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

[A26 Special K]

Added some info on your facebook page about the USAF Global HF freqs for MacDill found in the cockpit.

Ken

Thanks Ken and for those who are trying to find it on our facebook page, you have to go back several pictures to one which shows the freqs that were penciled on the side of the control head. JR

[A26 Special K]

It was a big weekend for the team. A lot got accomplished on the detail work for the right engine. The carb hold down bolts for the left engine were received. The guys started trimming the final fit for the new glass in the left canopy. The right nose gear door is back on. Just waiting on the Night Shift to finish up the rivets on the left hand door. There are a lot of details to finish up before we can start engines, but the day just got a lot closer with the productivity this past weekend. We also greatly enjoyed a visit and lunch with a former A-26 pilot, Nimrod Bob Bakken, who flew Kay during training at England AFB, La, back in the day. Bob and son Brian brought pizza for the guys and we really appreciated their comments about our progress. Next weekend should be good working weather. Come see us! JR

[fwnelson]

Nice to hear the carb bolts have arrived. Any chance you could show us what a $20.00 bolt looks like?
Frank

[shrike]

Nice to hear the carb bolts have arrived. Any chance you could show us what a $20.00 bolt looks like?
Frank

I looks like a $1.00 bolt with a $19.00 stack of paperwork

[A26 Special K]

Nice to hear the carb bolts have arrived. Any chance you could show us what a $20.00 bolt looks like?
Frank

Hi Frank, Photobucket, where I have been uploading pictures, has become very difficult to work with since my anti-virus program keeps giving warnings about suspicious activity on that site, I have started posting pictures more on our Facebook page. Anybody can view it without being a FB member. Just click on this link to see pics of our progress & the $20 bolt. Each carb takes ten of them. http://www.facebook.com/a26specialkay Good to hear from you! JR

[Chris Brame]

Found a bunch of photos of B-26K conversion 64-17641 being rolled out, plus one shot of its brethren being stripped for conversion:




They're at the L.A. Public Library website; I turned them up searching the keyword "bomber." Hope you haven't seen 'em ten jillion times before!

http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/Pres ... rowse=null

[therealJR]

These are great photos, a first for me. Any ideas who the people are? I've only seen a few On-Mark facility photos so these are a real treasure. I've always said someone must have a file drawer full of On-Mark photos & memorabilia. Hope they don't end up in the trash.

Thanks for posting the link.

[Texnician]

Bravo Chris. The factory shot really brought it home for me. Having been blessed with sharing a hangar with a non-K A-26 has proven time and again how unique the On Mark mod was to this model. I long ago concluded that the mod was pretty extreme and that picture just says it all. Thanks

Larry

[A26 Special K]

Anybody know this kid from New Jersey working on an AF Convair R-2800 back in the day?? Well, please say hi to the Real JR and also, say thanks to all of our veterans for their service. Our team is composed of a number of AF vets. We even have one token Navy guy! We are very proud of their service and their work on Kay. Kay will represent many Vietnam vets when she starts on the airshow circuit and city tours. We can hardly wait. Best regards on this beautiful Veteran's Day! The Other JR

[A26 Special K]

Maybe you didn't believe that was the Real JR?? Where here he is 43 years later doing the same thing with a cylinder getting back to his roots!! We can't say enough about his expertise and dedication that have made the restoration of Kay possible. He will always be our Crew Chief and we will be most happy when he lets us fly his airplane although it makes us a little nervous to think we might bring it back broke! We will try very hard not to let that happen. The Other JR

[Zac Yates]

I love it! Thanks for sharing, JR - very cool to see the then-and-now.

[A26 Special K]

Latest pictures of the restoration are up on our Facebook page. No need to be a FB member to look at it. http://www.facebook.com/a26specialkay. Lots of progress to report. The carbs are mounted to both engines. All of the pressure lines are run to the cockpit instruments & engines. Work continues on installing new glass in the canopies & the detail work on the engines. One nose gear door is hung. Will need to finish & do some gear swings. More work next weekend. Come see us! JR

[A26 Special K]

Last weekend was a very productive one for the team in spite of the cool temps. Some homemade chili warmed everybody up. JR found some help in getting the new glass trimmed for the cockpit canopies. Thanks and welcome on board Gary! He is a pro at plexiglass and plastic so once again, the right person comes along just when we need the help. Not sure how JR does this rabbit out of a hat trick, but it sure has come in handy. This coming weekend promises to be very wet and cool. Might have to make some "road kill stew" for the guys. But we will be there as usual so if you need to send your company out of the house to go visit somewhere, the Vintage Flying museum will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Work will continue on the carburetor linkage hook up to the cockpit, detail work on the engines, and the cockpit crew will be doing their magic. Come see us Saturday! Happy Thanksgiving!! Live and Direct from the Republic, The Other JR
PS new pictures are up on our FB page. You do not have to be a FB member or log in to see them.

[A26 Special K]

We had a special visitor on Friday of last week. Ed Parker, back in his young Airman days at England AFB, worked on Kay in 1967. Seems like only yesterday, but anyway, we had a good visit and heard some great stories. He often flew as a Crew Chief in the airplanes on cross country navigation training legs. He later went into EC-47's in VN. Even though it was cold and rainy on Saturday, the diehards showed up to work on the airplane. Hooking up the throttle linkages etc to the carburetor turned out to be more of chore than expected due to the tight squeeze and little room to work. We hit a snag on one carb and have to send it back again for inspection. This will set us back a couple of weeks or more. Guess we shouldn't be surprised that the last 8 % of the work is going to be the most tedious. We should have warmer temps and dryer weather this week so hopefully, the faithful will return on Saturday for the next round of battles with the ol' lady! Ya'll take care and stay warm! Regards, JR

[Zac Yates]

Thanks for the update! Good luck for lots of productive work on Saturday.