T Bolt's 1:1 P-47 Cockpit

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Finally got a little work in. Heres a few pictures

First picture is the primer/IFF switch box assembly. The unpainted bracket took me the better part of two hours to size and make and will have to be remade as it is too short across and puts the primer face-plate too close to the fuselage structure. A lot of bad language followed the test fitting and it was a few days before I felt like working on the *$@* thing again.

Second picture shows the test fitting of the aluminum flooring I cut tonight. It looks warped because it is. All the aluminum I've used to date except for the panels has been scrap (as seen in the last picture) which had been run over by a backhoe before I got it. It flattens out alright with enough screws holding it down as shown by the already finished portion of the floor.

Hope to get the rest of the floor at least cut, bent and ready for paint this weekend but painting will wait as the forecast is calling for rain here.

 
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Did some more work over the weekend finally completing the floor, except for a couple of cover plates (black squares in last picture) and a trim piece that will hide the plywood under the floor. These will come later after I make the control column boot. (still have to work that out) I'm getting close to mounting the panel, only a few more things to do. My fear is that when I get it installed I'll find something I had to do first and have to take it off again as it was a real pain to install when I test fitted it the first time.

Well here's the pictures:

1) The aluminum floor panels, Drilled, countersunk and painted.
2) Me installing above mentioned panels just before I cracked my head on the throttle quadrant.
3) Completed floor minus edge trim strip

 
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Got to say Glenn, you turn out some first class metal work mate !

Speaking of which, I used 18 guage Ali for my tub. Its easy to fold angles on (but a real s*d to go around curves !). I reckon you'd be fine with a sheet of that stuff as you dont have any compound curves on your rig.
 
Thanks Gary, It's been a slow learning process. The aluminum I've been using so far (except for the main panel) is about 3/32" thick scrap I found. If I did my math right that translates to about 10 or 11 gauge. It's a b**ch to bend. I have a 30" sheet metal break and I think I did it a permanent injury. Now I use a workbench vice and a rubber mallet bending a slight angle, 4" at a time, moving the bend point through the vise back and forth over and over again. It takes 4 of 5 passes to make a 90 degree bend, but it comes out as a neater bend than what I was getting with my break before it broke.

I will have to buy some new material for the skin as the scrap I have is too bent up to use in a large area like that and the thickness would be overkill. Is 18 gauge the thickness of the original 51 skins you used for patterns? I'm sure I could use thicker material if I had to as it's a simple one was curve and thicker material might make countersinking easier not to mention more dent resistant in the long run.

I've searched the net trying to find the skin thickness of the 47 at the cockpit with no result. If anyone out there knows let me know. I'd like to know even if I decide to go with something thicker.
Well I've been rambling enough. Next thing is to see if I can mount the panel.
 
If I looked hard enough through the blueprints I could probably find out how thick the skin on the original was. However, I had two sheets of 8 X 4 X 18guage that I'd got fairly cheaply and had reckoned on using them from the start as its not a bad thickness to bend etc. Its also just about the right thickness to enable you to drill and then countersink the rivet holes. So far, I have around 800 + rivets holding my tub together, and the countersunk rivets I'm using sit very nicely in the holes I drill.

When I marked the side panels out, I used Tony's originals and they where a bit thicker, but as my project is a ground gripper, I wasnt too worried about it. Having said that, now I've rivetted ths skins on, they are lovely and solid with the ribs and longerons behind to support them. Heck, I'd even be happy to fly behind them.....I wish !
 
I'm probably thinking about it too much. I think what worried me most was the countersinking as I will have in the neighborhood of 1000 holes. I feel a lot better about it now since it worked out OK for you. The thought of drilling all those holes in an expensive piece of aluminum with me not knowing what I was doing scared the c**p out of me. I bought myself a rebuilt Ingersoll rand drill and countersink cage but I have only tested it on a couple of holes – In wood – I guess I should practice some on aluminum scrap.
 
With ally breaking it means the folding edge is too sharp.Get a scrap strip of ally and bend it around first.Then bend the good stuff around the scrap and edge.Sorry for poor explaination but something pictures are needed for.Plus flu has muddled my brain...
Countersinking is great for thicker ally but with thinner stuff you might have to look at dimpling.
Hope you have some skin pins on hand...Check these out..
Cylindrical Clecos Used
looks amazing the work you guys are doing..Have all this spitfire stuff that we aren,t using,hmmmmm
 
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Spits said:
.Get a scrap strip of ally and bend it around first.Then bend the good stuff around the scrap and edge.


Have all this spitfire stuff that we aren,t using,hmmmmm
Click to expand...


Spits...that is a great tip, thanks.

And that sounds like dangerous talk at the end there!




Glenn, more pics, more pics, more pics.....keep up the great work.



.
 
Spits:
Thanks for the advice on bending aluminum. That sounds like it will help out a lot as some of my bends turned out a little tight.

Darryl:
I'm working hard on something to take pictures of!!
With a little luck, the panel will be mounted this coming weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
 
Started prep work last night to mount the panel and found that the landing gear indicator gauge interfered with the main transverse unistrut that the lower panel and rudder pedals are attached to. It worked when I did the trial fit but I had since added a plug to the gauge in an attempt to make it functional with the landing gear lever. After much bad language the strut was removed (with difficulty) and notched out with my angle grinder as shown below. I had hoped I was done with cutting steel. I have come to appreciate the machining properties of aluminum.

Hopefully things will go better on the second try.

Have also started work on the windscreen de-froster. Pictures later.

 
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