B-26K Counter-Invader Restoration ("Special K")

[A26 Special K]

Anybody know what a PW R-2800 QEC weighs for sure??? JR

According to the interweb, it weighs 2,350lbs.

But Bear, fish, bulls & engines are bigger in Texas! . That 2350 lbs is the dry weight. Gotta factor on all the accessories, engine mount, cowling rings etc for the QEC. The whole thing comes off as a unit. Also, this is a 2800 CB 3 series engine. Makes some difference!! JR

[Taylor Stevenson]

Anybody know what a PW R-2800 QEC weighs for sure??? JR

According to the interweb, it weighs 2,350lbs.

But Bear, fish, bulls & engines are bigger in Texas! . That 2350 lbs is the dry weight. Gotta factor on all the accessories, engine mount, cowling rings etc for the QEC. The whole thing comes off as a unit. Also, this is a 2800 CB 3 series engine. Makes some difference!! JR

Still... No way it weighs more than a T-6...

[A26 Special K]

Mr T..... aw shucks, but I hadn't thought about the weight of a T-6. Yep, since you put it that way, ok, maybe it is closer to 3000 lbs?? Maybe a T-34 size weight!! Guess we will find out tomorrow when the team pulls the left engine. Hawkeye is setting up a time lapse video cam & then grilling burgers for the guys. Should be an exciting time. Drop by & visit with the gang! JR

[A26 Special K]

This just in.... Breaking News.... It has been reported that surgery was performed on Kay today to remove the left engine. Doctor JR & the operating team said that the patient is in recovery & it appears all is well. The repair to the firewall looks relatively simple. Stay tuned for further updates. Film at 11. Lonesome in NJ, the other JR.

[A26 Special K]

The A team met on Sunday to do the surgery. K's left engine was successfully removed. Patient is doing well. Rand, JR, Larry, Ray, David A are our heroes of the week! Standby for more pics of the brave deed. Grateful to be back from NJ, the other JR

[A26 Special K]

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Ray is finishing up some repairs under one of the antenna mounts. The cover had delaminated from sun exposure over time and let water in that set up some corrosion issues. Ray designed and installed this replacement piece to fix the problem. He has devoted an unbelievable amount of time to all of the metal work we have needed done on K. We are very grateful for his efforts and proud to have him with us. Thanks Ray!! JR and the bunch!!

[A26 Special K]

Back to the engine pull, it started with the disconnecting of many hoses and the removal of some of the cowling pieces. Too Tall Tim got the job of doing the upper plates since he spends a lot of time at high altitude anyway. Tim gets an attaboy for coming back from Hawaii with a Hula girl for us. Will have to get a picture of her later when doing her job. We are definitely looking forward to the show!! JR

[A26 Special K]

Getting the engine all harnessed up for the lift "ain't no step for a stepper" as we say in Texas. Shoot, any cowboy could do this. David A is right there with a little help from some friends to tie her up. He says that is his favorite part. Not sure if he was talking about his horse, the engine or his gal friend?? I'll have to check back with him on that. JR

[A26 Special K]

Not to be outdone, the avionics guys are finishing up wiring and "fixin" to start putting round things in those holes in the instrument panel. The copilot panel is in place. Starting to look like a cockpit again!! Go Sparkies!! JR

[A26 Special K]

Looks like the smallest with the biggest in this shot. The Culver Cadet sits besides the B-29 Fifi and keeps saying that when he grows up, he wants to be big and strong like his cousin. T probably is saying "like his daddy!" He has grown a bunch this past year so I'm not sure how mama and JR are keeping up with him. He loves to sit in the cockpit, push buttons and make airplane noises. He has no chance but to become a pilot. Just hope I'm around to see how he turns out. Come on out to the VFM hangar this coming weekend and check out our new neighors, the B-29 and B-24, and see how we are coming on the K restoration. We have a DC-3 ground school going on Saturday if anybody is interested in attending. There are also some "Pilot Experiences" available in the DC-3. Call Dana at 817-659-9249 during regular biz hours or email her at Greatestgeneration@yahoo.com for more information.

[A26 Special K]

Here is part of the objective of pulling the left engine. The firewall has some issues... no wait, we don't have "issues" cause that is a girly thang.... we got "problems" that will require some metal work... a manly thang. The Ray and Friends Metal Company should be able to handle it. Tomorrow being Saturday, I expect they will start on it in the morning. The DC3 ground school starts at 8 am tomorrow also. Not too late to get in. Contact Dana at greatestgeneration@yahoo.com for more info. See yall there. JR

[shrike]

The firewall has some issues... no wait, we don't have "issues" cause that is a girly thang.... we got "problems"

Magazines and politicians have 'Issues' everyone else has problems.

Likewise a "Challenge" is a task that holds a separate spiritual, or psychological reward over and above it's actual accomplishment.
Otherwise its just a "Pain in the A$$"

[Mark Allen M]

JR have we posted this guy yet? Photos states: "609th ACS56th ACW stationed at NKP during the Southeast Asia War Games"

[Mark Allen M]

.... and if you need some help with that camo

[hawkeyepoole]

Did a little work last weekend that warranted some neat video:

(The link changed on 4/22/14 as I had to correct the video)

http://youtu.be/F8DD1c-AGsw

Enjoy!

Hawkeye the "video" guy

Last edited by hawkeyepoole on Tue Apr 22, 2014 12:28 am, edited 1 time in total.