P-51D Fuselage longerons

sounds good Mike

If you shop around there are firms that do H section aluminium but you have to trim it down and also tweak it in a fly press along the edge to get the angle of the outer face.

I am experimenting with some samples at the moment but not got it right as yet.Will let you know if I do as Jason has already asked us for help on it.

The only other alternative is as you are not flying and you cannot see all the section when its in situ is to make up two U channel sections and tweak one to the profile you need then rivet them together down the centre line the join and seem when in place cannot be seen .

Mike E

Many thanx for leads. Jason, since the longerons wont fit your tub! Can I buy yours/trade??!

As my project already has an identfication, there would be no provenance issues. So please restorers out there…please help a static P51 join the ranks?!

Did anything come of the “AP51 Palomino” kits from Flugwerk, or did that die a death altogether?

I suspect the problem is that you can buy airworthy longerons for a price, but there is nobody making cheap non-airworthy ones. And, as Jason says, restorers are unwilling to part with replaced unairworthy original parts due to provenance issues.

Glad you’re happy with the gunsight Jason. 🙂

Tony,

We have been looking for a year already.

Maurice has a set but is not willing to part with them – has offered us the chance to come & measure them.

We have aquired some lower longerons but are really struggling with top longerons.

We have even tried John Seevers in the US who does the replacement longerons.

I think it is the same old story of full-size restorers not wanting to pass on parts in case they come back to bite them later on in terms of provenance/identity.

On the plus side we have just acquired a working N9 gunsight.

Catch up soon.

Jason
www.bottishamairfieldmuseum.org.uk

Maurice Hammond.might be able to help