The retracts in mine were homemade by a fellow modeller named Carl Bachhuber (Carlb - RCU name) and have worked absolutely flawless.
rrudytoo - the Helldiver fought many problems over the years it was in service. I do recall reading about all that you mentioned plus many others. The plane was very heavy and that made it tricky to fly. Now complicate that with a mechanical failure or two and it's know wonder it received nicknames like: Sonofa B!@ch 2nd Class, and the Big-Tailed Beast.