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I'm in the process of cleaning up an old pair of wings to be recovered (hasn't flown since the mid-1970s).
Much of the project so far has been cleaning, inspecting, and identifying what needs repair.
There is corrosion on the sheet metal along the bottom of the bay for the fuel tanks. The corrosion appears to go under the supports for the tank. So we either need to remove the supports (which are welded) to inspect and clean under them or even just replace the panel completely.
My question is if anyone has faced a similar challenge and their experience with removing/replacing the bottom panel of the tank bay? Have you fabricated new supports or chased down a salvaged panel instead?
This is the extent of the corrosion on that panel:
Suggest you contact Lorraine Morris at www.taildraggeraviation.com, and inquire about replacements for your project. She and her husband Ken have restored a number of the C-140 series airplanes, and have a good knowledge of where to locate replacements.
As we kept moving along cleaning and inspecting the [right] wing we found way more advanced corrosion on the inside of the leading edge too. Even that aileron had significant internal issues.
I was able to get Lorraine on the phone for a while and had talked through what we were seeing. It helped us narrow in on the idea that salvaged parts was likely to be the easier path.
She helped me get in contact with Todd who had started Smokin Rivet airparts which shutdown end of last year.
Turns out he still has a lot that he's clearing out of his hanger. I'm also in Wisconsin so we drove over to take a look at what he had and spent the afternoon with him. It was good meet with him, I only saw him in passing at the convention last year. I'm sure I would have worked with him a lot more if I had a better handle on my project back then. We left with with a wing, the outboard third of another, and a few extra ribs for good measure. It'll take some time to remove the undesirable bits, but we'll have one great wing after merging the best of the parts.
So this turned into a much bigger topic than only the tank bay.
thanks all!