Cracked Spars!!!

Keep me posted. I would be happy to pay a commission assuming the deal works out. I have a number of 14-13 and 14-19 parts that I could pay as commission as well. Let me know if you need anything. For that matter let me know if you need anything regardless of any other deals. If I can help anyone out let me know.

Cheers

RT
 
Robert,
Thank you but no, I was only kidding about the commission. I have sent information on the other wings on your email. I also visited with Randy in the factory wing shop and asked about fixing 14-13 wings. He said that he has done it but people can usually find a replacement for less money than it costs to have it fixed. He said to repair a cracked spar, it is usually around $7,500 because it takes about sixty hours of labor.
Gary
 
Who knows what you get in a replacement wing? Eventually there will be none that are worth what you are trying to replace. Fix a decent wing with a known history.
 
When I approached the factory about repairing my 14-13 wings I got a very short reply saying that they did not hold the certificate for the 14-13 and therefore no repair jobs were accepted and the drawings were not available. I think that the 14- series Bellanca's are being left to "starve off" into obscurity. I do a lot of work on the Brantly Helicopters and they are suffering the same fate. No product support and no "expert original craftsmen" allows so many good designs to become victims of natural attrition. If the Smithsonian ever gets done moving and they start providing technical support again, the original drawings and an aspiring craftsman may very well be the key to keeping the remaining few hundred in existence. I am actively seeking a replacement set of wings for my 14-13 to get it airborne, but I am also definitely planning to rebuild the original wings.
 
Someone is feeding you some BS....I have a friend, not ten miles down the road, who drove a pair of 14-13 wings back to the factory about 15 months ago. He had a spar splice and skin repair done at the factory wingshop. A little more than a year ago he returned with the repaired wings. I had loaned him the stands to support the fuselage during this process.
 
You are correct in the factory don't hold the type certificate and they don't have the jigs for the 14-13 wings but they can repair them and I have seen them. If they recently refused your wings, I'm guessing it is because of a backlog of work.
Gary
 
Just think of all the folks who repaired airplanes over the years......They didn't own the TC or the blueprints. They had a part to duplicate or repair? Use the busted part as a model, get the raw material and (having CAM 18 or AC 43 for reference) use "best practices" and FABRICATE..........
One gentleman that I knew for years, help me rebuild several pairs of wings...spar repairs and all....had all the knowledge the factory had and more. He scratch built new Bellanca wings...new fittings and all, in his little shop in California. He didn't have a TC or many blueprints. He did have one of two certificates ever issued by Bellanca approving him for "unlimited repairs and construction." He's building for St. Peter, now................
 
Bellanca Engineering Report BER 838 addresses spar butt checking and cracking. I had some checking in my spars but all were within limits. I don't have the BER handy right now but I know it allows aft spars to be cracked out to the second bolt hole in the areas between the hinge straps. The forward spar may not have any cracks in the area between the lower hinge straps. I think it may allow a crack out to the first bolt hole in the area between the upper hinge straps on the forward spar but check the BER- I can't remember that part for certain. BER 838 can be obtained from Alexandria Aircraft and applies to all Cruisair, Cruisemaster, and Viking series aircraft. Alexandria says to check the depth of the cracks with a piece of .020" safety wire. I went one better and used a tiny, extremely thin blade of Buffalo Grass that grows at my airport. My deepest crack was 1 1/16", which is well within limits. The BER says to pack the cracks with an approved, waterproof glue, which would be Resorcinol. After that the BER says to seal the spar butts with a type of 3M sealant that is apparently no longer available. I think it was EC-760 or something like that. The sealant that Alexandria uses is of a type conforming to MIL-PRF-8802F. The same aerospace sealant used to seal integral fuel cells and windows on pressurized aircraft. It works well but it is opaque and I wanted to be able to see my spar butts for future inspection so I just coated them really well with three coats of full-strength Stits Epoxy Varnish. They survived this past summer without any cracks and this is South Texas! I don't have them installed yet so I get a good look at them every day. Oh, and the wings can get really heavy if the gear are installed! With gear removed two people can easily handle one wing.
 
The Service Letter (87a) calls out EC1375 or EC1239. The mil qualification (8802f) is a good start but does anyone know the part number sealer that the factory is using?

Additionally, I have read somewhere that the factory dipped the wings in a preservative solution. Anyone know what that preservative that might be? I noticed that a wood framed sports car builder also dipped their wood frame into a preservative solution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLS7p0fGhiM

Regards,
Tony

Rhunter said:
Bellanca Engineering Report BER 838 addresses spar butt checking and cracking. I had some checking in my spars but all were within limits. I don't have the BER handy right now but I know it allows aft spars to be cracked out to the second bolt hole in the areas between the hinge straps. The forward spar may not have any cracks in the area between the lower hinge straps. I think it may allow a crack out to the first bolt hole in the area between the upper hinge straps on the forward spar but check the BER- I can't remember that part for certain. BER 838 can be obtained from Alexandria Aircraft and applies to all Cruisair, Cruisemaster, and Viking series aircraft. Alexandria says to check the depth of the cracks with a piece of .020" safety wire. I went one better and used a tiny, extremely thin blade of Buffalo Grass that grows at my airport. My deepest crack was 1 1/16", which is well within limits. The BER says to pack the cracks with an approved, waterproof glue, which would be Resorcinol. After that the BER says to seal the spar butts with a type of 3M sealant that is apparently no longer available. I think it was EC-760 or something like that. The sealant that Alexandria uses is of a type conforming to MIL-PRF-8802F. The same aerospace sealant used to seal integral fuel cells and windows on pressurized aircraft. It works well but it is opaque and I wanted to be able to see my spar butts for future inspection so I just coated them really well with three coats of full-strength Stits Epoxy Varnish. They survived this past summer without any cracks and this is South Texas! I don't have them installed yet so I get a good look at them every day. Oh, and the wings can get really heavy if the gear are installed! With gear removed two people can easily handle one wing.
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