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Fuselage
Preparation.
Work on the fuselage started with removing all fabric and components. I took a lot of pictures and made lots of notes in my parts manual regarding exact positioning of items that were not specifically or clearly displayed in the manual. This wasn't that big a job as we weren't debutants with this aircraft. I didn't bother too much with inspection hole locations as I would locate them more accurately using a light after applying the fabric.
The upper and lower fuselage formers can be removed as a unit by removing the drift screws from the tube clamps and drilling out the fwd fuselage rivets.
I found a small wood chisel and upholstery claw-nail remover worked on the drift screws, but the chisel and claw were trashed in the process. Not bad considering the number of drift screws on the fuselage.
My youngest, Millie, enjoying the jungle gym.
Quick removal of some primer to get a good look at the tubes. We were very fortunate to find all tubes in good condition. Only a blasting and painting would be required.
With the fuselage stripped of paint we were ready for the messy and tedious job of spraying on the dope-proof-epoxy primer.
I suspended the fuselage from the ceiling of our garage and covered the floor and walls with poly. I would suggest using two colours of primer to aid in tracking. It's very difficult to see what has been covered after the first coat is applied. We applied a minimum three coats to all surfaces.
With the fuselage painted it's time to start putting the pieces back together.
The door trim and upper and side formers required no repairs and were simply reinstalled after oiling the tubes with tube-oil.
The lower formers; however, required repair. Two stringers and one bow required replacement. Not bad for a 50+ year old floatplane.
All new plexi installed in the doors and tested for fit. Interior details can be found under appropriate menu to left.
I chose to complete all the plumbing, rigging and interior finish prior to installing the fabric and cowl. This made it a lot easier to work on the wiring and a lot easier to inspect. Unfortunately we ran into many delays with the engine STC holder (Tyee Aero Conversion) and had to put a lot of the project on hold. Tyee's six week delivery stretched into almost a year! That's another story I'll elaborate under the Engine Upgrade menu.
With all the money invested in GYF, it was time to upgrade the wheels and brakes to Cleveland. Good thing too, I found one of the AN flares had broken off inside the flare nut. A simple tug on the line may have failed the brakes completely. Having operated on skis and floats over the last several years kept the problem concealed. Dave Miller
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