The parts of the cylinders sitting in the aircraft restorer’s hangar are labeled with each cylinder number on the outside of the tub, awaiting the day they are put back on.
The restorer and his airplane kids have given my sister more than I can on multiple levels, but one comes to mind, a name.
As I have referred to her as my sibling and my big sister since I can remember, they have shortened to Sis.
Conversations about her progress have become part of life, just as essential as if the weather will be good enough for flying.
As the baffles that were on the airplane were original to the airplane, over 75 years old at this point, it’s understandable that there would be repairs and patches upon patches along the way.
The location of these baffles gets constant vibration and heat while in use.
Due to these factors, along with the rusting of the clip location used to attach to the cylinder heads, the baffles were beyond saving.
The search for old baffles online came up with a lovely set attached to an E-225 that they were not going to part from the engine.
While down the road it will be nice to have spare parts, especially an engine, our resources are going towards getting her flying first.
What was listed on eBay was in similar condition to what was taken off of Sis.
Salvage yards were not fruitful either.
As the restorer is, well, a restorer, what started as a hunt became a fabrication.
He had reconstructed the old baffles to create a template for new ones. Tracing the old ones onto poster board, he then traced onto a new piece of metal.
The bottom aft baffles also need repair or replacement, and the restorer has a plan for attacking those as well.
As he had already contacted someone that could do the seals while hunting for baffles, attempting the metal work himself became a no-brainer.
Think he said it was worth trying as there wasn’t anything to lose other than time.
The original material, an alloy called 2024, becomes brittle over time and tends to crack at stress locations where fittings are attached if they are not lined up perfectly. The restorer says it’s something called preload, which is the internal application of stress in a system.
The new baffle is made out of 5052, which is more malleable. The restorer says this will be more forgiving with heat and vibration from the engine and mitigate any stressful situation that might be created during the installation process.
The restorer has also been thinking a lot about when to continue with the remainder of the inspection on the Bonanza; after the cylinders have been reinstalled.
The reasoning for this is to mitigate anything getting into the engine.
The small areas within the engine that need treatment will be removed with Scotchbrite before putting a topical oil on and then reinstalling the cylinders.
After the cylinders go on, then the baffles will be fitted.
The baffles the restorer has created are slightly oversized and will be trimmed during installation.
Who knew I’d be learning all of this when this process began? I just thought it would be a simple matter of doing a small part each week.
Yes, that is happening but not in the way I thought it was going to. Frankly, that is exactly how life goes anyway because nothing goes the way we think it is going to.
My grandmother used to tell me that patience is a virtue. As a kid, it annoyed me to no end, but I realize she is right. The attention given to Sis during this process has been enhanced due to the time needed for the top overhaul.