MVP F86F Sabre Sim Pit - Build Blog

[[MVP] Mugga]

Another milestone achieved tonight with the trial installation of the production spare forward windscreen assembly!  The unit slid straight into position and will require very little adjustment for its final installation.  The forward windscreen section will be removed later this week, as we continue stripping out the cockpit tub ahead of a major pressure washing this coming Saturday.

Both the left and right hand side rudder pedal assemblies were removed from the aircraft for restoration.  Both units will be dismantled, cleaned up and given fresh paintwork, with all bearings and pivots lubricated etc.  The right hand pedal is missing a back-plate, which we will have to fabricate and fit.

Edited June 3, 2024 by [MVP] Mugga

[[MVP] Mugga]

Our collection of Sabre canopies have been stored up on top of the office in the hangar to make room in the workshop.  Space is a premium!

 

Edited June 2, 2024 by [MVP] Mugga

[[MVP] Mugga]

Edited October 28, 2023 by [MVP] Mugga

[[MVP] Mugga]

The team were back in the workshop this Saturday, finishing off the restoration of the Emergency Stores Jettison handle and attachment bracket.  Finish colour coats and clear have been applied, with the completed assembly looking better than new in the 1960's.  The stores jettison bracket mounts to the cockpit left hand wall, underneath the instrument panel.  During the week ahead, we will source a Pull/Push style switch and fabricate a shaft that will run through the attachment bracket and connect to the handle itself.  When completed, the handle will pull out and push in, with the electronics connected to an Arduino controller.

 

Edited June 2, 2024 by [MVP] Mugga

[[MVP] Mugga]

Work has continued on the cockpit instrument panel centre console.  The last of the electronics/instruments were removed and the console was media blasted back to bare aluminum.  Unfortunately, corrosion had eaten away the left hand side lower corner of the console and it required a quick repair.  We first drilled out the remnants of the old corner doubler, then took a paper template from the right hand side.  The template was cut out and a new doubler was cut from aluminum sheet stock and all the corners rounded off and given a coat of grey etch primer.

The new doubler was then match drilled to the existing rivet holes on the centre console and then new rivets installed. 

[[MVP] Mugga]

The centre console was lastly given two coats of matte black paint, and unfortunately I managed to get some runs in it!  So... they have been left to dry out this week, following which I will given them a light wet-sand by hand, and then repaint them.  Once the centre console has received three good coats of black, it will be given two coats of durable clear.

And before leaving the workshop today, we gave the throttle quadrant outer left hand side cockpit fairing a coat of black paint.  This fairing closes the gab between the throttle quadrant and the left hand side cockpit sidewall.  It also houses a selection handle, which we are missing the knob off.

 

 

Edited June 2, 2024 by [MVP] Mugga

[[MVP] Mugga]

Centre console looking much better than it did just weeks ago!  Can't wait to install all of the electronics etc.

 

Edited June 2, 2024 by [MVP] Mugga

[Spitty]

Always a good feeling getting things in paint.

[[MVP] Mugga]

2 hours ago, Spitty said:

Always a good feeling getting things in paint.

Will be a lot happier once I have things re-assembled too!

[[MVP] Mugga]

Went in late tonight to try and make some progress on the forward fuselage top cowling.  After giving it a scrub with a scotch pad and a clean with detergent, it will now be paint-stripped and the corrosion cleaned up.  All three cowling latches will be removed and all the moving components given media blasting, prior to painting and reassembly.  The entire cowling will be painted matte black and given three coats of satin clear to both protect it and make it easier to keep clean and free of oily fingerprints!

 

Edited June 2, 2024 by [MVP] Mugga

[[MVP] Mugga]

Trial fitting some of the centre console instruments today.

 

Edited June 2, 2024 by [MVP] Mugga

[[MVP] Mugga]

Many thanks to [MVP] Slaxor who has taken on the job of converting the aircraft instruments to work with DCS World.  Our goal is to preserve the original instruments as much as possible, rewiring them to communicate with the Arduino controller and DCS Bios.  The Gun, Bomb & Rocket control instrument in the centre console is a particularly complicated mechanical/electrical unit, but hopefully we can configure it to provide the necessary outputs.

The instrument comprises of three selector knobs, which are easy enough to extract signals from.  The real challenge, are the four (see above in yellow) reference indicators, which are attached to discs that are moved via stepper motors inside of the instrument.  Months of searching have failed to turn up a parts manual or operators manual for this unit, so we are having to reverse engineer to make this work.

Whilst [MVP] Slaxor was busy with the Gun, Bomb & Rocket instrument, I took some time to finish off the Bomb Adjustment instrument that is located on the top left hand side of the cockpit glare-shield.  The control box has been completely restored and has a new electronics that are ready for a wiring harness to be attached.

Before finishing up for the day, we took some time to inspect the right hand console radio instruments.

 

Edited June 2, 2024 by [MVP] Mugga

[[MVP] Mugga]

Work has re-commenced on the F86 Sabre Pit Build after four months away working on other projects.  During the break, we have moved the cockpit section into our new workshop hangar, which is a much cleaner environment than the previous building.  The focus at this time is to get the skins cleaned down, corrosion removed, and replacement panels made and fitted.   The skins have endured some 45 years outdoors in the weather, with varying states of corrosion as a result.  Each skin section needs rubbing back with scotch pads to mechanically remove corrosion, then AlumiPrep acid treatments to remove the corrosion that is a littler more stubborn.  Once we have the skins cleaned down, they will be given a light Alodine treatment and will then be ready for primer paint coats.  The exterior will receive a hard-wearing 2k metallic silver base, with the markings etc on top.  Everything will then be given three solid coats of gloss clear.  I mocked up an image of what the sim-pit will look like.

BROKEN IMAGES IN FORUM:  Not sure what has happened with the forum posts, as the images are not showing.... will have to spend some time over the weekend to reconnect all of the images etc.  Apologies to those following.

 

Edited June 2, 2024 by [MVP] Mugga
Fixing up broken image links

[[MVP] Mugga]

The work continues with the cockpit which has extensive corrosion and physical damage along the bottom of the entire fuselage section.  Having spent 45+ years outdoors and 30 of those on the ground on it's belly, it has all taken it's toll.  First objective is to get everything cleaned down and all of the old paint removed.  We are then focused on removing as much corrosion as we can, before things are primed and painted again..  We have a range of small sheet-metal jobs to complete, including repairs to various panel support frames and fabricating replacement inspection panels.  We also have to re-install replacement retractable taxi/landing lights, which we will have working as part of the sim pit!  The nose-leg will be removed from the cockpit section - again to save weight - and the gear doors will fixed into the closed position.  The cockpit fuselage section will be supported by a frame that will attach to the center section with a forward support.  The frame will be designed to accommodate easy transport loading and unloading.

 

Edited May 29, 2024 by [MVP] Mugga

[MAXsenna]

Livk this thread!
Try to paste the pictures as "plain text". From time to time test do some changes, and we all get issues.
Cheers!

Sent from my SM-A536B using Tapatalk

[[MVP] Mugga]

We are making progress... just have to keep reminding ourselves of this!  The right hand side cockpit fuselage skins are starting to look much better now they have been scrubbed down with the scotch pads and then acid treated.   Before the cockpit section can be painted we have to remove as much corrosion as possible to safeguard against future corrosion damaging the new paintwork.  Both mechanical abrasion and chemical treatment does the job, but it all takes time.

[Slippa]

This thing’s pretty incredible.

Keep it up .

[[MVP] Mugga]

A couple of more photos showing the cockpit fuselage skin corrosion removal - as of today.

[[MVP] Mugga]

BROKEN IMAGE LINKS:  Apologies for all the broken image links.  Not sure what has happened, but all of the images uploaded since we started are no longer showing.  Fortunately, we have a full archive on our Discord and Facebook page.  When i get time I will go backwards through this forum and re-upload images.

Edited June 3, 2024 by [MVP] Mugga

[Richi]

Something for inspiration

https://www.realsim.cz/en/mig-21-fighter-simulator

 

 

Edited June 5, 2024 by Richi

[[MVP] Mugga]

@Richi absolutely awesome! Would you be able to share some photographs of the cockpit sim and how you have your visuals setup?

Managed to get some time in today working on the nose radar cover which did not fit our fuselage properly.  These units were hand fit to the frame during original assembly and the radar cover we have is not from our serial number.  Some careful filing and shaping now has the unit fitting and aligning with the anchor screw locations.  Next week we will paint strip and sand the unit, and apply primer and finish coats. 

We spent some time also on the nose inlet duct, which is heavily corroded and in need of a major clean up.  The skins are badly corroded the full length of the duct and will require extensive acid treatment to pull the bulk of the corrosion out.  In addition, the duct skins are badly damaged from small explosives training that was conducted on the airframe during its time at Defence Establishment Orchard Hills.  During that time, defence personnel were trained on how to setup and detonate small charges applied to this airframe.  Lots of locations throughout the frame  where things are torn apart and destroyed.

I am not looking forward to crawling up into the duct, anyone want to volunteer?

[Flappie]

6 hours ago, [MVP] Mugga said:

I am not looking forward to crawling up into the duct, anyone want to volunteer?

I'd love to, but I live so far away from your hangar!

[Richi]

No, I have nothing to do with this, except the same country. Both links are the Real Simulator project, the videos have more on their site. If you have any questions, try asking there.

I wish you the best of luck with this challenging project.

[[MVP] Mugga]

Today we were fortunate to receive another large cache of fuselage inspection panels and cockpit consoles and parts which are required to complete the sim build.  Everything will be media blasted down over the coming weeks and given fresh paintwork, ready for final installation.  We now have a complete cockpit interior panel set, including all of the floor panels etc - and everything is 100% original equipment.

Edited June 8, 2024 by [MVP] Mugga

[[MVP] Mugga]

Fired up the media cabinet this evening and cleaned down the centre floor panel and the left and right hand support brackets.  Also cleaned down the left and right hand side rear cockpit wiring covers.  Everything has been primed and will be ready for satin black and clear coats later this week.