to washer or not to washer?

[Rick Hadley]

Re: to washer or not to washer?

The wiring for position lights was factory standard on all aircraft after SN 2529. The battery is to be placed on the floor immediately ahead of the seat, slightly to the left of the center of the ship and is grounded to the fuselage framework under the seat. Thus say'eth the original factory manual.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: to washer or not to washer?

Anyone have drawings or pictures of the battery box on a 41? I would like to put a replica back in mine. I understand there was supposed to be a fire extinguisher right next to it.

[Dot_AK]

Re: to washer or not to washer?

I'll look to see if I have the original drawings - mine has the battery is back in the baggage compartment, but I have no idea where it started life.

By the way, do you guys recommend cutting new tie wires for the strut attach fitting, or is there a source for those you prefer? Trying to search the forum for tie rod for strut attach fitting loses me in mounds of posts about the strut AD.

I'm currently trying to use a square to mark the wing for trammelling, so I'm getting there.

By the way, whose bright idea was it to put two AN-5 bolts in a wing full of AN-4's and AN-3's? Why only 2, or why those two, in the rear spar strut attach fitting? One more part run later, I'm getting closer!

[Ragwing nut]

Re: to washer or not to washer?

Anyone have drawings or pictures of the battery box on a 41? I would like to put a replica back in mine. I understand there was supposed to be a fire extinguisher right next to it.

I have the original 6v battery box that was in my '41 Deluxe and it was mounted behind the seat under the baggage sling on the right side.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: to washer or not to washer?

I had a deep drawn aluminum box behind my seat too when I bought it, but from the photogtaphs there was originally a metal box that was riveted together that was locked to the floorboard in front of the seat by some bent up clamps. When I looked close at the behind the seat box mount in mine I could see it was added after the fact. It sure gets in the way less behind the seat than in front. How can you tell yours was original? Can you get some pictures? If we can show they put it in both places I would rather have it behind. There were a LOT of things on our planes that seem to have not been standardized.
Hank

[VictorBravo]

Re: to washer or not to washer?

If we can show they put it in both places I would rather have it behind. There were a LOT of things on our planes that seem to have not been standardized.
Hank

This is the curse of the restorer... finally realizing that the aircraft was always a "work in progress" with many potential improvements to be made... but having to stay original during a restoration and turn your back on the improvement.

The curse of the customizer/upgrader, by contrast, is that you make some improvement to the airplane that absolutely you're sure they would/should have done originally, only to find afterward that there was indeed some mechanical or operational reason they did it the first way

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: to washer or not to washer?

Hard part is figuring out what is original and what is an "improvement". Some of the after factory work is REALLY NICE and hard to tell from original. On my 45 there was an unusual skylight Forrest and I scratched our heads over for quite a while (my 45 was one of two test Deluxes built right after the war. Mine stayed at the factory till mid 46 and had a bunch of mods for evaluation). The way I finally determined the skylight was original was from burn marks on the wood from a dull table saw blade. The burns matched some wood in the belly exactly and that wood was original (later matched up to several pieces of wood from areas that had never been opened up before). That convinced me the skylight was original, even though it is different from any one I have ever seen on another Taylorcraft. It is really nice, but WAY labor intensive to build. I understand that was the reason they never put it into production. Nice for a pre-war when cabinet makers were cheap, but post war a simpler design won out (but never went into production either).
Hank

[Ragwing nut]

Re: to washer or not to washer?

I had a deep drawn aluminum box behind my seat too when I bought it, but from the photogtaphs there was originally a metal box that was riveted together that was locked to the floorboard in front of the seat by some bent up clamps. When I looked close at the behind the seat box mount in mine I could see it was added after the fact. It sure gets in the way less behind the seat than in front. How can you tell yours was original? Can you get some pictures? If we can show they put it in both places I would rather have it behind. There were a LOT of things on our planes that seem to have not been standardized.
Hank

I know it was original because my DeLuxe had never been restored, never been apart, 2 ground loop repairs during WWII, quit flying in 1955, still had the original OD dope finish on the belly where it left the factory as an L-2J. Mine is also not a drawn box. I will take pics of it and post them.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: to washer or not to washer?

Really like to see those pictures! Even if there are two locations for the box that you have, that it is a non drawn one is great. I'm assuming it is riveted. The drawn ones are still made (several catalogs still show them) and I don't think the one I have looks like something from before the war.
Hank

[Forrest Barber]

Re: to washer or not to washer?

The wire came out in 1941 by an E.O. originated by Roger Wolcott. It is only after a certain ser# . We also added it when recovering. Dick of course is correct about the wood wing They were stiff as a "Board:

[Forrest Barber]

Re: to washer or not to washer?

I have a lot of those "prototype" stuff here. A lot of things developed for Army evaluation are here too! I have mentioned these in the past and show them at the fly-ins : Wooden fuel tanks, Deluxe doors very heavy with ash trays and fancy handles, fiberglass 1941 covering, I flew the ship built in 1941 , 65 HP, with full panel , two big venturies, TWO Lear radios , movable loop, long trailing antenna, tunable on a reel, Beech Roby prop. YES FROM the factory for a buyer south of the border; maybe Cuba.