A Door to the Future

I temporarily installed the doors to 98K, mostly to get them out of the way. I still need to install new plexiglass and also clean up and re-install the door locks and handles. The pilot side door fits perfectly, the passenger door needs some tweaking.

I also installed the new boots over the universal joints in the control system. It was easier than I anticipated.

Kala and Nathan came down from KSU for the weekend. We took a club Bonanza to Benton (Stearman Field) yesterday afternoon for hamburgers. It was a nice day finally to get out and fly.

Control Shafts Ready

I picked up the shafts the control wheels fit onto today after having them re-nickled. They look nice and shiny again. I installed a control wheel tonight and temporarily installed in on the pilot side. I still need to replace the rubber boots over the universal joints. I got those last fall, so maybe I will try and install those this weekend.

I am also going to try and remove the paint from the center covers on the control wheels and paint the letters black with gold in the background. Then silver across the top. We'll see how that turns out. I received a link yesterday to a guy who makes re-productions of the dome light cover I need and also these control wheel center covers. So, worst case, I'll buy some.

Headliner Supports Installed

I had a few minutes after dinner so Willie and I decided to install the other wood pieces Jim had recently manufactured. These are for attaching the headliner above the doors using staples. There wasn't much of a pattern on the right side. Fortunately, the pilot side was mostly intact to use as a pattern. Looking good!

Light and Sound

I spent yesterday varnishing some of the latest wood pieces Jim has supplied. He made a new panel which holds the overhead dome light and speaker. He also made new pieces which go above the doors for the headliner to staple to.

I purchased a new speaker a few weeks ago and installed that after the varnishing was complete. You can see the before and after shots here. Also a shot from below. This wood piece will be covered once the headliner is installed.

I did my taxes yesterday, so I should have a few dollars in a couple of weeks to consider spending on the headliner and fuel lines. Maybe some instruments, too. I also need to track down a cover for the dome light.

First Sit

Some of the early events in an airplane's life are the rollout ceremony once it is finished and then the first flight. Since these are still a ways off, Willie and I decided to do a first sit (sort of like a first flight but you have to use your imagination). This is actually the first time I have sat in 98K. When I purchased it 2 years ago, it had been so mouse infested that was the last thing I wanted to do. I placed the cushion from one of the lawn chairs in there since we don't have anything upholstered yet.

It is amazing how "at home" it felt. Of course, with over 400 hours of Stinson time, I guess you might expect that.

I have lots of items I can work on this weekend. I'll keep you posted!

And Even More Powder Coating

Monday evening I repaired a few cracks in the passenger door frame. I used cherry-max blind rivets and some metal I picked up at Dead Cow International Airport (also known as Westport) at lunch time. Tuesday evening, Wes offered his services and facilities again to complete the powder coating. I had stripped the paint from the oleo shock absorber cover so that went in the oven first. You can see it installed (under the front seat frames) in the photo on the left. We then did the 2 doors, focusing our efforts on the inside portion not covered by the upholstery. Everything turned out really nice.

We then stripped the powder coat off one of the control yokes we had done last week. It had a defect on the top where some brake cleaner that didn't evaporate had caused the paint to glob. Sanding off the glob didn't help, so we heated up the yoke in the oven and then used the wire wheel to take off the paint. It worked well. I had seen the idea of heating things up to remove powder coat on one of the EAA's home builder hints of the week. The EAA's website offers 3 to 5 minute educational videos on numerous topics. We re-powder coated the yoke and it turned out perfect.

Other than the 2 covers for the fuel lines where they go down the forward door posts, we are done. I need to remove a lot of dents and other problems from these fuel line covers, so it will be awhile. I also probably need to install the fuel lines and do a fit check before we paint them.

In other news, I was part of a 6 person team that went to Waco, Texas today for HBC to look at an STC company. We took a company King Air B200GT. Nice machine! I got to ride up front on the way back. We were doing 300 knots! The ProLine 21 cockpit sure is nice!

More Powder Coat Fun

I went back to Wes' today to assist him as he powder coated some additional parts. We cleaned up the glare shield and did that in almond, and then did the seats and a few other parts in satin black. Wow! Do they look nice! Wes did a fantastic job. Its is a shame most of the seat frame will be covered with the Citation light caramel leather.

I need to fix two small cracks in one of the doors, and then we will powder coat the inside almond. I also stripped the paint off the landing gear oleo cover today (I had painted it last summer) and will get the done in satin black. After seeing how well the other parts turned out, I knew it was the right thing to do.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, a neat aspect of this project has been the many people I meet and their willingness to help. One of my co-workers, Tim, has offered advice along the way and is the one who introduced my to Wes. It is folks like Wes and Tim who make this task easier and will help 98K be an airshow winner someday. Thanks!

In other news, I dropped off the control wheel shafts Friday at ChromePlus to get them refinished. They said it would only take 5 to 6 days. So, maybe by next weekend, I can sit in the airplane, move the controls, and make airplane noises. I am sure Willy will want to join me!

Powder Coating Fun!

Tonight I packed up all the parts I have been busy stripping lately and drove about 2 miles to Wes' house. It turns out he is on the same road as Wade, just further north about a mile. I also brought Wes a pizza for dinner and 2 cases of beer as compensation for his time tonight. Pretty cheap for the amount of effort!

First he looked over the parts and suggested a few things to do to prep them better. As I accomplished that, Wes got the oven warming up and the paint gun ready. It was an interesting process to watch. The parts are charged opposite to the charge on the paint, making the part attract the paint powder. Once they are coated, you carefully slide the rack they are hanging from into the oven. They bake at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes. Then you take them out, let them cool (which only took a few minutes), and they are finished. There are a few little spots to sand with 1000 grit sandpaper. Wes used brake cleaner to clean the parts prior to paint and it didn't all evaporate due to the colder temperatures. It caused a bubble on one of the rivets on the panel. Worst case I'll put the placard for the N-number over it to hide it. Overall, I was extremely pleased with everything

We got most of the almond colored parts done tonight (3 batches of parts). We plan to finish on Saturday with the insides of the doors being almond and then painting the seat frames and a few other pieces satin black. Should be fun!

Control Wheels Ready for Paint

I have been trying to get everything ready for the powder coat procedure. The last remaining item was to get the control wheels separated from the shafts. I removed the nut only to find they wouldn't budge from there. After consulting with Wade and some of the guys at work, the unanimous answer was to get some penetrating oil called "PB Buster" and let them soak awhile. I gave it 24 hours.

This evening, with a small amount of coaxing from the hammer, out they came. I then removed all the old covering on the control wheels. It was a plastic like coating. Since the control wheels are magnesium, I sprayed them with WD 40 to keep the air off of them until it is time to paint. Magnesium corrodes pretty fast. Hopefully we can paint in the next few days. However, another winter storm is coming so we may have to work around that. I also plan to get the control shafts re-nickeled.

An engaging story

I normally only post airplane related items here, so maybe this is an exception. Kala called from K-State earlier this evening. She and Nathan got engaged this evening. She looks a little surprised. I haven't heard her this excited since Oshkosh! (see, I got something airplane related in here). No date yet, but she wants to finish school and is currently a junior.

Flush Riveting and Paint Removal

I took the various interior pieces that I had not stripped of paint yet to a company called "Softstrip" today. They had done some previous soda blasting for me about a year ago on the tail pieces. They had everything done in 1.5 hours - money well spent! Some of the parts are shown here sitting in the fuselage.

I also went by Wade's this evening and he showed me what countersinking is all about. He attached the support for the glare shield to the back of the instrument panel with flush rivets. You can see the master at work. It turned out really nice. Always a good combination to have the right tools and the experience.

Next up is powder coating all of these parts! I am anxious to see the final product.