Worldwide Warbirds, Inc. Nanchang CJ-6 Partial Restoration

April Wrap Up

2010-05-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

The close of April saw the engine compartment nearing completion, with a few extra touches thrown in for good measure. The tail feathers are all mounted, new control cables installed, and all work in the tail section and on the wings complete. Nearly all the work from here on out is in the cockpits and we're looking to get the plane back in the air in mid-May.

ENGINE COMPARTMENT

Nose case breather with hose attached that will port at the bottom of the firewall. This keeps the engine compartment clean during any unloaded aerobatics.

We decided to polish the metric fittings in the engine compartment to compliment the other work here. Khera, our Director of Maintenance, said "this is the most beautiful firewall forward we've ever done." I'd have to agree!

CONTROL SURFACES

Tail feathers installed....bell cranks stripped, inspected, and primered, and all new hardware used on the installation.

Progress through 4.21.10

2010-05-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

It is slowly starting to look like an airplane again. Nearly all of the fabrication is complete, so now it is mostly down to wiring and assembly. The "to do" list is growing shorter ever week...

COSMETICS

Gill shutters painted gloss black and installed.

Main air bottle painted gloss black and installed.

CONTROL SURFACES

Rudder with electric trim is test fit...all the control surfaces are ready for installation. This aircraft is getting 3 axis electric trim, which is a nice feature that allows trimming of the aircraft hands off for any speed and configuration, as opposed to the one speed and configuration with the stock trim tabs.

SHEETMETAL

This is part of the baggage compartment. The door shown here allows easy access to a US standard APU port which is wired to allow both full aircraft power, and trickle charge the batteries.

Front and rear right side panels cut and ready for powder coat.

Flap well complete

2010-05-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

This time the pictures to tell the whole story....

Week of 4/5/10 Progress

2010-05-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

ALL THE LITTLE DETAILS....

People are often surprised when they find out how many hours of labor go into one of our restorations (1000-2500 depending on the depth of the restoration). Well, it's all the little details, and they all take time. A good example is a pushrod boot. The frame is removed, all the rivets are drilled out, the boot removed, the new boot fabricated, riveted into place and the bracket reinstalled. Repeat this type of work on literally 100's of items on the aircraft, and you begin to understand how involved this level of work is. Are we crazy to do this type of work on CJ's? Probably, but we feel that's the only way to do it!

FLAP BAY

Rollers for the bungee chord (which keeps the flap retracted) removed and overhauled.

More flap bay detail showing everything installed including new bungee chord, Cad plated hardware, and new bonding straps.

Here's another example of time consuming detail. All the throttle quadrants are removed, disassembled, stripped, sanded, painted, reassembled, and reinstalled. It's this level of detail that sets us apart....

POWERPLANT

Overhauled oil cooler installed.

Hub overhauled and painted, ready for installation.

These two pics are sideways, sorry. This is our custom ignition harness installed.

LANDING GEAR

Overhauled MLG uplock installed.

Cad hardware installed on landing gear leg and lower gear door.

March Progress wrap

2010-04-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

As we close out the month of March, things are coming together nicely on the aircraft. Overall most of the cosmetic detail is now complete, the engine compartment is nearing completion, basic airframe wiring is nearly complete, canopies are nearly complete, wings are complete, control surfaces are complete, and we're shooting to have the plane ready to run in 2-3 weeks. Most of the work that remains is avionics and cockpit wiring....

COSMETICS

Flap bay before detail....

...flap bay after detail.

In addition to the paint, all hardware and linkages are removed, cleaned, inspected, and reinstalled with fresh lube.

Left side panels of both cockpits stripped, and cover plates riveted into place to clean up appearance and holes left by removed components.

ENGINE

Original ignition harness...

...new WW ignition harness with highest quality available racing wire, machined brackets, and cleaned rotor caps.

Machined bracket installed on magneto and wires routed.

Engine with harness installed. Plugs are iridium...widely available, cheaper, and a much better spark for smoother and foul free operation.

Engine compartment right side with stainless steel exhaust permanently installed, and most hoses also installed.

Engine compartment left side with new oil hoses installed.

CANOPIES

WW exclusive one piece rear slider nearing completion. We fabricate all new metal strips for a show quality finish.

Week of 3/8 Progress

2010-03-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

Lots of progress this week with the engine being completely reassembled, new ignition harness installed, gear painted, flap bay primed, wheels and new tires installed, landing gear mechanisms overhauled, adn the wing attach hardware inspected, cleaned and reinstalled...

ENGINE

All the push rod tubes have been chromed and reinstalled using fresh Cad plated hardware. The dress kit on this engine has provided really nice results...we hope to do more of these in the future as we continue to take CJ's to the "next level."

LANDING GEAR SYSTEM

One of the main gear uplocks completely disassembled before cleaning, inspecting, and reinstalling.

Uplock reassembled and reinstalled.

Overhauled Microswitch installed.

Right main painted.

Nose gear painted.

Wheels painted. All new tires and new US nose wheel assembly ready for installation.

AIRFRAME

Khera working in the flap bay. Flap bay has been primered and is ready for paint.

Forward Spar attach bracket wing side removed, cleaned, inspected and ready for reinstallation.

Week of 3/1

2010-03-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

Progress is being made in several areas on the aircraft....

ELECTRICAL

Brandon takes what you see above....

...and turns it into this artwork. This is time consuming work, but the results are unmatched! (the black plastic zip ties are temporary)

FUEL TANKS

The fuel bays are primered and ready for final prep before the tanks get installed.

ENGINE

This is the fuel flow transducer prior to installation.

Fuel flow transducer installed in background....intake oil drain installed in foreground.

COSMETICS

Shutters are painted gloss black and ready for installation.

Header tank painted, new rubber mounting straps installed, and ready to go back in the aircraft.

Progress from week of 2/22 continued...

2010-03-01T16:32:00.000-08:00

The extended range fuel tank modification is nearing completion.....

Tank supports fabricated. These pics show the pieces before and after being drilled for the aircraft.

Tank support pieces installed. Due to the "hand made" nature of these aircraft, each piece must also be custom fit by hand to ensure proper tolerances during the installation process.

Progress from week of 2/22

2010-03-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

Here's some of the work that we completed last week.

Carburator air box with our screen riveted in place.

Header tanks painted.

Flap painted with base/clearcoat and ready for installation.

Oil Filter Installation

2010-03-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

We've completed the mounting of the ADC oil filter. This is the best filter on the market and is "smart" - it will tell you when the screen is operating below optimal efficiency....whether that's after 5 hours or 75. Pretty cool stuff....

All parts before installation.

Filter is installed on the engine mounts for easy access and keeping the firewall clean when the filter needs to be removed.

Pneumatic lines painted and fuel bay modificaiton update

2010-02-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

The pneumatic lines have been reinstalled in the aircraft after being cleaned and painted. Much of the painting is done by hand inside the aircraft. (Black lines are pneumatic, yellow lines are fuel)

Front cockpit right rear.

Front cockpit right front.

Front cockpit left.

Rear cockpit lines to landing gear actuator.

Rear cockpit right side.

FUEL TANK MODIFICATION

Extended range fuel tanks with a capacity of 58 gallons total are being installed. The work involved cutting out and reinforcing a rib to accommodate the larger tanks. Below is some of that work.

Primered part shows rib reinforcement riveted into place.

An additional strap is used to secure the tank outboard of the original two. Shown here is the strap attach bracket riveted into place.

Closer....

2010-02-17T10:29:00.000-08:00

Here's pics of the progress over the past few days...

ELECTRICAL

New rear instrument panel complete and instruments test fit. All instruments are refurbished with range markings and placarded in english. Solid state tach on lower left. Panel will now be test fit in cockpit then sent out for powder coating prior to final installation.

Rear side instrument panel overlay. The original panel has many holes from old radio equipment and this cleans up that area considerably.

FUEL SYSTEM

Header tank prior to inspection and overhaul.

Filter on left is prior to overhaul (rusted, aged seal, etc.) . Filter on right is after overhaul.

PAINT

Fuel doors are primered and ready for install.

Flap is primered and ready for paint.

Work on the canopies, fuel bays, engine control linkages and flap bay continues also...

Engine Hang complete!

2010-02-11T13:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were able to hang the freshly detailed engine on the aircraft. The installation went without a hitch and now the engine is ready for final assembly with installation of the baffles, rocker covers, and chrome push rod tubes.

Ray putting the finishing touches on the engine mount ring. All new rubber pads were used in the installation.

Engine has an acrylic gloss black on the case and high temp black on the cylinders.

We expect the push rod tubes back from chrome at the end of the week, so the engine should be complete in a week or so.

2/3/10 Progress

2010-02-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

Here are the latest photos of progress on 8120C. Despite being hampered by weather (we don't paint when it's raining) and short a few crew members, the work presses on with good progress on the aircraft.

COCKPITS

Rear turtle deck painted with show quality flat black.

Rear cockpit glare shield.

Front cockpit glare shield.

FIREWALL

Firewall with more components installed including the oil screen (yellow), and gascolator and fuel boost/prime solenoid (red).

Engine mount test fit...all looks good!

Close up of "slobber pot" (eloquent, eh?).

Rocker covers painted with acrylic black and ready to install on the engine.

FLAP BAY

Customer has decided to continue the cosmetic upgrade with a full flap bay detail. Here are some before shots.

This is the flap removed, cleaned, and brightened, ready for primer.

Pics of the engine paint complete are forthcoming. We will have the engine installed on the aircraft shortly!

Progress Update 1/19/10

2010-01-19T20:27:00.000-08:00

With the holidays over, we're back at it in full force spending between 10 and 30 man hours a day on the 8120C. Below are some recent photos of the progress.

ENGINE AND FIREWALL

ENGINE MOUNTS, BLAST TUBE, OIL FILTER ALL BACK FROM POWDER COAT AND READY FOR INSTALLATION.

ENGINE 80% PAINTED. RAIN WILL KEEP US FROM COMPLETING PAINT THIS WEEK, BUT WE SHOULD HAVE THE ENGINE HUNG NEXT WEEK. CUSTOMER HAS DECIDED TO UPGRADE TO U.S. IGNITION HARNESS - THIS ENGINE WILL LOOK AWESOME!

FUEL LINES PAINTED AND READY FOR INSTALL.

FIREWALL PNEUMATIC LINES PAINTED, B-NUTS POLISHED, AND READY FOR INSTALL.

PNEUMATIC CHECK VALVES BEING OVERHAULED.

BUILD UP OF THE FIREWALL IS UNDERWAY THIS WEEK...IF WE DON'T FLOAT AWAY! RECORD RAINFALL FOUND IT'S WAY INTO OUR HANGAR THIS AFTERNOON.

COCKPITS AND ELECTRICAL

COCKPIT SIDE PANELS, GASCOLATOR, AND GILL SHUTTER BRACKETS POWER COATED AND READY FOR INSTALL.

STICKS STRIPPED, BEAD BLASTEAD AND READY FOR CHROME AND PAINT.

SOME BASIC AIRFRAME WIRING RUN AND READY TO BE TERMINATED.

UP AND DOWN INDICATOR MICRO SWITCHES INSTALLED AND GEAR WELLS PAINTED.

WING WIRING IS COMPLETE.

Cockpit Progress

2009-12-10T08:59:00.000-08:00

Things are starting to get a bit more exciting as the disassembly stage is behind us and we are starting the build up process. The first thing that needs to be done is interior primer and paint.

The baggage compartment is now primed and ready for paint. It has been too cold to paint the last few days so we're on hold with the paint until we get a warmer day...otherwise the paint won't flow out well and we'll end up with an "orange peel" look.

This shot shows the front cockpit being readied for paint, and also the new windscreen is trimmed and test fit.

Canopy parts in various stages of completion. We completely disassemble the canopies, bead blast, primer, paint, and reassemble with Cad plated hardware and new seals (shown in top of pic).

Panel designed for Sky View

2009-12-09T09:46:00.000-08:00

We have rough sketched the panel for 8120C. From this sketch we will make a CAD drawing and then laser cut the panel.

Dynon confirmed today that the unit will ship tomorrow, on schedule.

Sky View selected for 8120C!

2009-12-01T08:32:00.000-08:00

After several iterations of the avionics package, our customer has elected to go with the new Sky View from Dynon Avionics. As a Dynon dealer we are very excited to be among the first to install this new, state-of-the-art system. For sure this will be the first installation in a warbird and we look forward to a close relationship with Dynon as we go through the installation process. Dynon has long been the leader in EFIS manufacturing for experimental category aircraft, and the new Sky View is sure to keep them at the top of the heap! Click here to see Sky View in HD..

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-12-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

Before leaving for the Thanksgiving break, the WW family had a little Thanksgiving lunch. We're all thankful for our many blessings and to be able to work in a field we all love. From left to right: Renae, Ben (our newest A&P), Ray, Jim, Dave, and Khera. Missing from this photo are Barry (behind the camera), Brandon (home with new baby), and Justin (on sick leave). Happy Holidays to all of you from all of us!

Engine Clean Up

2009-11-19T19:56:00.000-08:00

The engine is undergoing final preparation for a face lift. It has

been cleaned, degreased, and stripped of all paint on the case. We

will continue to mask and prep for primer on Monday.

Chinese Radio Gear Removed (click on pics for enlarged images...well worth it!)

2009-11-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

Roughly 200 lbs. of 1930's technology....

Rear cockpit.

Battery and Radio Bays. Many of these brackets are drilled out in the next phase.

Front cockpit with secondary firewall completely stripped of all electrical. The weights on the floor are to keep the aircraft from tipping on it's tail while the engine is off.

A standard WW refurbished rear instrument panel. The one in 8120C will be nearly identical.

As we continue to prepare 8120C for refurbishment, all the original radio and navigation equipment has been removed from the plane. This stuff is 1930's technology and is H-E-A-V-Y. To give you an idea. All this weighs in at just over 200 lb. and will be replaced with approx. 40 lbs. of solid-state, state-of-the-art equipment.

Wings Are Off...

2009-10-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

...as we continue the refurbishment process. The wings come off relatively easily, and the job is made safer and more sanitary employing our custom made CJ wing jigs. We're not aware of another shop anywhere that has this level of support equipment specifically designed for the CJ's.

The wings come off to facilitate the long range fuel tank installation and rewiring of outer wing sections.

Firewall paint complete

2009-10-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

The firewall is all dressed up and ready for the dance.

Firewall Prep

2009-10-02T09:25:00.001-07:00

Today we are cleaning and prepping the firewall for paint. After a thorough degrease we're applying brightener with a wire brush and prep for primer. The advantage of a painted firewall beyond the better aesthetic are ease of cleaning and a better contrasting background for maintenance and inspections.

FIREWALL STRIPPED

2009-09-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

Today Khera, assisted by our intern Steve, removed all the accessories and pneumatic lines from the firewall. Once the parts were removed, tagged, and bagged, they began preparing the firewall
by removing surface corrosion, etc. We will continue the aircraft prep with removal of the electrical system and various other components in the coming days.

Old Engine Comes off!

2009-09-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

Thursday was spent preparing the engine for removal, and Friday the plane became nearly 700 lbs. lighter. As you can see from the pictures, the entire removal process is pretty straight forward. Next step is to remove all the lines and hoses to begin the FWF rebuild process. The new engine is being cosmetically detailed at this time and will be ready for installation in a few weeks.

The WW Crew - Jim, Khera, Dave, Justin, Ray, and Brandon.

2009-09-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

This is a shot of our crew assembled around an aircraft we will delivery to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum shortly. That plane will have it's own blog as soon as I have time! This crew represents nearly 100 years of aviation experience and each one of them is dedicated and passionate about their work. We'll be profiling each one of them in the coming weeks.

FWF removal underway

2009-09-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

Today we began disassembly of the firewall and removal of an extensive list of components. See slideshow dated today at right to see what the plane looked like prior to the start of our additional work.

Last of Chinese Demo Team Aircraft Begins Restoration

2009-09-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Worldwide Warbirds 8120C blog! We hope you will follow along with us as we complete the last of 4 historically significant Nanchang CJ-6A's from the Chinese military demo team.

In 2007 Worldwide Warbirds, Inc. took possession of 4 Nanchang CJ-6A's that were used for a Chinese military demo team. These aircraft came to us in the exact condition they were flown in China. These airplanes were all very low time, late model airframes, which is why we decided to pick them up when they became available. This plane, N8120C, is the last of those aircraft and is beginning an extensive restoration by us at this time.

When we acquired the aircraft they were outside of Seattle, WA. We contracted with Peter Houghton (who takes care of Paul Allen's warbird fleet and had previous assembly experience with CJ's) to assemble and certified the aircraft (which includes a full inspection of the entire aircraft). We then flew them for about 15 hours, including the cross country from Seattle down to Chino, and began our basic restoration process as time allowed. The aircraft came to us in nearly the identical condition it was flown in by the Chinese.

When the customer purchased this aircraft early this month, the following work had been done.

All Chinese radios and associated equipment and wiring removed
Cockpit lighting removed and lights refurbished (bead blasted, repainted, and assembled with CAD hardware).
Chinese smoke system removed
Aircraft exterior stripped of paint, body work done, and primered for paint of customer's choice.
Flight controls removed and recovered with ceconite and brought up through primer.
All exterior panel screws removed and all nut plates chased
Wing walk removed and wing structure inspected (known structural weakness)
Canopies removed, tube frames bead blasted, hardware Cad plated, and tube frames primered.
Cockpits completely disassembled. All gauges sent out for refurbishment and rescreening with range markings in english. All control levers removed for refurbishment. All lever guards removed and painted. Switch guards sent out for chrome. All knobs removed for cosmetic refurbishment.
Cockpits sanded, prepped, and painted in medium grey.
Landing gear completely stripped of paint. Hardware sent out for plating.
Wheel wells stripped and painted in light grey.
Rubber hoses replaced with new throughout aircraft
Rear brake override switch deactivated.
Installed Oil Cooler FOD screen and winterization kit.
Remove and pressure test air bottles
R&R all pitot static lines and complete pitot/static certification (accomplished at time of delivery)
All lightning hole covers in tail feathers covered with fabric (reduce drag and improve appearance)

The customer came to us looking for a show quality restoration and has engaged us for the following scope of work:

FIREWALL FORWARD

Replace Engine with 12 SNEW Housai H6A (285 h.p.). Engine to receive full cosmetic detail by WW prior to installation (full case, cylinder and baffle paint and detail).
Cosmetic detail firewall forward to include painting of firewall in light grey, powder coat and paint all casings, accessories, etc. C0lor scheme midnight blue, yellow (oil) and red (fuel).
Install intake drain kit (eases preflight)
Install solenoid and lines for electric prime/boost pump.
Install ADC Oil filter with chip detector (includes flushing of oil cooler)
New stainless steel exhaust

AIRFRAME

Install Extended Range Fuel Tanks (60 gallons total)
Install strut and air filler adapters to US schrader valves
Install new battery tray (will have room for smoke system at future date)
Install large baggage compartment
Install new wing walk with doubler
Exterior shine package includes: chroming of cowl latches, step, tail skid, and gear leg light bezels, and polishing of pitot tube.
CO reduction kit (consists of 4 panels being louvered on belly and tail)
New US Canopies with Malcom Hood front and WW exclusive one piece rear slider. UV blocking tint.
US Nosewheel conversion
New tires
Install Antennas for Comm and ILS capabilities.
Replace all control cables.

ELECTRICAL

Remove all Chinese wiring and rewire airframe with 28v system. (This was done due to extensive electronic/avionic upgrades that made this the most sensible route for the customer to take.)
Install B&C alternator and voltage regulator
Install Whelen Strobes with comet flash
Install 3 axis electric trim with Infinity stick grip control
Rewire main switch panel

AVIONICS

Custom front and rear instrument panels with Dynon D-100 EFIS with Auto Pilot, battery backup, and super bright screen (customer still considering Flight Dek D-180 for engine monitoring).
Garmin SL-30 Nav/Comm
Garmin 396 GPS
Garmin GTX 327 transponder
PS Engineering 1200 Intercom
PS Engineering MB-10 Marker Beacon
Custom right side panel for circuit breakers and AP control module
Custom right instrument sub panel for TBD

COCKPITS

repaint in medium grey
interior shine package including: chrome control sticks and machined brake handles, chrome switch guards, chrome map holder, polished stick boot frames, and polished gear and flap handles.
Standard WW cockpit refurbishment. Includes: all gauges refurbished and rescreened with US range markings, metal placard set for both cockpits, and all knobs refurbished.
Install WW exclusive rudder pedal extension brackets in front cockpit.
Replace mechanical primer with electric prime/boost pump. Eliminates both mechanical wobble pump and primer from cockpit.

PAINT

TBD at this time. Flying Tigers AVG and Marine Corsair schemes being considered.

We are very excited to be engaged in this project and will make regular updates to the blog as we progress. Thanks for checking in!