Thursday, June 15, 2023

Battery Box

I chose the best looking battery box I had between the two airframes and bead blasted it. When I was done a number of holes showed up in the bottom of the box. I imagine they are the result of battery acid eating away on the floor of the box for over 70 years.

The box material is aluminum and to repair it I cut a piece of 3/32 aluminum that fit snug and used JB Weld to adhere it in the bottom of the box. It did a great job and I am sure will last another 70 years

Here is the repaired box alodined and ready for some EP520 primer

along with a bunch of other parts primed and ready for paint

painted and trial fit

Lets Do A Little Woodworking

Just to refresh I am restoring A Canadian registered straight 108 but I am using the fuselage from 108-1 N8500

So this airplane will be essentially a 108-1 when completed.

One of the interesting things about 8500 is that it sat for many years and had a original interior - not in great shape - but good enough to make patterns

I probably could have reused the floor boards but elected to make new ones - here are some pictures of the old and new

Below is the top and bottom of the rear floor

These are hard to find wood nut inserts I reused them

The 108-2 and -3 Stinsons had an option they called a Station Wagon which had a reinforced rear floor that could carry more weight

The straight and -1 versions had only this small reinforcement

These are the front floor panels

Above and below are the panels that go ahead of the rear floor panel and fill in around the battery box

Below - These are the wood nut inserts again - that the control column cover secures to. - there are 3 in each front floor panel

Below is the new rear panel I built. I used 3/16" Oak venner ply and I applied epoxy resin impregnated 1/8" glass cloth with fire retardent on the bottom of all panels.

This added an incredible amout of strength to the panels