LowNSlow,
Yeah It's the fuselage tank, and from what I've been told by a couple of VAC types who know about this from past experience all the controls are going have to come out before the tank does.
Belly tanks are like hens teeth, but if I hear of one I'll let you know. fly safe and happy landings
WM

Windy good luck with the tank removal. Look at it positively, this is the chance to renew all those cheap (125 quid + VAT a pop!!) elevator and rudder control cables and pulley bushes while you are rooting around under the instrument panel. You could also rearrange the instruments into a better layout, paint all the steel tubes that are under there, give the brake pedals a polish etc etc. Now doesn't that make you feel better!!!! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Seriously though, don't forget to change the top engine mounting bolts (available from Light Aero) while you have the tank out, it's the only time you can do it and they do have a life on them. I have heard a horror story of a used and abused Autocrat which had them shear after a spirited bout of aerobatics. The engine stayed on, just, but it fell off when the aircraft landed!!

I'd appreciate hearing about any slipper tanks. Do you know anybody else who wants one? I was thinking of getting Ron Neal to make a small batch of them if I could find enough interested parties. He has all the drawings etc to do it.

Windy. Had the fun of removing the tank from AP. Oh what fun British engineering can be.
To remove one thing you need to remove another, but to remove that another, and another etc,etc.

Perhaps I missed the trick. But to remove the tank, the rudder pedals and sticks had to come out, but to get them out the floor boards had to come out, same with fuel valve, seat panel, r/h cable pullies and throttle/mixture/carb cables and mounting. plus of course removing the panel to get at the rear nuts. The only thing they did think of was the little covers in the firewall to get at the front nuts and pull the rods out.

Anyway by the time all thats done the labour bill will be more than the planes worth...:hmm:

What Ho Chaps! There's obviously a Knack to doing it because when I got in now just, there was an e-mail from one of the other group members saying that it's out! I am assuming that this is some form of initiation for the new boy like a long stand, buckets of rivet holes and blue steam. I presume that the the intake of breath through clenched teeth and slow head shaking were all a wind up. Unless.......
However on the down side there's a great rusty patch about a foot round in the bottom of the thing and also it's full of crud. Still now we know what we're up against there's a chance that we might get the bird to Compton for the fly in, in August.
(what I need here are some of Dannys flying pigs!)

I've been told that you can cut the top of the fuselage open, remove the tank and rivet it all back together after the repairs are complete. Is that what your pal has done?

Good luck with finding a new tank or are you going to repair the existing?

Low N Slow,
Haven't been over to the A/C yet so don't know how they did it. If we can find a tank in good condition that fits, which is a big thing with Austers they're all unique!
Then we'll do that to get us servicable soonest. Then if it's viable repair the old tank at leisure and flog it to defer costs.

I'd imagine any competent CAA approved welder should be able to let in new metal without distorting the existing metal too badly.

Don't forget that once you've cut out all the rust there should be plenty of room to get into the tank to clean it out!!!

LowNSlow
Having had a look at the tank the corrosion is not as widespread as I'd been lead to believe, but bad enough. The tank itself is a nightmare of baffles, braces and bits and to make things even more difficult it looks as if it was riveted together and then the joints sweated with solder to seal them. However we have found a place that can carry out the repairs and hopefully by now the tank is with them so progress is being made.

Windy hope you get the tank sorted.

It seems like typical British construction of the period. On the lines of "Let's take something as simple as a fuel tank, make it in the most complex manner possible and bury it in the airframe in a hard to remove manner" :ok:

A bit like the Spitfire mainwheel well, it's apparently made of about 20 formed pieces of aluminium rivetted together. The equivalent in the P-51 Mustang is a single pressed piece of sheet.....

Ah, I love my Auster and old Brit aeroplanes in general :) :)

LowNSlow,
Repairs are now well in hand. I guess having an Auster in your life is a bit like having a fractious child, demanding, annoying but hard to imagine being without;)

Windy I've got 6 of them as well :ok:

Strewth and I thought I was daft just buying a share in one. Your better half must be an absolute treasure letting you have that many toys:ok:

Windy that's 6 fractious kids (from 23-5year old) not aeroplanes :oh: :oh:

Are there any old (or young) Auster hands who know how to cure a slipping flap lever? 1946 is having problems with his flap slipping out of the UP detent. Any suggestions?

LownSlow

Just sent you an urgent e:mail.

Let know how you get on.

Thanks Oscar D and 1946 for your PM's which have allowed me to purchase a nearly new belly tank, 4-way selector valve and all the pipework for a reasonable sum. :ok: :ok:

I will feel much more comfortable with the extra 10 (?) gallons of fuel available to me. It gives the option of fitting a bigger engine (eg Gipsy or O-320) if the Cirrus gives up on in the future. All of the above make her a more saleable aircraft IMHO. :D :D

Does anybody out there have the wheel nuts and assorted brackets to fit a pair of spats to my trusty Auster? I have the spats and the inboard inner mounting plates already.'

I've tried all the usual sources but nobody I know has them so I need help please.......

Hello LowNSlow,
Glad to hear that you've got a tank. Can't help with the spats, but with six Yard weasles to keep you busy I'm impressed that you've got the time and energy to do all this Austering:ok:

Windy it's called irresponsible parenting :p

Just looking forward to getting home and taking the youngest one Austering around Eastern Blighty :ok: :ok:

LowNSlow,
Just had word back about the tank, seems that in the past it's been repaired with both copper and brass sheet onto tinned steel. It would appear that the buzzing on the radio wasn't coming from the generator after all;) On the good side we are now getting bits back, on the bad side we've found a few more snags. But all in all I think we're winning.
Glad to hear that I'm not the only one masquerading as a responsible adult, whilst behaving like a big kid:ok:

Windy sounds like there's been a bit of bodging in the past......Not surprising on an old aeroplane really.

I had an elevator cable that had been run ABOVE the floor in front of the LH seat. When it was dicovered at the Annual, it was cheerily trying to saw through the fibreboard floor.......

Also not surprising is the finding of a few snags after opening up a part of the aeroplane that probably hasn't seen the light of day since it left Rearsby :eek:

Don't forget:

Growing old is compulsory, growing up is optional :ok: