Added dates
Sounds very like XV103 (Edward Mannock VC). It had come in for it's major but then they found the corrosion problem. IIRC the tail plane didn't get changed because when they opened the crate the replacement was more corroded than the one fitted!
Had the 'dubious pleasure' of being posted to SMF in Base Hangar in Jul 88, onto the team they were re-forming to recover 103 post RSS / CWP. Because it had been in Base Hangar so long and the rumour mill had it written off, LSS had a habit of coming in at night and having bits away without rob paperwork. Made for an interesting rebuild!!