Instrument panel repair

[Hank Jarrett]

Tom is also correct that there was a back panel that was supposed to carry the loads from wires, instruments and everything else BEHIND (forward of) the panel. I have a drawing of i t and will try to attach.

[Hank Jarrett]

You can fix the damage from trying to mount a 7 O clock altimeter with the doubler, but the explanation is a bit complex to put here (a LOT easier to do than explain). There were some plane that had teh mag switch mounted to the lower middle sub panel. I also have the graphics to make those sub panels and a printer who can make "decals" to put them on. I use their markings on the knobs I make.

[3Dreaming]

I have done several panels now (MUCH worse condition than yours) and made a 41 Deluxe panel from scratch. It is NOT hard to make or repair one, just time consuming. You will need PATIENCE, not skill. Really wish you were closer to SE Virginia. I would still say the best way to repair is a doubler on the BACK of the panel (forward towards the engine, not on the side facing you). One thing that is a bit harder is getting the rolled edge right around the instruments. An edge roller or form would make it easy but I didn't have one so I did it by hand. You CAN do it and it will come out looking like new. This is also your chance to go back to the original mag switches in place of the more modern (for the time) A-7 you have. The A-7 is NOT as reliable as the original or a modern mag switch. Your plane would have had two Farmal switches (one for each mag) from the factory and they are VERY reliable and inexpensive. They are STILL in use on tractors today!

The switch like that was only used on the airplanes with single mag ignition systems from the factory. If someone switched from a single to dual mag engine in the field they may have added a second pull type switch. I am going to need to come up with one of those for our A model. It will be single ignition.

[Hank Jarrett]

I had some photos of the first dual ignition planes where they still use the Farmalls. There was just a second switch next to the original one. They were all planes that had the mag switch on the left side of the panel, NOT the ones with the switch on the lower rectangular sub panel. Some later pre wars used an A-9 switch instead of the A-7. Taylorcraft used what they could get. I need to find that picture with two Farmalls.

[3Dreaming]

I had some photos of the first dual ignition planes where they still use the Farmalls. There was just a second switch next to the original one. They were all planes that had the mag switch on the left side of the panel, NOT the ones with the switch on the lower rectangular sub panel. Some later pre wars used an A-9 switch instead of the A-7. Taylorcraft used what they could get. I need to find that picture with two Farmalls.

I would like to see those pictures. Anyway the picture he posted has the correct mag switch for his airplane, it wouldn't have had two Farmall switches.

[3Dreaming]

Here is a very early B model. I am guessing a BC based on the markings on the tach. Notice the mag switch to the left of the pilot control wheel. The picture came from alliancememory.org .

[Clark]

Hank, When the engines were converted to the double magnetos would that explain moving to the A7 switch? Was there any particular Taylorcraft or CAA instruction on the placement of the switches. Seeing as there isn't any standardization across the aircraft it was left up to the mechanics. When I was speaking about having a backing plate it was behind the carburetor heat and cabin heat controls to the left of the control yoke. There was about a quarter of an inch to half inch space between Instrument panel and the backing plate. The plate was attached to the frame for the panel. Maybe you already know to what I'm referring. Anyway talking about it is helping me plan how to correct the cable attachment to panel.

[Hank Jarrett]

On the 41 Deluxe the instruments and the mag switch were all attached to a support structure BEHIND the panel (attached a couple of photo. These are NOT original parts! I made them from photos and incomplete information. If anyone has photos or drawings of a 41 sub panel I would REALLY like to see them!), but that was a change from how it was done before. It was an elegant but WAY TOO COMPLEX solution to a problem that probably wasn't real. The idea from old engineering documents was you could shock mount all the instruments and protect them from vibration and shock (which was done on the big tach panels too, but I don't think with vibration protection in mind). Once the panel sheet was put in it was simply a cover for the instruments they could be seen through. On the earlier panels like in the photo from Tom Baker (3Dreaming) the oil gauges were combined with the big tach and had some vibration isolation, but the altimeter and ASI were mounted to the support piece and the oil gauges were built into the tach housing. I can see how they could have seen isolation from vibration was a good idea (I don't think it is, especially on the old design altimeters that can tend to stick). After the 41 Deluxe they stopped using the instrument supports and mounted the instruments directly to the panel (which created a whole new string of problems with cracking of the panel). I am starting the restoration of the 1945 instrument panel now and will try to post photos of how I am repairing all the cracks. It is almost identical to the post war panels but in 45 they were thinner and mine has LOTS of cracks! On the big tach panels the mag switches were put in several places from what I have seen in the photos. The single ignition engines used the Farmall switch and it was either on the left side of the panel or in the rectangular sub panel. I am starting to think that the planes I have seen with TWO Farmall switches may have had single ignition engines originally that were converted to dual ignition engines. That would mean the dual ignition built planes were most likely the ones that got a lever switch (like the A-7 or A-9) from the factory. That would make all the old photos make sense unless Taylor couldn't get the new mag switches, in which case the factory would do what they usually did, revert to using what they could find that day. Having a car factory down the road and plenty of places with parts for tractors explains why there are so many car parts like door handles on Taylorcrafts. Probably the reason they aren't all the same is the car plant had different ones in stock at different times.

Hank

These are great discussions and may help to explain all the strange configuration we see after 80+ years. I am enjoying figuring out how and why our planes are configured. Lets keep challenging ideas!

[3Dreaming]

The 41 deluxe was the only one to be shock mounted that I am aware of. While the earlier airplanes did have a sub panel, it was hard mounted to tabs welded to the airframe. No isolation mounts. I think some of the earlier airplanes the sub panel was made out of 1/8" plywood. When the wood failed they were replaced with aluminum.

[Hank Jarrett]

I didn't know there were no rubber washers or anything between the big tach instrument plate and airframe. I have the drawing for the pre 41 Deluxe "Big Tach" plate if anyone needs it but had to reverse engineer the one for my 41 Deluxe in the photos above. Everything in the right place except the mag switch which is about 1/4" off. REALLY don't want to tear the whole panel down to move it 1/4"! The shape of mine is mainly based on photos since I didn't have a drawing..

[Clark]

The Back Panel on the 40' I have had rubber shims/spacers when I removed instruments and panel/s. The inddividual instruments weren't rubber mounted but the back panel to the frame was. I left the rubber shims/spacers along with bolts attached to the back panel as I am a bit paranoid about losing things although I think I am pretty conscientious, labeled plastic bags, etc., I thought leaving them on the back panel would help me get them back in the right places. Also I didn't want to look through the parts bags to find them when I was looking to replace them. Any inputs on that, as if they weren't original then there probably isn't any hard guidelines just good practice/s.I imagine what ever is being used today that is both durable and sufficiently vibration dampening on other panels? My mag switch is located very close to the same place on the photo Tom Baker posted.

[Hank Jarrett]

None of my instruments were "shock mounted" to the support assembly. There were soft rubber "washers" between fuselage and mount like what you described. Some old advertisements called it "shock mounts" and that is just the term I used too. Certainly not true shock mounts as we would call them today.

[Ragwing nut]

I should still have the original sub panel for both my old deluxe and 41 standard

[Hank Jarrett]

If they still have the original graphics I would like to add photos of them to the file for future reproductions!