The wings are now home so I can get working on them in spare time. Thanks MM for helping me load them up today!



Everything is here at the house other than the fuselage and engine. Few more weeks I'll be pulling the engine so I can yank the firewall, bootcowl, strip fabric, and see about getting some tubing replaced.

Tadpole wrote:The wings are now home so I can get working on them in spare time. Thanks MM for helping me load them up today!



Everything is here at the house other than the fuselage and engine. Few more weeks I'll be pulling the engine so I can yank the firewall, bootcowl, strip fabric, and see about getting some tubing replaced.

This can only mean one thing. Your about to change jobs and move

Matt get a Maulie you won't be sorrie


G'Day

OregonMaule wrote:This can only mean one thing. Your about to change jobs and move

I'll stay retired before I move again!

Well I graduated college, so I finally can work on the plane. Decided to get the engine yanked so I can get the fuselage tubing repaired. I have a few busted tubes and some bent ones. So today, I made good progress.

This is the hangar I've got it in. There is a flying Stinson 108-2, my wrecked Stinson 108-2, and a metalized 108-3 we've been putting back together (unfinished project purchased off a local), and a Champ. Both the other Stinsons are for sale as he just bought a Cessna 195. My kind of hangar!



Getting ready to hang the 0SMOH Franklin 220 onto the -3 so I can put my slightly used PZL Franklin 220 onto the stand.


Hung onto the -3


Mine on the stand


Got nearly everything pulled through or removed from the firewall and called it a night


Next up to is drill out the rivets connecting the boot cowl and the firewall, pulling the interior so I can finish clearing the firewall, then get those off. Then I'll be moving the fuselage across the road to my IA's hangar to join a Fleet, L-5, Champ, Pitts, etc...so that we can get the tubing repaired.

Time for a beer.

What's the damage on the project? Doesn't look too bad..

Good work Tadpole, it's nice to see things moving along.

Tom wrote:What's the damage on the project? Doesn't look too bad..

Some dummy put it on its back (bent vertical, prop, struts, needs some attention to the firewall and wings).

Ya the vert is smashed. Some fuselage tubes busted and bent. Prop mangled, struts busted, wings need work and recover, etc. fun stuff.

The firewall and boot cowl are damaged pretty good. I might be able to repair them though. I'm probably going to make a new boot cowl out of .032. I need to think on the firewall. Will wait to see once I get it off the plane. I can either beef up some bad spots, buy a NOS one from Univair, or try to find a used one. Making one is kind of a pain in the butt.

Tadpole wrote:The firewall and boot cowl are damaged pretty good. I might be able to repair them though. I'm probably going to make a new boot cowl out of .032. I need to think on the firewall. Will wait to see once I get it off the plane. I can either beef up some bad spots, buy a NOS one from Univair, or try to find a used one. Making one is kind of a pain in the butt.

Let's all keep a good thought out that the crank magnafluxes OK!!!

Tadpole wrote:The firewall and boot cowl are damaged pretty good. I might be able to repair them though. I'm probably going to make a new boot cowl out of .032. I need to think on the firewall. Will wait to see once I get it off the plane. I can either beef up some bad spots, buy a NOS one from Univair, or try to find a used one. Making one is kind of a pain in the butt.

Wow...that's a blast from the past!! I know that yellow -2! It used to belong to a friend of mine in Kalispell, MT, named Lee Tower.
The firewall is NO biggie! I've made a bunch of them! About 3 or 4 hours and it's ready for install! I'd be glad to share any experience I have with you on it. Boot cowl out of .032 is a great plan. I've done that on the last 2 I rebuilt. It sure makes it nicer.

hardtailjohn wrote:The firewall is NO biggie! I've made a bunch of them! About 3 or 4 hours and it's ready for install! I'd be glad to share any experience I have with you on it. Boot cowl out of .032 is a great plan. I've done that on the last 2 I rebuilt. It sure makes it nicer.

I wish I could say no biggie! Metal work is my weakness! All I know is the Univair price is more than I want to pay.

I have some parts if you need some. I have my 165hp Franklin for sale as well.
Fare wall forward. Let me know .

Ken in Alaska

I need a vertical stab for a -2 along with a rudder. I'm going to give a go at making the firewall and boot cowl. I think I need a fuel cap, and maybe a tank if I can't repair this one. I need some wing struts and a pitot tube too. Most of the other things I think I can repair or make new.

Today's mission was to get the forward interior, boot cowl, firewall, rudder, and vertical stab removed. Mission completed. Needed to get the front end opened up so I can get the busted / bent tubing repaired. The vert / rudder are trashed, so might as well rip them off while at it

Left side, if you look you can see the busted tube on this side as well as the one on the top engine mount. The bent tube is easier to see up where the windscreen would be.


Can see the busted tube here on the right side


Busted tube on right side


Busted tube on top left engine mount


Busted tube on left side


Didn't grab a pic before I ripped the rudder off, but this is the vert all smashed up


After the rudder and vert removed....pain in the butt since I couldn't easily get to some stuff due to the damage

Tubing repairs done!









I hired someone to do the welding.

I also got a hangar today at KFLY. It's 5 minutes from my house versus 35min where I'm keeping it now with friends. I'm splitting a T-hangar with a Pitts S1. Time to move all my crap out there. Will be nice to have room to work (versus my garage) and close to home, with all of it in one place. Next up is getting a firewall made or finding a used one, hang the engine, then get the fuselage moved. Then clean up the wiring mess behind the panel before I close all of that up.

From the firewall and new blanket install with some things still left to do before engine hanging.









And this is from today....

Engine on


Enroute to KFLY, Meadow Lake Airport. This airport is 5min from my house versus 40 minutes where I've been keeping it.


I was beat by the time I got it home, so no pic. I need to go out tomorrow and secure it better since the tail is so light with the engine on the front and will get one then.

Awesome thread and great project Tadpole,

So pleased to see the fabric seems to be survivable - that saves you a BUNCH of work.

You'll be done before you know it.

Battson wrote:Awesome thread and great project Tadpole,

So pleased to see the fabric seems to be survivable - that saves you a BUNCH of work.

You'll be done before you know it.

I'm recovering the wings, they are pretty tore up. Going to patch the fabric for the new tail, but leaving it otherwise. It won't be the prettiest out there once I get her in the air, but some winter I probably will recover the fuselage...after I get some flying in.

In the hangar.

Cool! I bet it's a lot easier to motivate for with it being so close now!