Lump, Chunk or piece of junk?

Plain iron: unless you are going to use new bores, do not use chrome rings.

No need for keystones on a streeter.

Thought I would do a quick post to keep the topic alive. Been really busy with work and getting ready for winter here at home. But Rod’s E-type oil pan and water pump showed up (Thank you very much!) and I was going to wait until I had a chance to bead blast it at work before posting before and after pictures and it will be a little longer before that happens. The Jaguar Heaven IRS showed up (thank you wiggles for the tip) and I have dismantled it as far as needed to clean and paint etc. Very very greasy/dirty! Seems in good driver condition except for brake cylinders (stuck from sitting) and needs pads. After the IRS showed up I went ahead and ordered the front suspension from Bill at Jaguar Heaven and I will update when those parts arrive. I had an offer for a decent engine from a gentleman in Canada after I posted that I was looking at a stuck block to buy and while thinking about it I decided to back off a little and try and concentrate on the suspension/steering for now and try to get some wheels on it.

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Thought I would do a little update again. I finished the IRS more or less (clean, dismantle, clean, grease, clean reassemble etc. and being the type that prefers to tackle one thing at a time I had not really looked under the car at the IRS mountings. Anyway had the IRS on the pallet jack where I went through it and was ready to roll it under the rear end when I thought maybe I should take a look and see exactly where the bolts from the mount attach to the car. Well to my surprise the underneath sheetmetal mounts were sawed off by someone leaving only the flanges that were spot welded to the car! Soo now I’m building a rotisserie so I can work on it. To old to lay on my back for days on end. A couple of airplanes have eaten some time also.

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As they are wont to do…:wink:

Thanks for the reply Paul. The mounts appear to have been 16 gauge so I ordered some of that material and “maybe” I can figure out the dimensions of the brackets from the remaining flange pieces and internet pictures but there are no actual dimensions for the various parts that make up the mounts that I can find online. I may have to buy 1 side ($700) so I can see how to fabri-coble the other. I suspect the IRS mounting holes are reinforced with tubes spanning the inside between the bracket walls. My friend with the series 2 apparently has left for the winter or I would try and talk him into going on his two post lift long enough for me to measure dimensions. Really I need a rusted out old one to borrow to measure but I doubt any exist (just like the Apache exhaust below).

Note on the airplanes: My friend with the other Apache went to Oshkosh this year and then the plane set for a month. So we were going to take it to Reno a month ago and I went to fill the tanks but when I started the engines the left one sounded funny so I took it over to the shop and when I opened the cowling I found the right front header pipe broken off right at the cylinder flange! The owner, me and my boss had gone completely over, in careful detail, everything 15 hours earlier on that aircraft. I can’t believe there was no evidence of a problem before that. $6000 (1/4 the aircraft value) in custom exhaust fabrication later (not including my labor) it’s all good. Probably 200 Apaches left in the world so no stock parts available at a reasonable price. At least you can get most of the “E” parts and when your done the value may still be there. Final verdict: We believe the slip joint froze and expansion and contraction took the cylinder end out. Now the other engine exhaust will have to be dismantled, lubricated and inspected. AND both of my engines will need the same! Took me about 20 hours on the first one. I figure it will take maybe 10 hours each on the other three. Oh and fingers crossed I won’t need any parts! Good Times!

I had a Mustang kit homebuilt, so could do most stuff myself. Leaned a lot, saved a bundle.

LLoyd

Wherever space and time interact, there is information, and wherever information can be ordered into knowledge, and knowledge can be applied, there is intelligence.
Pavel Mirsky, mid 21st Century Russian General

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Really? And they are worth no more than 25 grand?

Odd.

Do the FARs allow the use of anti-seize on the slip joint!

I don’t actually know the number for sure but there aren’t many I don’t think. If I remember serial numbers reached maybe 3000? They were the first really light twin and were replaced with upgraded models after 4 or 5 years. Today people want newer, more powerful twins if they want one at all. Four times the fatal rate, twice the expenses, way more recurring training (to try and avoid the 4 times fatal), and insurance if available at all for 5-6 times the single rate. At 40 hours total time I am not insurable. I will need 100 hours + before they will even talk to me. I’m picking up another complete, was running 8 years ago when left in a hanger, Apache for 5K in the next two weeks but just for the spares. I should have my head examined. I’m splitting it with 2 others and we will pick the bones clean. Sad actually as they are a really docile and nice two or three place airplane.

Yes you use anti seize (a lot )on the slip joint.

Soothsayer:

Best way to own an airplane.

Send me a pic of what you actually need and I can measure my S2 FHC part. It’s currently upside down on a rotisserie.

It is possible to replace the part in question, but not easy. Here are photos of doing it on my car. There are support tubes between the sides at each bolt location.

I LOVE going to the Oshkosh AirVenture! Fantastic air show/swap meet/etc. Although not a pilot myself (at least not licensed :innocent: ) I love aviation and everything about it, particularly vintage aircraft. I found this article on the Apache that is pretty good:

https://www.aopa.org/go-fly/aircraft-and-ownership/aircraft-fact-sheets/piper-apache

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69cat Steve: It’s all missing except the flanges. I can get a picture but it’s just empty space like Bill’s picture with the porta power in it. He bought the new ones, I’m planning on making mine. I think I can get the width dimensions from the flange separations but there is no evidence left of the smaller front bracket that the IRS bolts to since it was welded to the major pieces. Bill I don’t suppose you would sell the old pieces for shipping+?

Had a good day today building the rotisserie. I don’t have it all worked out but the two Harbor Freight engine stands have been extended 8" and the swivels made level. I was more comfortable tig welding today than ever before.

Doug I was supposed to fly the blue Apache back to Oshkosh this year but I flaked at the last minute since I would have to have slept on the ground. I’m just to old or something to want to do that. My seat was filled in 10 minutes. I have a Brown Apache and my friend has a Blue one and he is my instructor so we fly his. It’s all his fault because he insisted I fly his the first time. Then as in that AOPA article : " Pushing two throttles to the stop for the first time generates a feeling that is very effective in continuing to separate pilots from their money. They want to do it again and again." My friend is a 747-8 training pilot so all of my training has been on one engine! I never know what will happen. Doors are popped open, one engine or the other dies from whatever ruse he can dream up, air speed indicators don’t work and I’m always told before any flight that “it will be different this time, just air work, no games” And of course then the games begin. Good Times!

I really think the Apache was a well thought out aircraft. Both my friend and I like all the rounded wings and empenage. A lot of them were converted to “Geronimo’s” and they looked newer but now ours are kind of unique. Both the planes I fly have the 160 horse Lycomings. I see from the article 2000 was the number made. To me they are like the "E"s were in the 70’s but I don’t think these will ever be worth anything because aircraft have to have a purpose and those that can afford to fly a twin can afford a bigger faster newer aircraft. But I love mine!

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Update: Finally mounted my car in the rotisserie last night and it spins! Well actually it goes about 270* and at that point it would hit the front engine stand with the front sill “wings. For my purposes that is far enough but I will try a little experiment today straddling the engine stand with my engine hoist so I can back the stand back about 8” for full clearance.
The parts for the rotisserie cost zero dollars. Two existing Harbor freight engine stands (the lightweight ones) had to be cut apart and extended “up” 8+ inches and also the rotator part “leveled” . They normally have an upward angle to the rotating part. I chose to extend them after cutting the upright by using cold rolled steel rectangle bar stock 3/16 thick I think 14" long and width to fit the sides. First thought would be to use rectangle tubing to extend telescopically but that causes leveling problems unless you figure the angles to cut and butt weld everything.

The Rotisserie has a backbone that runs from the license plate mounting inside the car to the front and through the firewall. I used an abandoned 4 x 4 (or was it 3 x 3?) square tube from an old boat trailer frame in a scrap pile. Don’t do this! Rusty parts don’t tig well. I had to 6011 stick weld the trailer parts after cutting them. That was another learning curve. I don’t have any metal supplier near me and square tubing like this would cost 400 with shipping and tax. Basically the backbone goes uphill from the license plate about 4" , then goes level over the IRS hump and drops back down 4" and crosses the drive line/gearbox area and exits the car through the fire wall where some welded straps to bolt holes stabilize it.

The license plate mount consists of a sandwich of the existing engine mounting rotating plate with cardboard gasket on the outside of the car, 4ea 1/4-20 bolts penetrate the license plate holder through the body to the interior and then through 1/2 ’ plywood cutout to clear the center then into the interior plate that is welded on an angle to the backbone. some sideways strapping is bolted across the trunk area.

A 4 foot pipe is stuck into the front of the backbone and that goes into the rotating part of the front engine stand. This allows some in and out adjustment front/back of the front engine stand. It does make rotating a little “clunky”.

Why license plate mount? Because I can’t use the IRS mounts since I will be working on replacing them. This is a fixed head coupe so I have less concern with the car bending I hope. Welding in the IRS mounting sheet metal will freeze whatever inaccuracies the car has but not having a jig I will just have to measure as best I can.

I’ll try to add pictures later. I’m done working on the car for a few days.

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License plate mount is perfectly acceptable.

A good way to make sure the IRS legs are in a proper position is by using the IRS cage, and mounts. Makes things easier to align and to measure, wrt “boxing” of the cross points.

Looking forward to pix!

You may already know this but there are fixed point measurements from the radius arm mounting cups to the irs mounting bolt holes that should allow you to position the legs correctly. They are in a diagram in the factory shop manual. Not sure if they are included in the haynes manual.

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Yep, those measurements are critical. Cross-measuring the cage, attached to the mounts and the legs helps ensure squareness.

Glad I’ll NEVER have to do that job again.

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Take some pics. I’m a visual guy!

The first picture is looking at the fire wall. The crane is straddling the engine stand and reaching over it where a strap is loosely around the galvanized pipe that connects the stand to the firewall. That pipe is inside the trailer square tubing by 4’ as a safety means. The body now swivels 360*

The second picture is a side view of the front connection. Rotater/engine stand black on the left, galvanized pipe middle, end of trailer frame on right. There are three 1/4" straps bolted to fire wall with 1/4 " hardware. Unfortunately I will have to cut the straps away when I remove the backbone. I should have made a square tube slider setup that fit over the backbone for those straps.

Third picture is looking forward from the rear and you can see a lateral strap spanning across just to the rear of the IRS hump. The cross piece is one piece and bolted to the smaller straps for easy removal of the backbone.

The forth picture is inside the body looking at the license plate mounting area. I welded a bunch of 3/16 straps together for tig practice. This should have been made from a one piece plate. Also I think adding 2 extra straps from the tube out to the edge of the plate on each side would have been a good idea. It is only butt welded to the plate. On the other hand I ground down the trailer tube pretty good and I think the tig welds are fine. I have made up my mind to drill two more mounting holes through the middle strap and use 1/4’ A/N aircraft hardware for those holes instead of the garbage hardware store stuff in the other holes. The aircraft bolts will have their shanks penetrate the whole sandwich and washers to keep the thread out of the stack. The inner and outer plates are in shear so there should be no threads in the stack. The additional two bolts will penetrate the body with new 1/4" holes which I wanted to avoid but I will sleep better with the aircraft hardware in there in shear. “For want of two holes the body was lost :frowning: " .
One important point on this mounting is that two separate pieces of 1/2” plywood are on either side of the hump in the middle of the license plate area to level everything out on the mounting. They are not visible in the picture because of the “lip” that hides them.
Also note the safety strap loosely around the rear backbone and it goes up to the Harbor Freight scaffold at the rear of the car. The front crane and the scaffold (capacity 1000#) lifted the car into position to slide the rotators into position. The pivots have to be “up” and level since there is no wahy to lift the body to while mounted in the rotators.

The fifth picture shows the external license plate area. Note cardboard protector/gasket to provide some friction.

Sixth,Seventh and eighth pictures shows the missing IRS sheetmetal. The flanges are still there so I can get most dimensions from them. I also discovered from looking at Bill’s pictures that I am missing another long lateral body piece across the rear of the hump. I think someone was smoking something when they started this “restoration”. Again the flanges are there so should be an easy Fab job. Good times! Still not finding much rust.

Finally I am so pleased with the Harbor freight scaffold I have. I can slide it back and forth to hold lights, tools etc and totally clears the car. It lifts the whole body with regular ratcheting straps and acts as a safety with my questionable setup.

Why not buy the brackets I need? Well I started this project to sharpen my sheet metal skills. I can now take my A&P test as I have my letter of authorization from the FAA that I have completed my 4000 hour apprenticeship. Next is the A&P written. I have aced all the practice test segments except sheet metal (and jet engines) with all of the details of bend allowance a failure. I have always cheated in the past and avoided the planning and math. These pieces will force me into doing and learning and KNOWING all of that. And that is my goal.

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Buena suerte, amigo!

Having studied for that (but chose not to pursue it, for a number of reasons) I know how arduous the preparation is for these.

Yer gunna have fun!