7AC Wood Stringers

Flydude_54 · Post by **Flydude_54** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 21:01

Ok,
I am frustrated. I have a new wood kit from Rainbow Ron and now I am trying to figure out how the stringers go. Anyone have photos showing the locations of these stringers?

Thanks
Alan

DELCOM · Post by **DELCOM** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 03:12

This how I did mine[img][img]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/ ... 544F-1.jpg[/img][/img]

DELCOM · Post by **DELCOM** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 03:20

I have alot of pictures.Let me know if you need more. By the way this is Rainbow Wood and it's great. IMHO[img][img]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/ ... rframe.jpg[/img][/img]

Flydude_54 · Post by **Flydude_54** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:30

Thanks for the photos.
I bought this project completely disassembled. My wife is still shaking her head. All I have to go by is the Buzz Wagner book, the parts book from Waggle air and the photos I can steal from the group.
More pictures the better as I have no clue as to how things mount.

If you wish, please send to my personal email that I sent via PM to you. I would also love you phone number as sometimes a little chat goes a long way as to figuring this stuff out.

Super thanks again

Alan

james gevay · Post by **james gevay** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:30

I'm not sure if you took the old ones off the plane or if your putting together a basket case from scratch. Here's the way they came off my plane and I'm assuming they are stock and thats the way they are going back on.
Starting from the top, the 2 longest "T" stringers are 3/4" x 3/4". Next starting from the TE are the 2 "T" stringers that are 1" x 3/4. Starting from the back edge of the rear window are the 1/4" x 3/4". Then starting from the door edge are the 1/4" x 3/4". On the bottom is the left "T" stringer which is 1" x 3/4" x 7' 6 1/2", the right is 1" x 3/4" x 7'. The center is 1/4" x 3/4" x 6' 7". The top cross formers that run left to right, starting from 1 to 4 are, #1 is 1/2" x 1 7/8" x 25 3/4" with a 10 degree bevel on the top slanting forward. #2 is 1/2" x 1 1/16" x 25 3/4". #3 is 1/2" x 1 5/16" x 25 3/4" with a 10 degree bevel sloping backward to match the airfoil. #4 is 1/2" x 3/4" x 21 3/8". #3 may have 4 cutouts on the bottom for the rear spar bolts, if thats the way your spar was beefed up for the AD.
I made all of these myself except for the 1/4" x 3/4" stringers. I just ordered all the spruce from Aircraft Spruce and found the plywood stock locally and cut and routered it. With the pictures, I hope this helps you get started. Jim

Post by **joea** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 14:59

Flydude_54 wrote:Thanks for the photos.
I bought this project completely disassembled. My wife is still shaking her head. All I have to go by is the Buzz Wagner book, the parts book from Waggle air and the photos I can steal from the group.
More pictures the better as I have no clue as to how things mount.

If you wish, please send to my personal email that I sent via PM to you. I would also love you phone number as sometimes a little chat goes a long way as to figuring this stuff out.

Super thanks again

Alan

Alan,

While its nice to talk to someone directly, if you have questions pls post them here as if one person is having a problem, its a sure bet that others will have the same problem in the future. Your posting it here helps everyone!

Glad things are becoming more clear. I was in the same boat in 1979 when I did my first Aeronca restoration and my project was in boxes when I received it as well, so know exactly what you are working with. Go slow and if something does not feel "right" then stop and make a post here and we can lend a hand.

BTW, pls make sure you sew the headliner in the fuselage before you do the fabric. Its only about 1000% easier that way!

Joe

MikeB · Post by **MikeB** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 15:44

Alan, Joe makes a good point about the headliner. Another idea is to locate someone in your area with a Champ so you can go look at it when you have a question. Having said that, you don't want to copy someone else's mistakes (if there are any) but it does help to look at something that's completed and we're all here to help as needed.

Mike Berg

Flydude_54 · Post by **Flydude_54** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 11:52

There has to be a better book.
I have the Buzz Wagner Collection of Aeronca Champion Service & Parts. Some old Red book for Service. But none of them are total. I just dug out my Parts Manual for my 7KCAB and WOW what a difference. It shows all the wood locations and such.
So, my question remains. Which book is the better book thats out here. There's the Lasher book, the Buzz Book, the Univar Book, the Wag-Aero Book, possibly the ACA book. Anyone run into this and what was your resolve?

Alan

getting so frustrated without proper documentation.

Nathan K. Hammond · Post by **Nathan K. Hammond** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 23:29

Alan,
Don't fret my good man! By far the best information can be found in the L-16 manuals. And they can be found here... http://www.pj260.com/manuals.htm Download all 3 and save them to your hard drive, because you'll read them every night.

Lasher's book is pretty good for information like Service Letter and Helpful Hints, but the majority can be found on Todd Tainers site www.aeronca.com Can't comment about Buzz's book, I've never seen it.

The WagAero, Univair, and Aircraft Spruce catalogs are almost as handy as the L-16 manuals. They're nice when trying to find hardware or certain airframe parts.

nkh

marklamon · Post by **marklamon** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 23:57

I saw a Champ that had metal stringers in it. Has anyone ran across this before? They are in the shape of an upside down "W" . Just thoght I'd ask. Mark

Post by **joea** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 01:20

Mark,

Never seen it and frankly cannot think of any reason do to this. The wood is rarely an issue in any Aeronca that I have inspected and the paperwork to get metal approved would be extensive.

While on that matter, I do have photos of a Champ that has been "metalized" with sheet aluminum replacing the fabric on the fuselage. Details of how it was done and such are not known but would love to talk to the person who did it. List member Brian Safran from Ohio found it in Las Vegas a while back.

Captgrumps · Post by **Captgrumps** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 12:37

Those were probably Boeing/Stearman Model 75 fuselage stringers. Used in the pre WW II and WW II trainers.

Doug

MikeB · Post by **MikeB** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 16:08

Alan:
Don't know exactly what you have, but I pretty much put my first 7AC basket case together with the Aeronca 7AC Service Manual sold on this Website ($19.00) from the home page. For example: foldout page 14 shows you exactly where the formers and stringers go. I think maybe Univar sells a copy of the same book, but buying off this website helps support the NAA. It is a copy of the orginal Aeronca manual. Watch bolt sizes and lengths are there are some mistakes right from the factory as I found out (wing attach for example) after I ordered them.

And as I said before, having another Champ to look at also helps with the assembly process.

Mike Berg

marklamon · Post by **marklamon** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 21:35

Grumps wrote:Those were probably Boeing/Stearman Model 75 fuselage stringers. Used in the pre WW II and WW II trainers.

Doug

I was thinking the same thing when I first felt the stringers from the outside. But I compared them to the stringers on a 450 Stearman we are recovering and the are not anywhere close. It just struck me as odd as to how they are installed. They are backwards (inside out)as compared to how they are installed on a Stearman. Mark

Mnflyer · Post by **Mnflyer** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 22:24

I believe that the "T"crafts used an alum stringer similar to whats being described.

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