B-26K Counter-Invader Restoration ("Special K")

[A26 Special K]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, our most excellent metalsmiths were prepping the leading edge for installation on the horizontal stabilizer!! This will be another big step. JR

[A26 Special K]

The wheel well is all prepped and ready for the gear installation with all new hoses and fire sleeve where it counts, thanks to Arnold and Tim. JR

[A26 Special K]

Today, JR, Arnold and Tim did the final assembly on the left gear. You can see how happy they were that everything came out on the money! It was fairly stiff when they exercised the gear strut the first time, but with some lube and two tries, it fell right into place with the proper action. Everybody was greatly relieved. It was filled with hydraulic fluid all the way and the air was worked out. Good to go with just a few more things added like the scissors, but we need some special zerk fittings for that. Will be hunting some more for these. JR, the pilot

[A26 Special K]

And this is the ready to go product. Finally!!! Will install next Saturday, Sept 15th. Drop on by to watch. I will post more pictures later in the week, so check back often. The other JR, PS Don't forget our Fall Fling at Meacham on Oct 13 and the Panther Junction Swap meet and military vehicle show the following weekend. We will be offering rides in the DC-3 as well as several other vintage aircraft and a helicopter. Make your plans now for both!!

[fwnelson]

Getting back to the mystery spot and the part from the nose, between the guns, I have had several people tell me it's where a camera could be mounted.
I'm guessing that the part shown is a plug for the hole, when the camera was not installed or could it have been a protective lens for the camera. In any case it looks like a good project for Hawkeye. He could put one of his cameras up there and you'd be able to get some great shots of those pigs as you close in for the kill!

Frank Nelson

[hawkeyepoole]

That's actually a really good idea. I could stick on of my GoPro cameras up there. One in the nose, one on the tail and two in the cockpit !!!

[A26 Special K]

Ding Ding Ding... we have a winner, Mr. Nelson!! An old drawing from the Tech Order shows it was a "gun aiming camera mount". Some airplanes had them in the cockpit and some were in the nose. The K's, however, did not use them apparently. These are like vestigial eyes in old fossils! They were painted over in the gun noses. Thanks Frank! And Hawkeye, you have an excellent idea with putting a camera there, but we have to figure out about replacing the glass because it is cracked and painted over on both sides. No step for a stepper though as we say in the Republic. Look out hogs, you are going to be on TV!! The Ace Hog Extermination Company of Texas... and JR

[A26 Special K]

While I am off to NJ again, Tim likes playing with hoses and fire sleeve for the wheel well replacements. Looking good to insall the left gear this weekend. In other good news, we heard from our best support group, the A26 Legacy Foundation, that one of their members has donated two cable tensiometers so that we can proceed with attaching all of the control cables to the rudder, elevators and ailerons. Those cables are kinda important I suppose. Many thanks to Don and Tom for that great and timely news! We are so lucky to have this kind of support that seems to show up just when we need it the most. JR

[A26 Special K]

The GGA DC-3, Southern Cross, finally found something that it could outrun in the air! Whoops! Those Colorado birds must be slow from the altitude?? Bird was removed and flights continued after close inspection and clean out of the air intake. Be sure to join us for Fall Fling on Oct 13 at Meacham for your opportunity to ride on the DC-3. Our B-25 and A-26 will both be there available for tours. Many other vintage and some current military aircraft will be there, too! There will be a military vehicle/ old car show and other types of vendors present. Tomorrow.. Sat , Sept 15, we will be installing the left main gear on the A-26 and getting ready to hang the horizontal stabilizers. Drop by and see our progress on the restoration! Be happy to talk with anybody who would like to visit or take close up pictures. We love to share! Cheers from glad to be back in the Republic, JR PS, please don't rat us out to any of those bunny lovin tree huggers in Colorado that we accidentally ran over one of their birds! We would never hear the end of it. Thanks!

[A26 Special K]

What a great day!! The team hung the left horizontal stabilizer on and got her all torqued up. Ready for the elevator practically. As soon as the gap seal is finished, that should be taking place soon. The right side should be ready next weekend!! But that's not all that happened today. Keep looking!! JR

[A26 Special K]

This is the right stab. Ray, Lou and Felipe are prepping the ribs for the leading edge which was completed and ready to start shooting rivets tomorrow. It also shows that our team is cookie powered!! We found out Ray is the real cookie monster! Actually, he didn't get to eat lunch with us so he was allowed a few extra snacks!! We went thru a dozen and half of donuts, dozen pigs-in-a-blanket, dozen sandwichs, fruit tray, 2 llbs of potato salad, 2 lbs of smoked beans, 2 gallons of iced tea and several sodas. Working men need real food! We found that going to a restaurant with everybody took too much time so we started having a picnic lunch in the Mancave. The pigs-in-a-blanket were to get us in the mood to go pig huntin' when we get the airplane going! The Ace Hog Extermination Company of Texas... JR

Last edited by A26 Special K on Sat Sep 15, 2012 9:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[A26 Special K]

Our sheet metal magician, Ray, is touching up the primer on the ribs and spar so we can put the leading edge on tomorrow. Wow, again, that Cherry Max rivet gun is sure speeding things up! Many thanks for that donation! JR

[A26 Special K]

How good it feels to be putting stuff back on the airplane!! Ain't she purty?? Should be great to show her to the crowd at Fall Fling on Oct 13 at Meacham. Be sure to save the date! JR

Last edited by A26 Special K on Sat Sep 15, 2012 9:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[A26 Special K]

Hmmmmmm, I wonder what this could mean?? JR

[A26 Special K]

Yep, the left gear was installed today. Our most excellently engineered gear handling rig allowed the team to tilt the gear so that it could be slid into the well as the first step. The real JR had his hands full directing traffic to get this very heavy structure lifted into place. The rig allowed it to be done without any strain though. The other JR