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Hi Bruce. We've just completed a center section rebuild as part of a ground-up restoration. We ended up replacing all the skins, the rear spar and a couple of ribs. The problems were corrosion and a previous owner who was a nutter with a drill. The opportunity for corrosion to weaken rivets is there and you should consider de-riveting every time you suspect something may be less than perfect. The demate/remate is fairly straightforward (although nobody has answered my question on the fuselage attachment bolts yet) as is the replacement of the rear spar. The pacing item is cost, with a new center section quoted at over $6k. If the front spar is in good condition, it's probably better to rebuild - at least you'll know what you're getting. We media-blasted the whole lot and NDT'd the front and rear spar fittings. We also made up a simple jig to realign the whole lot after we replaced the rear spar. I can let you have some drawings if you decide to rebuild it. If the problem is corrosion I'd have a good look at the empennage and all control surfaces for any signs of corrosion and open them up if you find any. They're all non-inspectable and probably have never been treated. We opened up all on ours and I'm really glad we did. Also look closely at the bottom of the "D" and "E" frames. The first is very expensive to replace and they don't make the second any more. Jim -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, October 30, 2000 1:52 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Digest for [EMAIL PROTECTED], issue 177 -- Topica Digest -- ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- Center Section By [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2000 08:47:14 -0800 From: B Lamont <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Center Section I am new to Coupes, but not new to owning , flying, and working on old aircraft. I have a recently purchased 1946 415C. It has a bad center section. My question is this. I am trying to decide whether to replace the center section, or just purchase another fuselage. This was my first choice, but after looking through the service manual replacing the center section does not look like as much work as removing and replacing everything onto another fuselage. I would really like to hear from someone who has done this. Also where can I get a copy of the wing AD ? My wings each have 4 holes in the outboard section. I need to do the so called swiss cheese ad. Bruce Lamont ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. ------------------------------ --------------------------------- to unsubscribe send mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] End of [EMAIL PROTECTED] digest, issue 177 --------------------------------- to unsubscribe send mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
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