Aero Vintage Books

I started on this skin for station (3) Saturday evening about 3 o'clock, I finish it Monday morning about 10 o'clock, so 26 hour's later here we are

I have finish all three .020 skin's on station (3) and the two .032 gussets on the two upper corners.[/URL[URL=http://s956.photobucket.com/user/384-13 ... e.jpg.html]

Hoping that you do NOT go all modern and paint all this Alclad zinc chromate.

Like seeing the panel markings -- looks like how the they were built in 1943 - bare metal with the Alco visible.

The markings were different back then, those markings will have to be stripped and new ones applied.

Tereurn, I will not be painting the skin's, they were not painted on Lucky 13, also I am putting the correct red stencil on the skin's, I am painting the plane like they did it back when it was originally built, some part's were sprayed and some were dipped, I am trying to put it back as original as I can, these splice plates were dipped, also Tom Wilson made them, but they were one piece, so I had him make me another set so I could cut them and make it correct, That is like the Longerons, I could have left them one piece but that is not the way there were, because Lucky 13 was a late built B17F and at that time they had started building them in sub assembly, so I cut them and then spliced them right back together, witch takes a good bite more time, I am glad that they are guy's out there like your self, that also want to see things right, I have done a lot of research and I am still doing a lot of research, LOL, trying to make it right and I would appreciate any info that you guy's may have, to help me make it correct.

A couple of questions... Are you only one guy doing all the work or do you have a team of employees or volunteers? Is "Lucky 13" currently under a 501c3 museum where people can donate/contribute to the effort or is this solely your own private effort?

I do it all myself and I do not have the 501,I do it for the love of the B17 and the men of the 384 BG

Amen to that Ray!

Here is a little update of what I have been up too, I have been working on station (4), some of it is off of 44-83316 and the other is new build[URL=http://s956.photobucket.com/user/384-13 ... a.jpg.html][URL=http://s956.photobucket.com/user/384-13 ... l.jpg.html]

I have also made a few brackets for station (3)[url=http://s956.photobucket.com/user/384-13 ... c.jpg.html]

I have also started drilling the bomb bay section of 44-83316 apart, to help set station's 4 and 5 and also get the airworthy parts out, that I will use on Lucky 13[URL=http://s956.photobucket.com/user/384-13 ... x.jpg.html]

One more

Ray,

As always, thanks for posting the photos and information. Always of great interest to see this process. Much more complicated and involved than most people would think.

pretty interesting to see that the under laying structure is in pretty good condition.

Great stuff Ray! Your posts keep our appetite whetted.

I sure would like to visit your shop and see your work.