B-17G Champaign Lady Restoration

[390BG]

Updates - Feb 3, 2011

Flooring installed in nose.

Looking up at the top turret support structure.



Fred building the radio room camera bay door operating mechanism.

Cheyenne tail, replica 500lb bombs.

Rear fuselage with tail gunner door opening.

Cabin heat control in radio room with homemade decal.

Bob forming a repair section for the radio room hatch structure.

Bob and Carole "discussing" how to make the repair.

Some of this is even original.

Last edited by 390BG on Sat Feb 05, 2011 9:50 am, edited 2 times in total.

[the330thbg]

Great shots!

Thanks so much for the updates!!

[maxum96]

Anyone know if the ball turret is the one from the bar in Colorado?

[bomberflight]

Keep posting the updates please

[APG85]

Absolutely spectacular!!!! Definitely it's own permanent thread please!

[390BG]

Snowy day in Ohio - volunteers have the day off.

Kevlar cheek gun fairing in place.

Life raft compartment.

Cockpit area.

Bags of small brackets and widgets.

Ball turret - yes it is from the bar in Colorado.

Ready to rivet the bead around the co-pilot seat.

Radio room seat post mounts here.

Throttle quadrant restored.

[maxum96]

Ball turret - yes it is from the bar in Colorado.

I'm glad to see it all restored. I think it's awesome it's going to fly again. I live in Greeley where it was inside the former Armory Bar (closed for a couple of years now). It was a big college kid hangout and on the weekends the kids would get up on the tables and grab all over the fuselage and the ball turret.

[390BG]

Figured out how to load larger images in Photobucket - photos courtesy Carole B.

[Fouga23]

What parts are kevlar? And why?

[390BG]

The cheek gun fairings would be a serious undertaking to make out of aluminum to the original spec's. Don't know if anyone has made any from aluminum recently - either they have originals or they made them out of some type of fiberglass/composite material.

[Nathan]

Get rid of some old stickies(they are taking up lots of posting space) and make this a sticky. IMHO looks like the craftsmanship level is up there with Gary Austin. Def worthy of a sticky.

[390BG]

Radio room seat support posts.


Top turret structure.


Gun mounts for top turret.


Paul with beginnings of one of the engine nacelles.


Radio room seat.



Light on lower part of vertical fin. Blue formation light mounts behind this.

[Pat Carry]

Great updates/photos. Keep up the good work.

[michaelharadon]

Are you getting any parts from these guys? http://usaaf.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php? ... 4&start=50

I read somewhere on line that they have plenty that they'd like to have taken off their hands.

[RAMC181]

I'm informed from "Salvage Central" that items are slowly making their way across the Pond to a number of destinations, but shipping costs are/were a big stumbling block.