misc questions

[skipilot]

Looking for a place to get the brass insert bushings for the gear legs on a 1941. Where do i order the kit with pads, rivets for the brakes? How about getting a cowling repaired/fixed up? Has many cracks, patches etc. Its been well used.

[ajfriz]

Re: misc questions

Do you have shielded ignition? I have a nice upper cowl that is uncut that I'm thinking of selling.

[Pearson]

Re: misc questions

The gear bushings can be ordered from Wag Aero, AC Spruce, Tractor Supply, etc. For the brake parts, Jim Greene at Skybound Mfg. Inc. 770 446 6797. Drill all the rivets out of the patches on the cowl. Push the dents out with your thumb or a rounded off piece of wood. If you have to hammer any dents out, use very small taps instead of a few large whacks. Once you get it straight, take it to a welder with a TIG machine who knows how to use it. A lot of welders have a hard time welding such thin aluminum, so be picky. Once you get it back from the welder, you can put a THIN coat of plastic automotive body filler on and smooth it out with sandpaper.

[skipilot]

Re: misc questions

Yes i do have shileded ignition. I have to have the blisters on the upper cowl for the plugs to go into, which also need replacing. I have a bunch of pics of the plane, on here.

http://s901.photobucket.com/home/luggaraviation

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: misc questions

A good tool to press out dents and creases is a common kitchen soup spoon (that's why they call the process "spooning"). It's really easier to spoon the dents out than to hammer them out because hammering stretches the metal where spooning "pushes" it. If you feel like you are making good progress early on, you are probably going too fast and stretching the metal. When you are new at it it should feel like it is going WAY slower than you want.
When you get to the point where you don't think you can smooth the metal by moving it and want to use some filler, just remember when you get good at this you will be APPALLED at how much filler you used on your early pieces. When I did my first instrument panel from a flat sheet I ended up using about 1/2 a golf ball of filler on the whole thing. On the one on my plane now there is about a green pea worth. NEVER put more than 1/16" thick of filler (Bondo) ANYWHERE! It will just eventually flake off. Aluminum flexes when the plane vibrates and Bondo doesn't flex. It starts to fall off the day you put it on. The thinner it is the longer it will last. In the Navy we used Chromated Poly Sulfate sealant as a filler. It is NASTY stuff to work with but it stays on at Mach 2 and protects from corrosion too.
Hank

The slower the metal moves, the better the job will look when you are done.