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How many P-51 restoration projects / canidates out there ?

Fri Oct 09, 2015 8:45 pm

I've always wondered how many P-51 projects are still left out there? Be it almost complete wreck remains sitting in a old hangar or warehouse, maybe a fuselage sitting in a jig for the last 30 years with no hope of being reunited with a set of wings again due to financial demands.

I would love to find a project I could have restored over the next few years. Are there many projects like this around still?

I've heard a rumor of a long lost Cavalier Mustang in Texas thats owned by a oil baron and hasn't been touched since the 70's. It still has a red vinyl interior and shag carpet on it's dash and is in a ratty old T-hangar with just a few inches between the prop and door and the wings and walls. The owner doesn't want to sell or do anything with it.

A little bit off topic but does anyone know of a private collector in Texas that has a P-51 & B-25 in their private collection at his house ? Randomly a friend that works for a well known political figure in Congress was able to see both and send me pictures a few months ago while visiting the owner, who is also a political party donor.

Re: How many P-51 restoration projects / canidates out there

Sun Oct 11, 2015 3:20 pm

Hi,
Here is my list:http://warbirdwatcher.com/restorations/ I am missing a few that I can think of off the top of my head, I will update soon.

Re: How many P-51 restoration projects / canidates out there

Sun Oct 11, 2015 4:07 pm

If you mean Cougar Helicopters of Daytona Beach by the listing of 44-73098, that 51 was sold years ago. Don Whittington bought it around 1987 but he eventually sold it off to an unknown buyer. See also this thread:
http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.o ... =3&t=54592

Marvin Croutch had a hangar next to friends of mine at Chino in the 90s. He confirmed at the time that all he had was paperwork for two Mustangs. 44-72936 and 44-73323. He might have had an F-86, or perhaps it was only parts. Never ventured into his hangar. But no evidence of one (or two) P-51 projects has ever emerged.

T J
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