Chuck Wahl's SNJ project, Latest, info needed (Calling Bela)

[O.P.]

Chuck just sent me an update on the SNJ project he is doing now, and It is looking great!

Here is the latest,

http://www.cwahl.com/flying/snj5c/rest_4/rest_4.htm

Here is the whole story,

http://www.cwahl.com/flying/snj5c/N5615C.htm

It looks like the same caliber of work that went into his T28C. It is going to be a good looking plane.

Edit:
Chuck asked if I would ask you guys if anyone had any pictures of his aircraft in service, or at any other time during it's life.

Here is the information he has now, also posted here,
http://www.cwahl.com/flying/snj5c/history.htm

Assignment History of SNJ-5C Buno 90656

This aircraft was built at the North American Aviation Corp. Dallas Texas plant as an AT-6D, U.S. Army Air Forces serial number 42-85873 and immediately offset to the U.S. NAVY allocation block priority number 61-2D and became U.S. NAVY Bureau of Aeronautics (BuA) number 90656.

09-Sept 1944 U.S. NAVY SNJ-5 Buno 90656 is accepted by the U.S. NAVY at the North American Aviation Corp, Dallas TX.

12-Sept 1944 U.S. NAVY takes delivery of the airplane and assigns it to N.A.A.S Whiting Field, 8ND Pensacola, FL.

28-Nov. 1944 Assigned to N.A.A.S. Ellyson, 8ND, Pensacola, FL.

1-Jan. 1945 Assigned VN3D8, N.A.A.S Whiting Field, 8ND Pensacola, FL.

1-Dec. 1945 Assigned to N.A.A.S. Ellyson, 8ND, Pensacola, FL.

05-April 1946 Assigned to N.A.S. Pensacola, FL.

17-July 1946 Reconditioned, N.A.S. Pensacola, FL.

02-Aug, 1946 Assigned to N.A.S. Houma, LA. Stored in blimp hangars

29-Oct. 1947 Assigned to N.A.S. Litchfield Park, AZ. Storage

22-July 1952 Reinstated to active duty, assigned to N.A.S. Pensacola, FL.

06-Sept. 1952 Assigned to FASRON 691 N.A.S. San Diego, 11ND, CA.

24-Sept. 1952 Assigned to carrier duty aboard the U.S.S. Shangri-la, CV 38.

12-Nov. 1952 Assigned to FASRON 895, then FASRON 113, N.A.S. Seattle 13ND, Seattle WA.

13-Oct. 1953 Assigned to VF-54 N.A.S. Miramar, 11ND, San Diego, CA.

11-March 1954 Assigned to FASRON 4, N.A.S. San Diego, 11ND, San Diego, CA.

12-Oct. 1954 Assigned to N.A.S. Pensacola, FL.

27-Dec. 1954 Assigned to NABTC, N.A.A.S. Barin, 8ND, Foley, AL.

22-Jan 1958 Assigned to N.A.S. Pensacola, FL.

23-June 1958 Stricken from U.S. NAVY records at N.A.S. Pensacola, FL.

This airplane had flown a total of 2,291 hours since first being commissioned until it was stricken from U.S. NAVY records.


Any photo's from back in the day would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Orvis

[snj-5]

I've stumbled upon Chuck's web-site / pictures before, but haven't
had a look in awhile. Man, that is looking great! I love to see that
much attention & TLC lavished upon a T-6....

I don't know how some of you guys make that much progress that
quickly... Earning a living gets in my way, as do countless other
things, and sometimes I think mine will take forever to finish, but
those kinds of thoughts tend to pass quickly when I see others
"cutting hay" as-it-were!

Thanks for the link/photos, and for re-lighting the fire underneath
my keaster....

Bela P. Havasreti

[bdk]

I don't know how some of you guys make that much progress that quickly... Earning a living gets in my way, as do countless other things, and sometimes I think mine will take forever to finish...

Isn't that the truth... And I don't have as much work to do as either of you!

Brandon
T-6 restorer since 1991 (yes, the same one!)

[snj-5]

You got me beat there Brandon!

My "10 year anniversary" just passed (started
my SNJ-5 project on Cinco de Mayo in 1996).

I know of a (then) local guy that took 17 years to restore his
SNJ, but he had a family to raise, a career to attend to, etc.

Bela P. Havasreti

[B-29 Super Fort]

What a great looking restoration underway, it's go to be factory fresh when it's completed.

[pilot06]

I have a question relating to reskinning. Should a jig or fixture be used when reskinning a whole section at once? In Chuck's photos he shows all the skins removed from the tail section for corrosion removal and painting.

Patrick

[t28pilot]

If you use the original skins as templates to make and drill the new ones, you can cleco it all back togheter and it will be straight. You would have to do it to understand the small tolorances there is in cleckoing it back toghether. If you have only a frame to start with then yes you would need a jig.
Chuck Wahl

[pilot06]

Chuck,

Ok. How do you compensate for any damage?

Patrick