Little hole on the front right side of the fuselage on P-51 B-1NA

[gumbo limbo]

Hi there, I'm building P-51 and instuction says to drill a little hole in the fuselage (0.4mm in 1/72nd scale) and I was curious if it's right to do that. I found one photo clearly showing this weird hole. My question is what was the purpose of this hole?

 

[Wurger]

As memo serves it's the outlet of the drain plug of the engine coolant pump. Used for the P-51A with the Allison engine and B/C with the Merlin power unit. The D variant seems to not have it there. Unless I'm wrong.

 

[gumbo limbo]

As memo serves it's the outlet of the drain plug of the coolant system. Used for the P-51A with the Allison engine and B/C with the Merlin power unit. The D variant seems to not have it there. Unless i"m wrong.

thx, It might be that, but why didn't every mustang (in B/C version) have it

 

[Wurger]

Actually the holes also at the both sides of the engine cowling are noticed just for the A,B/C variants mostly. So these can be just the cooling vents of the engine compartment.

 

[fubar57]

On the right side? Very prominent.

DA WEBS​

 

[BarnOwlLover]

Right side was oil overflow breather. Only P-51D I saw that had a similar port on the left side wasn't an actual P-51D. It was a P-51B modified to test the canopy that would be used on the P-51D. The NA-106 P-51Ds may or may not have had it, since few (if any) were made aside from test planes. They were superseded in production by the NA-109 series produced first iteration P-51Ds (provision from the start to use the 85 gallon fuselage fuel tank), and I don't remember them having the left side coolant port.

It should be noted on the P-51H, XP-82 and P-82B that the oil breather was moved further up towards the spinner on the lower engine cowling, above and between the engine filter air intake the the main supercharger intake. There was no similar hole on the left side, as well.

 

[Wurger]

It looks like the P-51D had the slot at the starboard only. While the P-51B/C and the earlier ones either on the port side or on the starboard. Possible that on both sides.

 

[mjfur]

P-51D, starboard side, aft hole - oil breather, fwd hole STARTER CRANK, most times capped.

 

[P-51-44-72028]

And some OCD crew chief's put a pipe on the breather exit port to keep the side of the fuselage clean. Photo P-51D-25-NA 44-73502, 1949 MN ANG 109th FS. 1951 IA ANG 124th FBS.

 

[Aliaksei K.]

Hi there, I'm building P-51 and instuction says to drill a little hole in the fuselage (0.4mm in 1/72nd scale) and I was curious if it's right to do that. I found one photo clearly showing this weird hole. My question is what was the purpose of this hole?

Oh. Is it Arma kit? Arma recommended to use book from MMP "North American Aviation P-51B/C & F-6C Yellow Series #6143" (at least they propose mentioned issue together with kit in their own e-shop). Your question connected to engine's breather system and described at page 33. Briefly, it refer to service buillutein 60JD-37 and we have three different variants - no hole at all, hole in upper position and hole in lower position, depending from serial #.