Restorations why so long?

What about the place in Jersey that did them?

They only sell parts these days.

When I was out at Camarillo earlier this year one of the CAF guys working on Dave Prices old Mk14 said to me “What the **** were you guys thinking when you built these???”

I just smiled 🙂

I also reminded them it ran fine when I last worked on it…. I was a bit thinner then….

My standard answer to Americans asking why the prop has “so many blades” was “because our aircraft are way more powerful than yours”

Like it says “ideal world” ;)…. Real world is more 😡 than 🙂 There’s no way a shop can stay busy on just one project.

Have to say I prefer the split upper cowls like the P51 over the Spit one piece, those are absolute ******s when they arrive from IOW & need *a bit* of fetting to fit. At least with a P51 one person can easily pull or install all the cowls 🙂

Well thats why you are an airframe fitter , most spit bits require a bit of fettling to get that fit!!. All bits for spits are pretty much bespoke cos they are all different in some way!!!

Steve

What about the place in Jersey that did them?

also Scottish Aviation? what was the deal there?

How about John Sandbergs outfit, did that business keep going? Altho I’ve heard quite a few people refer to those engines as “sandgrenades”

In the UK Maurice Hammond does his own.

Not just his own, he has rebuilt a number for other operators too.

If any shop quoted that scenario they’d be out of business PDQ. It all goes to hell with that 10%/90% deal.

You have to come up with something between the previously mentioned “first estimate” & something that could be possible…:D

That will explain why builders are so unpopular round here!

Don’t forget the 3x time 2x cost factor 😉

Thanks for those links 6-9 months for the Griffon.!!

Well the one we mostly deal with is Mike Nixons Vintage V12’s who are just up the hill from me:
http://www.vintagev12s.com/about.htm

Then Ricky Shanholzter (sp?) has a shop in Tx which is what became of Dave Zeushels business. Mike also worked for Zeushel back in the day.

Dave was into drag racing:
http://forum.competitionplus.com/archive/index.php/t-6518.html

In the UK Maurice Hammond does his own, Roush does some in the US & also makes parts (pistons/rings etc, which are a work of art). Then there is Jack Hovey’s place up in Ione Ca.

There are others. Not sure what became of Dwight Thorns outfit after he passed.

Are you asking about one particular Merlin or who still makes parts and/or overhauls them today?

On the topic of making new Merlins, this would help:
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/nextengines-3d-scanner/944641/

Yes who overhauls them today any links you may have will be great. Thanks pp.

Are you asking about one particular Merlin or who still makes parts and/or overhauls them today?

On the topic of making new Merlins, this would help:
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/nextengines-3d-scanner/944641/

Who is the engine builders of the Merlin?

What is there shelf life before one is to be stripped and new seals fitted etc?

Hi Bruce.

That was my point really. Restorations need to have recently serviced parts which goes away from the notion of bulk manufacture and storage.

Even HFL have disposed of their huge spares store. That may have been for other reasons though.

The Spit XVIII was not up to modern standards; the engine had sat around uninhibited for years, the prop was way out of check and so on. The aircraft itself had been in a box for ten years, so needed a good bit of work.

What was done to it was what I reckoned it needed, both when I put it in the box back in 1992, and when I took it out of the box (both times with others!!) in about 2004/5.

Bruce

Crated a/c.

Several references have been made to bulk manufacture and stock piling of parts. I frequently think of the a/c restored to airworthy condition and then crated. Foremost of these being the Doug Arnold collection.

The Spit XVIII was purchased, removed from its crate, stripped down and completely rebuilt by TFC for the new owner. The P47 is also going through this process.

There are several other a/c that rest in crates having been placed there after a successful restoration and flight.

These a/c with original/restored parts and new built parts seem not to be able to cope with the passage of time. Might this be a good reason for historic a/c restorers to make the parts to order such that they are fully serviceable when needed for installation?

No denying that, but P51’s are a piece of cake (sorry) to work on compared to Spits.. or am I merely thinking that because I’ve worked on a lot more P51’s (about 20) than Spits (3) since I left Blighty?

Boy, you sure got that right LOL!!! Only the British would invent the slotted fastener hole so parts could be moved for/aft on one part with a left/right slot on the other part to provide a reasonable chance of the bolt dropping into the hole…

Which is probably what ultimately lead to the invention of the Irwin uni-bit

Yes but they do make some of the most beautiful planes in the world 🙂

Boy, you sure got that right LOL!!! Only the British would invent the slotted fastener hole so parts could be moved for/aft on one part with a left/right slot on the other part to provide a reasonable chance of the bolt dropping into the hole…

Which is probably what ultimately lead to the invention of the Irwin uni-bit 😉

Have to say I prefer the split upper cowls like the P51 over the Spit one piece, those are absolute ******s when they arrive from IOW & need *a bit* of fetting to fit.

My understanding of the ‘hand-fitting’ requirements of the Spitfire cowls (I recall overhearing some *remarks* at DX when a Spitfire was getting new cowlings) inspired this:

Should you wish to develop your own*, the website’s here: http://bighugelabs.com/motivator.php

Just a bit of fun. 😉

(*Poster. Spitfires cost a bit more.)

Have to say I prefer the split upper cowls like the P51 over the Spit one piece, those are absolute ******s when they arrive from IOW & need *a bit* of fetting to fit. At least with a P51 one person can easily pull or install all the cowls

Horses for courses here..Some like the beauty of the Spitfire…some like the brute power and lines of the P51.Plus they are pretty much opposite in terms of design and production.The RAAF had a choice to produce either after the war and went with the P51 (CAC) due to ease and maintenance.