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skylark-flier -> Restoring an old Great Lakes 2T-1A biplane (1/28/2008 7:40:23 PM)
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Hey guys, I'm going to need a little help here over the next couple months. Saturday afternoon I bought an old scale model of the Great Lakes 2T-1A biplane trainer, and all the advise I can get is going to be appreciated. I'm going to restore her back to flying status, hopefully by June.
Structurally, it's as good as the day it was built - there's not one loose joint and not one piece of broken wood, even though it's very obvious that the plane has flown quite a bit in the past. The covering was a total loss (silkspan & dope), and it's already been removed.
The plane has a wingspan of 56.5" with an 8" chord and she stands 38.5" long, ailerons on the bottom wing only (one of the traits of the "1A"). I have no idea where or when she was originally built, or what company kitted her but the engine bolt holes are 2" across and 3/4" front/back, so she originally had a rather large (physically) engine. As I calculated it, the wings give me 864sq.in. lifting surface (904 minus what the fuselage takes from the bottom wing).
I know absolutely nothing about her history, other than the fact that I think she was once used as a glider towing plane. There's a plywood sheet inside the fuselage just behind the bottom wing that once had something round (1/2" hole dead center in the panel remains) mounted in it and the outside of the panel was doped, like it was in the air/oil the same way the rest of the plane is.
Now, I'm going to REALLY grab at straws for a second. Just in case someone knows anything at all about this particular plane (and this would be the wildest stroke of luck), a bit of info on her; she was originally black with orange wings & elevator, had the numbers N1437D hand-painted on the wings & tail and a ident plaque on the sides under the rear cockpit that read "Paul K Franklin, 1513 Ferndale, Niles Michigan, Phone 616-684-0931
I called the number, it's no longer working.
I'm going to have a couple challenges here. First, the only part of the plane that's missing is the outer wing "N" supports which I'm going to have to re-create. Also, the flying wires will need total replacement but I'm pretty sure I'll get everything I need from Tower for that.
First question: original flying wire set-up was wires through the rib and out at the point the "N" supports mounted. They don't look "substantial" enough to hold up a french fry. They were connected to each other by a 2-sided screw-sleeve (can't remember what it's really called but I've seen them in the catalogs). What would be a better mounting (anchor) for the flying wires? I would think something like the old metal landing gear brackets from the 60's & 70's but I haven't seen anything like them in quite a few years. Any other ideas?
Second question: The time is going to come in the VERY near future where I'm going to be looking at an engine for her. I would think a modern .40 or .45 would more than do the job, but I may be way off. Any ideas what that 2" bolt width originally was, and what might do the job today?
Hey guys, I thank y'all for any help I might get in this little (?!) project. There WILL be more questions coming.
BTW, below is a pic of an original full-size 2T-1A, the model is an exact replica except for having a tail-wheel instead of skid.
Dave W.
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