and my faithful forklift I changed the oil in the other day I built my hngar with. I hated that place except for nights and weekends. I lived in the building which was the only way I could afford to keep everything. And someone stole my T-6 Tow Bar and Engine Work "L" Stand and Wing Rework "L" Stands. I am on the border of Florida Georgia near Jacksonville now on a paved county strip. That was a DC-3 wing in the foreground. Pictures though of the actual Corrosion Corner are always wanted. Sorry Pat your thread... but your thread is keeping me going.

Its no problem.... Glad to hear that you are getting work started. Hopefully we can fly together some day

Patrick

[b747cf]

Thanks Patrick and Mike,

Here are two more photos from corrosion corner.





Mark Fidler

[bdk]

Thanks Patrick and Mike,

Here are two more photos from corrosion corner.





Mark Fidler

[Mike Robinson]

WooooooW I have been looking for photos of that for years.

You can NOT Imagine how much memories those pictures hold for me.

I used to climb up on thos scaffolding and stands as a child to watch the airplanes land.

I spent many years helping my dad restore the F6F to 90% complete before it got traded unbenounced to me to Kermits.

That was a hell of a sugar storm at home. And that open door on the side of the building was my home for over 20 years.