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It Isn't Hard to Assemble a Super Cub Or Is It?

"I know Nothing!"


and there are no ribs there for the fabric to drum on. Been a while since I covered wings with the Atlee tanks but I seem to remember the tank was at the bottom of the wing.

I got the phone numbers for the previous owner and the mechanic yesterday and left them both a couple of messages. The prevous owner called me back last night. He reminds me of Sargent Schultz on Hogan's Heros. Mechanic has yet to call me back.
 
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Too bad it isn't good treasure. Kyler noticed the fabric around the D window coming out. While removing the non-standard fairing I notice that they screwed the screws into the tubing. Then I notice the flex in the fabric under the fuel tank and realized the fabric is not rib stitched to any of the tank bay ribs.

Yeah, but the paint is nice and shiny.
 
I've recovered a bunch of banner cubs my whole life. I can see how these guys had no guidance on putting this plane together and didn't look for it. They didn't want to admit they were over their head in putting together a little piper cub. However, the fuel lines, turnbuckles, cables , hardware etc. are pretty crazy. There's so much more in the photos that are not right, you couldn't list them all.
 
I won't call it tribal knowledge but it comes from rebuilding 5-6 Super Cubs that had never been apart and spending hours going over drawings cause I have a twisted sense of fun. :help
 

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Thanks for this Steve, how about at the aileron cable attach at the stick, the bolt that goes through the aileron cable link #81352-11. Would this be an AN24 clevis bolt, again the parts catalog seems to show a regular bolt but doesn't specify.
 
Updated the web album with more pictures and comments. I removed the fuel valve, installed the correct fittings and most of the fuel lines that were mis-routed. Not much fun on a covered airplane.

I guess there is a reason Cub Crafters STC calls out using the Pawnee spinner on the 180 HP Lycoming with the McCauler 1A200 prop.
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The Pawnee front bulkhead is thicker as well.
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From my notes from disassembling


Steve, would you be able to explain why a clevis bolt is used in some locations and a plain bolt in other similar locations.
Many thanks
Stew
 
Steve, would you be able to explain why a clevis bolt is used in some locations and a plain bolt in other similar locations.
Many thanks
Stew

Because that is the way Piper did it? Only thing I can think is it would be hard to get a screw driver on the head of the clevis bolt on the bottom of the rear stick. I have a 90 degree straight slit screw driver and would be no issue but that is how Piper did it. I have scoured the drawings and rebuilt 5 Super Cubs that had never been restored and documented things in pictures and notes as I desassembled so that is where my information comes from.
 
Man, that thing is the gift that keeps giving

Yep, thought I had an Atlee/Jensen repetitive inspection rear strut. No AD list or documentation on struts. I called the previous owner and he sent me the receipt and yellow tags for new PMA'd Lee Budde Airframes lift struts.
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I am guessing that the current owner didn't do a pre-buy. If I owned it, I would take legal action against the IA that signed it off.
 
Last year I would say I cant believe a mechanic would sign off this work, but after this summer having a "seasoned" mechanic not understand the rudder system on my pa12 and also want to rivet a plate over the 2 inch hole in bottom of the air box because he said it was bypassing the air filter I can believe this kind of work now unfortunately. luckily this plane is in good hands now, and thanks pierce for taking the time to show the world how things should be.
 
Last year I would say I cant believe a mechanic would sign off this work, but after this summer having a "seasoned" mechanic not understand the rudder system on my pa12 and also want to rivet a plate over the 2 inch hole in bottom of the air box because he said it was bypassing the air filter I can believe this kind of work now unfortunately. luckily this plane is in good hands now, and thanks pierce for taking the time to show the world how things should be.
I commend you for your patience with that guy. I about lost it with him on the phone trying to explain the rudder system to him.
 
I emailed the FAA inspector who came out and looked at this aircraft after all the discrepencies I found. This is what I got back.

Steve,

You won’t like this. We concluded our investigation. Unfortunately, our legal department would not support formal action.

Some of the problem was that several of the items had been corrected or repaired before the FAA saw the aircraft. Additionally, the company that sold the aircraft to your guy had done some work on it also.

The original guy claimed it was not in that condition when he saw it last. He claimed the guys who sold it had installed the floats and done some other things to the aircraft.

Our attorneys felt the evidence did not go directly back to the original mechanic, and/or was stale. There is a law we call the stale complaint rule. If something happened more than 6 months ago, it is very difficult to take legal action on it.

Steve Miller
Principal Maintenance Inspector
Lubbock, FSDO
(806) 740-3815

Sounds like as long as whatever I do last 6 months before anyone finds it I am good.
 
Steve, i has a very similar experience, when someone “owner produced” and exhaust system and the logs stated “installed owner produced exhaust” 10 years ago and they had been doing the muffler ad. Except there was no muffler to inspect. Along with a bunch of other f’d up stuff. I concluded they don’t really give a crap.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I was told 30 days, by FAA... they would have a hard time proving someone did something and hadn’t been changed by someone else or just occurred


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org
 
Had a Stinson that a guy put all the non-trip free circuit breakers in, plus both trim actuators swapped, so they operated backwards. Got the same thing from the feds. I'm sure he's done a few more since then.
John
 
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