new member to forum

[pasture_pilot]

Greeting gangs, new to the forum here, have a 46 BC12 D A65-8, have been working on slowly for the last 6 years, a few questions.
Anyone have any tricks for getting a broken exhaust stud out of a cylinder head w/o pulling the jug?
I have drilled a pilot hole up the center, soaked in monkey pee, heated, (but not too much) but it won't budge.
Also, any thoughts on trying to refinsh the existing airframe ceconite, was done in '83, have been wiping off the old dope with lacquer thinner, down to the silver.
Wonder how much new dope and what kind, to recover airframe fabric and rear feathers, (main wings are good, rear tubing is solid).
Want to make the old bird safe and flyable first, learn to handle it, (no sense groundlooping or banging up a fresh resto job) then if time, interest, and $$'s permit, do a full resto.
I bought the plane in 2000 for $7k out of annual (excessive mag drop), sometimes just not sure if this is the right one for me.
Currently flying a 76 C150M, so at least my flying skills aren't on hold while the Tcraft is being worked on.
I would like to hear from anyone who has experience with doing a return to flyable repair on a BC12. Where to start, what to look at besides wing struts..LOL
BTW, has anyone played with the old Slick mag's, looking for a way to rejuvinate a set of 4003's. My left one has weak spark, it could be the old shielded wires are shorted, not sure. Have repaired and made good several old tractor mags, they are fairly simple, one on the A65 looks similar.

Thanks
N43204

[Robert Lees]

Re: new member to forum

Firstly, welcome to the forum! Have you considered joining the Taylorcraft Foundation (see here for details).

I can't help you with the fabric questions...I suggest you have a chat with Jim & Dondi Miller at Aircraft Technical Support 1-877-877-3334. They are very pleasant & easy folks to deal with.

As regards the broken stud, I suggest you get a set of stud extractors (aslo called "easy-out"). These have a left-hand thread and will screw into the hole you have drilled & unscrew the stud. I suggest you get the threaded hole inspected after extraction, it might need a new oversize stud instead of a standard one.

Keep us posted!

Rob

[barnstmr]

Re: new member to forum

Tack-Weld a nut onto the stud. Soak a big ole Crescent wrench in the Freezer. Heat up the head with a butane torch. Remove heat and wrench it out with the cold wrench.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: new member to forum

Having gone through the "refinish the existing fabric" route I can say from experience that it can be done. That said I would walk through the fires of HELL before I would EVER do it again! No matter how good you get the surface it will NOT be smooth once the new dope goes on. Mine looks OK from a few feet away but I will NEVER be really satisfied. The chemicals used to remove the old finish will never be completely removed from the seams in the fabric and will mess up the new finish (I wet sanded the finish on mine). There will be small defects in the fabric from the removal you will always worry about, and most importantly the labor cost so far overshadows the cost of new fabric there is NO comparison! I wouldn't have been ahead if I counted my labor as FREE just through the cost of gas for all the trips to the airport working on the blasted project.
Take the old fabric off and recover! You get a chance to look at the structure and you WILL find things that will scare you on an airframe that was last looked at "neked" in 1983. The added expense of a recover is only the cost of the fabric and there is less work by a huge margin. If you hadn't already taken the dope off with thinner I would say fly it ugly or just overspray with the new colors but since you have just bite the bullet and do the job right. You will never regret doing it right.
Hank
There are more ways to remove the stud if what you've gotten from others here doesn't work. I'll be reading and jump in if you can't get it out. Just don't break it off flush!

[pasture_pilot]

Re: new member to forum

Hello again, thanks for the info. I haven't wiped the whole thing down yet, just the vertical tail and horiz. stab. where the dope was peeling off, coming off in layers, but just on the tail, almost like it never soaked into the fabric. The lac. thinner seems to be working the base coat back into the fabric, so I was thinking of just doing the areas that were peeling or thin, and recoating with a layer of silver, then a finish of white to match the wings. Not worried about the appearance, want it safe to learn in first. Have opened up the interior, doesn't look too bad in the back.
The stud, has a short nub left, not much to weld too or grab onto, it broke when the cowl kept hitting the tailpipe and broke the exhaust stack on that side (ship has a 7ac's exhaust on it, and no I am not changing it, just bought a nice used SS set off ebay to replace the broken one for $150, not bad!)
So I am open to ideas. Engine has 400 hrs SMOH, rebuilt as a 75 HP, metal prop, oil analysis was OK. I have a few oil leaks to fix, and of course the mag issue...
Need a dwg and specs on the lower cowl (want to make a new one, have a sheetmetal shop ready to go, my current lower cowl has been patched so many times, it looks like a quilt!
Also need elv. trim tab info, mine was plywood, and completely rotted. Anyone got dwgs or specs, and what do you guys replace the 2 hinges with? Mine were nothing but rust.
Thanks gang, and will try to have some pics up soon.
BTW, I don't have to drive to the A/P to work on it, it is here in my shop, 30 feet from my side door, stored inside, a heated and airconditioned shop, and guarded by the shop cat, no mice are getting near this bird!
Hope to use this ship on my grass airstrip here also..hence my screen name.

[Robert Lees]

Re: new member to forum

elv. trim tab info, mine was plywood, and completely rotted. Anyone got dwgs or specs, and what do you guys replace the 2 hinges with? Mine were nothing but rust.

We've got a metal trim tab, but it's held on with a piano hinge like this:

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: new member to forum

I have the wood tab on my 45. I have the drawings around here someplace but the rest of the tribe will tell you I am SLOOOOOW finding stuff. I will try and get the 45 tab from the barn and trace it for you. The original on mine had been set on fire when someone tried to weld on the damaged hinge. They just covered the burned wood with fabric and went on their way. I actually made a new one by laminating two pieces of thinner ply to get the proper thickness. It was easier to make the grove for the hinge wire and I ended up with double the plys and a REALLY strong, straight tab for MUCH less cash than trying to find that thick ply. Made teh whole thing in a couple of hours.
If you have very little stud left you may have to take it to a good machine shop and have it machined or burned out (don't let the "burned out" scare you, they use an electrode to vaporize the stud under oil and when they are done you end up pulling a little "spring" out of the hole that used to be the threads). It's a really safe way to remove a stud without damage to the part.
Check with Jim and Dondi, but I wouldn't feel comfortable with the thinner disolved dope removal system (even if you are SURE it is really dope). If the wrong thinner was used you could have damaged the fabric, weakened the silver or base finish bond or ?????? Jom and Dondi will steer you straight but you should NEVER use chemiicals on your plane that aren't a part of the approved list of materials for the system you have. It just isn't worth the risk.
Hank

[Forrest Barber]

Re: new member to forum

Many methods for the stud, any good mechanic can do it in place. just did five for Bruce Bixlers engine. Think about spruce her up a bit, fly her awhile and then recover her. Best way to make old peeling fabric look nice. Wood tabs we have here for copy or use.... e-amail me direct [email protected] and web site www.barberaircraft.com

[pasture_pilot]

Re: Forrest request

Hi Forrest, I sent you an email per your last message a couple weeks ago, haven't heard anything, perhaps it didn't make it?
Am looking for dwgs on the lower cowl as well, mine has been patched to the point it looks like a quilt, have a sheetmetal fab shop that is willing to tackle it, but need a dwg. The factory quoted me around $600 to make one, but with the financial things about them I've read lately, am concerned I might send money and not get parts...
How much does the group cost to join?

Regards
CN

[Forrest Barber]

Re: new member to forum

probably never opened, big blocker in place, I will look today at the airport, drawings are no good, this is a compound part, lofting you know! Join the Foundation, ?? its on the web site still $15.00 . open Tues, Wed & Thurs afternoons 1PM to 4:30PM 330 823-1168. If you have the part and the reinforcements they should be able to wheel one for you. I ahve the trunk latch stuff for the lower cowl IF that is what you use. need ser#