Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

[3Dreaming]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

My dad has a plug for a fiber glass reproduction. Some were made by Harbor City Ultralights in the day. He has been talking with some people recently about getting some made from carbon fiber or kevlar. I guess I need to push him a little.

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

My dad has a plug for a fiber glass reproduction. Some were made by Harbor City Ultralights in the day. He has been talking with some people recently about getting some made from carbon fiber or kevlar. I guess I need to push him a little.

those were the best available, and if you were doing a postwar and put the trim on it, you could not tell they were glass.

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

Mike I am not sure what you mean about hydroforming not working for making wheel pants. Many other parts besides frame rails are made using hydroforming. In fact, with todays technology they might even be able to make a wheel pant in one piece. But I am sure everyone would want the seam down the middle, so it would probably be easier to form each half separately and then weld them together. The end user could have them welded together to help satisfy the owner produce part requirements.

Maybe I worded it wrong. Hydroforming uses water under very high pressure to form parts. Not sure how they would use a hydroform machine unless they used some type of bladder against the mold. The way the wheel pant is built it in halves, a stamping is a more logical method.

[Ron Coleman]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

Hydroforming is really fairly simple. There are dumb simple examples on utube "see hydroforming 92Esa" Probably the most reasonable way would be to make a wood half mold with a steel matching back plate. Put a high pressure coupling in the back plate and clamp a sheet of aluminum between the mold and the back plate. Use your pressure washer to pump up the wheel pant half. The flange used to clamp and seal the part in the mold becomes the joint ( as on the originals) between the halves (they are not exactly the same shape). Two important notes here. There must not be any air in the cavity or there could be an explosion if the mold ruptures. If there is only water between the sheet land the back plate when it ruptures there will only be a big squirt. Also there will have to be air holes in the mold when the metal expands into the mold or there will sure as heck be a violent expansion when the mold blows apart. If wood is used as a mold shape, it will have to be braced with something like angle iron or box tubing to keep it together.

RonC

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

Our BIG hydraform machines all had a bladder that came into actual contact with the sheet metal. There was a HUGE HEAVY base we put a Kirksite die on, the thin sheet went into a frame over the die with the rubber bladder over that. When the button was pushed the frame came down over the die and the bladder filled with fluid under high pressure forcing the sheet metal over the die. The whole process took less than a second and a perfect part would be laying on the die when the frame came back up, ready to trim. It was a slick, AND NOISY operation. We made all kinds of aircraft skins with it from MUCH thicker material than is in the wheel pants, but is was owned by the government so it was NOT CHEAP!
Hank

[Pearson]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

Ron it sounds like you were describing a process using a female mold. I was thinking it would be easier with a male mold for each half.

Hank, yes the process I was thinking of uses a rubber bladder between the mold/die and the water.

Many years ago Bob Morton had a bunch of new instrument panels made. They were made using hydroforming. I picked them up from the manufacturer and ship them out to everyone that wanted one.

[Dick Huish]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

The problem with using a male mold is the you will have shrink the metal and that will cause wrinkles. I did that with L-2 instrumental panels. Not good, I just tried to do it the eay way. Dick

[bashibazouk]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

That's how some of the WW-I guys make their cowls. If you are gentle you might even get a few pants off the molds before the Bondo comes apart.

Or use concrete like these guys did if you want more durabiity:





http://www.russellw.com/planes/ryan/cowling.htm

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

Wow, concrete. I wouldn't have thought of that. Any idea what mix you use to make a concrete buck? It would have to be pretty strong mix and very fine grain but other than being a B**CH to move around (DANG that thing must be HEAVY!) I would think it would work great.
I bet one mold would last long enough to make pants for every Taylorcraft in the Tribe!
Hank

[Tom T]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

New to the forum. Have read past threads, although nothing has been posted for awhile. Are there any new developments on wheelpants for a restored 41 Deluxe. Will need mounting hardware as well. Looking for originals if anyone has a good set available. If not, want as close a representaive pair as I can find to complete a restoration.

Thank you.

I realize this is an old subject but I have an original 1941 set that I would sell.

[Larry Lyons]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

Well I have a set off a 41 too but wonder how close to original they are. Sometime take a pic and post it for us dummies! Larry

[Tom T]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

Well I have a set off a 41 too but wonder how close to original they are. Sometime take a pic and post it for us dummies! Larry

Well Larry, why not get a picture of yours and post it for your friends? I will do the same and you can compare.

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

Well I have a set off a 41 too but wonder how close to original they are. Sometime take a pic and post it for us dummies! Larry

prewar pants have a vertical riveted seam. postwar pants have a chrome strip down the middle.

[Larry Lyons]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

Well Larry, why not get a picture of yours and post it for your friends? I will do the same and you can compare.

Fair enough, we are in the middle of good old fashioned winter storm but I should be able to get a pic tomorrow. Sitting here I can't remeber but I believe mine have the crome strip. :-( L

[mike lutz]

Re: Wheelpants for '41 Deluxe

here is a picture of the pre-war pants on my 1940 bc65