Tail Wire Center Support

Rob58

Rob58

Moderator
As far as I know every triple tail Cruisemaster has a center rod on the tail support wires, right? Except my 14-19-3, which I bought a few months ago, doesn’t have them. They’re missing even in a 20 year old picture that I found. So I am guessing the support rods keep the wires from singing or something like that. Anyway I think they should be there. So is there any kind of process or documentation on how to make and install them? Any and all help is appreciated! …Rob
 
Rob, I used a Delron rod that I bought from Aircraft Spruce. Worked great and will not deteriorate. I used 9/16 as that was what the old wood spreaders are. These are used to prevent flutter which could ruin your day. Lynn
 
Thanks Lynn, the Delrin makes perfect sense. I was quite surprised to have learned that this plane had flown for many years without the spreaders (and passed many annuals). I wouldn't want to take any chances. Really appreciate all of you help... Rob
 
My -3 was the same way. I bought a set of wood spreaders from the factory a couple years ago when I realized they should be there. Then never got around to installing them. The second coat of varnish went on today and I'll be installing / painting in the next couple of weeks. Not sure why someone thought they weren't needed...
 
That is the sort of thing that you could get away with for many years, but if you ever got the plane near Red Line it might kill you without them. This probably should be mentioned in the news letter, since so few people actually follow this forum. Good to fix it before it bites you. _____Grant.
 
gjordan said:
That is the sort of thing that you could get away with for many years, but if you ever got the plane near Red Line it might kill you without them. This probably should be mentioned in the news letter, since so few people actually follow this forum. Good to fix it before it bites you. _____Grant.
Click to expand...

Yes, it is a great idea to write this up and have all members become aware. This goes for all good maintenance subjects. Send it and I will edit for publication.
robert@bellanca-championclub.com

Thanks,
 
Ok, so time to actually install the spreaders. The factory sent four shaped dowels with eight little pieces of plywood and no instructions. But even I can figure this out, right? Two questions... First, from looking at a handful of -2s, it seems he spreaders get placed where ever the wires are X inches apart, not trying to be symmetrical top to bottom or left to right, correct? Also, I've looked at three -2s and seen three ways of wrapping the ends to the wires. Safety wire and some sort of twine seem popular, with differing knots. Anyone know what is "right"?
 
Somebody used safety wire on mine and it left little notches in the edge of the wire! %&*@#$
I have plastic zip ties on mine now but it looks bad, I would like to change to string.
Ralph
 
The Javelins are normally tied with waxed lacing tape. You can also use rib stitching cord. Both available from Aircraft Spruce. Place them half way between stab and fin approx. 23". Lynn
 
I've got a 14-19, and, when my "birdies" were in rough shape, I went to Home Depot and a bought 3/8" oak rod. Shaped it to match the original, cut the slots, used epoxy varnish, and tied them off with waxed lacing cord. They're still there. Tom Robinson
 
It would be great to see a picture or two showing how the lacing was tied... or maybe even just a sketch. Are there any original, unmodified examples left out there?
 
I could send a picture of mine, although my method may not match the original. My old ones were fastened with safetywire, and I was sure that wasn't right. Looking at old biplanes, like a Waco, they used lacing cord. Varnished lacing cord is used on mine to hold the fairing strips to the fuselage tubing. I just used enough wraps and cross-overs to ensure it was secure, then varnished. Tom Robinson
 
A little follow-up. I did a little research and found a blueprint referring to these "tie rod battens." It's part number 18179 and uses another piece, p/n 18179-2. The second piece is referred to as a plug. The caption on the blueprint states, "Batten must be installed in line of flight. After locating, glue in plug #18179-2, trim to size when dry". ????? I would guess if things are glued together, they must be ripped apart anytime the tail feathers are recovered. There probably isn't an original one out there. In the blueprint, the battens appear to be at the midway point on the tie rods. Again, this is for the 14-19. Tom Robinson
 
Tom, this is very helpful information! For starters we now know what the original description of these little guys are. I'm sure that these parts, as well as the installation, is the same for all of the subsequent triple-tail models. From your description I can pretty well picture what these "battens" look like and how they are installed. So where did you find these blueprints? I have been trying to locate the factory drawings (as complete a set as possible) for quite some time with no success. Anyway, thank you very much for this info! --Rob
 
When I ordered the parts from Alexandria Aircraft, there were the four battens and 8 little squares of what looks like 1/8" mahogany plywood (just thick enough to fit in the slots cut in the battens). So that matches what the drawing said reasonably well.
 
Just as a post-script to this thread, I went out to the barn where my 14-19-2 project awaits me. I am reasonably certain the tail support battens are untouched, just as they came from the factory in 1958. As the pictures indicate the battens are slotted, with a flat plug taking up the extra space. The plugs were not glued in place but rather they are secured to the wires using something that looks like electrical tape which was still sticky after almost 60 years. For what it's worth, this is how my bird was put together. I do like Lynn's idea to use Delrin rod.
 
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