A-W Meteor NF.14 WS788 Restoration Project

[TonyC]

Speaking of which, who opened their big mouth about wanting more Sundays so they could get more updates to read?

It all looks perfectly happy, at the weekend I might give it a clean and a vac out...

See you here tomorrow then!

[Blue_2]

See you here tomorrow then!

You really don't want an update about me sorting the yard at work, and shifting old decrepit pieces of truck around! I share enough manky corrosion horror stories on this forum as it is...!

[TonyC]

[Blue_2]

05/09/2020 Update
Yes, I know it's Saturday, no, I know at the moment because of Covid rules Sunday is my designated day for jet fixing... but this weekend I got a special pass as the Nimrod team were in today and, to ease future operations of our live aircraft, I needed to have a chat with one of the team about some future training a couple of us will be undertaking very soon. Business aside, it was great just to see them and have a good old catch up with old and valued friends! A little bit of normality in an otherwise very strange world right now.
As far as work was concerned, the morning started with upgrading our workbench. We frequently find that more than one of us requires the one vice on the workbench at the same time. Yesterday at work, my boss pointed out that he had brought from his garage at home, and skipped, what I might find to be (quote) "some useful old stuff". I need no second asking to go skip ratting! I came away with a box of imperial and Whit spanners and sockets, always useful in a place like YAM... and this

The makers and fixers out there will appreciate this. It turns out a neighbour of my boss was a very skilled live steam modeller, and he handmade this vice for his hobby work. after he passed away it got skipped, and my boss saved it. It then gathered dust and rust in his garage, until he then skipped it the other day and I un-skipped it. So after a good clean, degrease, rub down, paint and oiling, it's now attached to our bench as a second slightly lighter duty workstation!

Craftsmanship like this is too good to be lost to the skip. I like to think the long-deceased chap who made it would be looking down now happy at his works' continued usefulness, second skip escape, and third lease of life!
Back to 788, and with lunchtime looming, I thought I really should get something done on WS788. So I did the right thing, and went over to WL168 and fitted the E2 compass we were donated a couple of weeks ago by one of our facebook followers!





While I was in there I got some measurements and reference pics for a friend of our project who is more or less building himself an F.8 cockpit from scratch. Brave...
Finally, after shutting the lid on 168, 788 got a look in. I decided to fit the IFF aerial, because I'm sick of chipping the paint on it and having to redo it, and staring meaningfully at it and willing it onto the jet without me having to contort my arms to get the nuts onto the mounting screws really wasn't working. so I rattled the hoover around in there, which extracted some lovely hardware for me not to reuse left in there by whoever removed the original aerial...

And after trying to thread the nuts on the 8 screws resulted in a lot of discomfort, swearing, comedic facial expressions and the inevitable peeling off of the skin from the inside of my left forearm... It was fitted!



I assume this to be the first time she's sported anything other than a gaping hole there since her days on the gate at Leeming. Happy with that

It has now had a jacket made of pipe lagging fitted, to avoid any unfortunate dwarf-stabbing incidents. Because they generate paperwork, and us engineers REALLY hate paperwork!
After this, I decided it was time to go on a food hunt. The Nimrod crew had other ideas, and roped me in for an hour or so to help them firstly bring the tug around, then shuffle XV250 forwards and backwards a few times to rotate the wheels and facilitate a tyre check, then help put the tug back. Always happy to help them out! Eventually I got a sandwich and a brew, then the afternoon was spent hoovering out and then removing the manky insulation from the battery bay and working out what repairs were needed in there (more on that next week, maybe), sorting and oiling the newly acquired tools, talking with visitors, and general pottering. As I get older I find some days are just pottering days rather than all out graft-fests... I did degrease and clean the hatch from between the belly panel to where the IFF aerial mounts though. It came out really, really nicely!

So that can go straight back in, possibly next week.
So, busy-ish day... but I can have a relaxing Sunday off for once! Because of course that'll happen.....

[Ant.H]

Another good day's work, thanks for the update! I'm expecting the next update to mention how many times you've banged your head on aerials that didn't used to be there... In all seriousness, they look great.

[Blue_2]

As I say, the IFF aerial, or as I called it on the facebook page the "Dwarf Poker 9000 attachment", has received a nice soft cover just in case. Apparently Bruce Gordon found out the viciousness of these aerials the hard way, and most sportingly warned me....!!

[hunterxf382]

I have no idea what it was for (being a "rigger") but the port lower intake on "Winston" had an evil bacon slicer at a 45 degree angle which wasn't so obvious when crawling underneath - and hurt just as much as the IFF

[ZRX61]

As I say, the IFF aerial, or as I called it on the facebook page the "Dwarf Poker 9000 attachment", has received a nice soft cover just in case. Apparently Bruce Gordon found out the viciousness of these aerials the hard way, and most sportingly warned me....!!

The Pink Pool Noodle upgrade?

[Blue_2]

I have no idea what it was for (being a "rigger") but the port lower intake on "Winston" had an evil bacon slicer at a 45 degree angle which wasn't so obvious when crawling underneath - and hurt just as much as the IFF

UHF aerial if I remember correctly, 788 gets one of those delights too. A proper fun little stabby stick...

ZRX, no, the much less effeminate Grey Pipe Lagging mod!

[Blue_2]

Well another weekend came.... and went.... But we were at the jet today, so have your weekly fix of Meteor doings! My Meteor week started the other day when a parcel arrived from Max Blood. Plumbing for the instrument panel!

Just got to make it look like this now...

13/09/2020 Update
It's been a bit of a strange one today, as I seem to have spent most of the day in conversations and impromptu al-fresco meetings about where we are going and what we are doing with 788 rather than actually getting my hands mucky! Still, Simon was in, and he got on with his ongoing battle with the rudder autostabiliser and its bay...

While I got on with repairing our old faithful compressor after several days dragging it around site during the pre-reopening Big Push really took its toll on the poor thing. With that sorted, I took a sneaky peek at Simon's paintwork in the autostab bay

My jobs were at the other end of the jet. While looking for yet another one of those elusive "where the **** did I put that" items, I realised we still had junk in the nose bays of the jet.

So I did the right thing, and dug it all out and chucked it on the shelves.

Then, I took a hoover to the bays

And made a disappointing discovery in the upper bay

That's just nasty! The lower bay was happy though

As was the rear bay, with a commanding view over the top of the nose leg

We even found pencil annotations on the front bay walls



Always nice to find these little human touches on the jet. Simon meanwhile was happy as he'd found his box of junk removed from the autostab bay many months ago

And the very elusive back plate for the autostab, so he was a happy camper.
Many hours of meetings etc later, I was back. Simon had been busy...









So feeling guilty I got on with removing the racking from the front bay. Partly so it can get some TLC next week, and partly to ease access to drill that nasty angle panel out.

Another visit from the hoover and the bay actually isnt bad at all...

The rack needs some love though, so it's on the bench and penetrating oiled for next week

it's amazing what crap you find in the dark recesses of a 1953 jet!

last job of the day was to load up the car with the canopy perspexes and a box of goodies.

These, along with a few other goodies, will be off to live in Simon's shed for a couple of weeks, prior to going on a road trip to the East Midlands. there the goodies will be exchanged for goodies we need, and the canopy perspexes will be used as masters for new NF.14 glazing sets. Exciting times!

[TEXANTOMCAT]

Brilliant update as ever mate well done )

TT

[Blue_2]

Cheers TT!

[Blue_2]

A Monday morning off work. I could have had a lie in, but the seagulls had other ideas so no, no lie in for me. Not that I'm complaining for once because it meant I chanced upon a B-52 passing the window, a rare site for Yorkshire!

Anyhow, I guess I best stick the kettle on and get writing for you good people...

21/09/2020 Update
Another day of Meteor fettling; does it ever end! First though I popped by the Hurricane to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle Of Britain

Yesterday's job was to get the rack I had removed from the nose stripped and restored ready to go back in, once the unhappy bit of ally angle has been replaced. It was a nice warm day, therefore a good painting day, so I cracked on dismantling the rack. This used to hold the ARI5860 modulator back when she was a night fighter. This is how it all once looked...

Compared to today, with a 136lb steel plate fitted instead of radar wizardry to maintain centre of gravity.

Let battle commence...

A week left in oil to think about their life choices meant that everyhthing actually complied, and all the major components came apart with little fight

The one remaining black box from the radar set came apart easily enough for repainting and tidying

Considering that is not the most weatherproof of bays, and this component will have not been apart since her NF days ie prior to 1958, I was impressed! The box got painted and set aside to dry while I carried on removing the racking and anti-vibration mounts from the surprisingly crude steel mount base. This process was interrupted, as one of our Facebook followers came bearing the staple fuel of aircraft restorers... Jaffa Cakes!

Anyway, after a quick look round 788 as a thankyou it was back to work.

I soon had a heap of parts, to which I added a few canopy mechanism components, to go pay a visit to the sandblaster!

It did a sterling job on the parts, here for example are the mounts

Unfortunately the steel frame was too snug a fit in the cabinet for me to be happy using it...

...so plan B was back to the hangar and stick it in the vice, to be attacked with a fibre wheel on a drill! This done, I unearthed my tin of red oxide primer from my MG owning days (any classic British car owner will understand...)

And some more conventional primer for the rest of the bits!

Before breaking out the black. It really was a good drying day

Then, once everything was dry... simply reassemble. Before I forget how it all goes back together...!







Before temporarily chucking it back in its bay for safe keeping. Happy with that for a day's work!

One other occurrence occurred... Our friends on the Buccaneer XV168 team have a mascot, Foxy Dave. There is a long and thoroughly dishonourable history at YAM of team mascots being, shall we say, liberated, and yesterday it was Dave's turn! He has been incarcerated on 788's tail, where he will remain until hostage release negotiations have been concluded satisfactorily...



I just hope he's not scared of heights!

Next weekend we have a pretty full weekend. Saturday would have been Newark Aerojumble, and Simon and I had made the necessary arrangements to go. Then COVID saw that knocked on the head, but rather than waste the day we are heading to East Midlands instead to see our friends there and deliver some goodies for their projects, and collect some for 788. Then Sunday it'll be back to the museum to unload and sort our ill gotten gains, and get a day in on the jet. So next weekend's update will be very busy, very long... and more than likely very late!!

Hope someone remembers to feed Dave this week...

[TEXANTOMCAT]

Another excellent update mate I think you should title these updates

Listen with Meteor (instead of mother)

TT

[TEXANTOMCAT]

Another excellent update mate I think you should title these updates

Listen with Meteor (instead of mother)

TT

[Blue_2]

With my accent you'd need subtitles!!

[TEXANTOMCAT]

'appen !

[TonyC]

The rack looks good as new

As for the ransom, I trust a suitable supply of Jaffas will be supplied!

[ZRX61]

That's what we call a Rustoleum Restoration, usually accomplished by Captain Krylon

Done a few myself

BTW, shouldn't Foxy Dave be called Basil?

[Blue_2]

BTW, shouldn't Foxy Dave be called Basil?

Ours is not to rename, ours is only to kidnap and use for extortion purposes!

As for the ransom, I trust a suitable supply of Jaffas will be supplied!

Negotiations are being negotiated....

[TonyC]

Negotiations are being negotiated....

So let me get this straight, you've started to negotiate the negotiations, so that the negotiations can be negotiated!

[Blue_2]

* Subject to negotiations.

[TEXANTOMCAT]

Actual footage of the rescue team inbound Elvington



TT

[TonyC]

I'm guessing that's Blue, masquarading as Lewis Collins?

[TEXANTOMCAT]

No he’s very strict on Covid compliance- he’s wearing the mask