sound deadening

515a

New member
Hi, new to the forum and need some help. Doing a complete rebuild on my Master 515A. The sound deadener Bellanca used on the boot cowl and instrument panel is now like a rock...is there a good way to remove this stuff? Or should I plan on making new parts?

Appreciate any and all help
Chuck
 
Am I the only one who has run across this stuff? Is there anything to remove the gnarlly gunk or should I just plan on making new??

thanks, chuck
 
Chuck, I dont know what type of sound deadening they used on Master,s but when you re-do the job dont use the dense black foam that Bellanca used on the early Vikings. I hit some of that with a torch one time and almost passed out. I was outdoors when it happened, and I can only imagine what would have been the result if it had been at altitude . It may pass the no sustained flame test , but it is nasty stuff. For the stuff you are dealing with you might try a test spot of acetone , MEK, or plain old hardware store paint remover to see which works best. Use lots of ventilation or you might set an altitude record for flying parts.____Good Luck,____Grant.
 
Grant, thanks. Yep, tried acetone, paint thinner etc, but not mek. If that wont do it I'll be making new parts.

chuck
 
Chuck, you might call the factory and see what they think the crud is? The paint stores sell paint remover that will soften anything short of granite. If the factory can tell you what it is, maybe the paint stores can tell you what will work. If 515A is the plane I think it is, I have the Petton wheel covers that used to be on it. You might also try a heat gun to see if it will soften enough to scrape off?____Grant.
 
Grant, educate me. What are Petton wheel covers. Do you have a pic?
I'll try Bellanca.

Thanks again, chuck
 
Chuck, the Petton gear doors were done by a fellow named Bob Petton in the 60s, for his 14-13. He set speed records with his plane and claimed to have gained 12mph from the gear doors alone. He sold kits with instructions and lots of people bought them, but I dont think very many people ever got them approved. Petton did his on a one time STC and I have seen a few planes with them on that just used his STC number. I doubt that you could get away with that now. The fairings and doors were really nice ,but the hardware was flimsy. The reason I said I might have the doors from your plane is the set that I bought years ago came from a 14-19 with an N number that was yours or very similar. Im not sure at this point. The doors were removed from the 14-19 since they slowed the plane down. I later saw a photo of the plane flying overhead, and the doors were hanging open an inch or so, which must have created lots of drag. As I said, the hardware was flimsy. The most beautiful Bellanca I have ever seen was the late Bob Hedlunds Cruisair. It was just out of restoration and had the geardoors and a varnished wood prop. It looked like a time warp had happened and we had just arrived at a thirties air race rather than a modern fly in. If I had better computer skills I would post pictures , but that is beyond me. The club has all of the drawings and instructions, so it is available if you are still curious. Good Luck with your restoration._____Grant.
 
I just ran across the old photo of the Master with the gear doors. It was 506A , and it is no longer in the registry . I remembered a 5 and an A in the number and got it confused. The photo is in the June ,July 1974 issue of the Bellanca Pilot. It shows the poor fit of the installation . ____Grant
 
I have known 506A since '73-'74 and I'm sure it is still around. This was the only installation that I had experience with that really worked. You could fly under the airplane at 150mph and the gear doors remained closed. Scott Twitchell, who restored the the airplane and installed the fairings, eventually removed them due to continuing rigging problems. He claimed that the removal did not reduce his speed and "...saved me 27 pounds of steel and fiberglass." Scott was a great guy...killed in a deep stall Longeze accident in '82. Rutan whitewashed the whole episode. I still have negative feelings about the "canards." Dan
 
Hi Dan, I had forgotten Scotts name, but I have always looked at canards with a dim view since I heard of his accident. I looked on the FAA records and it says the plane is decertified (whatever that means) and was sold to a hi school. Maybe some kids will come out of school knowing how to do aviation wood work. That would be great.____Grant.
 
I believe N506A's last flight was to Castroville Airport in Texas around 2002. It had been all yellow and was an Oshkosh winner at one time. The cotton fabric was so rotten on the belly I could have sneezed and blown a hole in it. It sat there for about a year. After I quit working there I heard that someone showed up with a truck and trailer one day and hauled it away. I suppose to the high school that now owns it. Too bad. So sad.
 
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