Super Guppy Restoration

[Xplumberlives]

Good update Gaz!

[Mackrick]

Thanks for the update....

[Gaz]

I have to post this photo of the NASA Guppy, because, well........










It's beautiful!

[Mackrick]

Like it Gaz

[Ray C]

Wonderful.....& Menacing.

[Xplumberlives]

Super!

[Ipso]

Where's Ripley?
Nice pic.

[Sploosher]

Where's Ripley?
Nice pic.

It does look quite `Alien` does it not..................

wonderful pic

[Kermit]

Fantastic picture !
Very spooky, and looks uncanningly like my Praying Mantis...



Ripley ? RUN !!!!!

[Gaz]

March update for your perusal

6th March

Nice, busy, day today.

Prepped the other MLG nacelle door. Before and after:






On first glance, this one seemed in good nick, but, look at the top of the door. It was the worst area of corrosion I've come across so far. It had a really good layer of aluminium oxide on it. So, it was sanded back to decent metal, the whole door got a keying and I primed to bare bits.

Also, I've been putting this off for a while because I can see an expense coming. Sixteen, nearly, seventeen years of being outside has taken a toll on the towing arm. It DID look like this:



I knew it had some pretty bad areas of corrosion on it, but, I want to see if it's beyond all hope. So, I started chipping away at the corroded bits. It is quite bad, BUT, I won't know if it's beyond salvation until I've got all the paint off, so, I'll get a sander on it soon. I've got a feeling it'll need a new pipe. Luckily, the two end bits are just bolted to the aluminium pipe, so, if I can't save the current one, we'll be buying, probably, a steel replacement.

And Also: The little platform we use, mainly, for the radome, had a run in with Ash's boot a couple of weeks ago and the plywood platform needed replacing. God know's how old this thing is but the screws were PROPERLY rusted in. It took me about an hour to get 4 screws out, but, it's off and gone off to one of the CWJ lads to get us a new bit of ply cut to shape.

Really good day, all in all!


March 20th

Sorry about last week, I had a bad case of death disease (AKA man flu)

Neil has been busy in the interim, though. The MLG nacelles are coming along nicely, thanks to him.




Today, I finished repairing our little platform. I cut the plywood to fit around the framework, drilled the screw holes and screwed it down. It won't win any prizes for beauty, but, it's functional again.

Also, despite the freezing conditions, Neil, Emma and myself, fixed the radar in place:



Wrestled the radome back in place and secured it:



She looks better with her nose on:




Despite the VC-10 not showing up, it was a good day!

Look how good the platform looks!!


27th March

Didn't do too much on the Guppy, today. Our tyres should be here tomorrow, so, I gave the nuts on the split rims a bloody good soak with WD-40. The rest of the afternoon was taken up with work on the Buccaneer.

We put her spine panels back and a couple of panels on her fin. Winter servicing has gone fairly well, just a few little jobs still to do


Quiet month, really. Mainly due to this lovely spring weather we're having

[Xplumberlives]

Thanks for the update Mate!

[Mackrick]

Thanks Gaz

[Sickbag_andy]

I've changed the front page picture today

[Gaz]

I've changed the front page picture today

and very nice it looks too!

www.superguppy.co.uk

[Jigsaw]

Pretty good progress considering the cr@p weather we have had Gaz

[Gaz]

Tyres arrived last Friday!

I'm beside myself!!

[Dan4th]

Tyres arrived last Friday!

I'm beside myself!!

Schizophrenia is a Sad Affliction

D.

[Gaz]

Tyres arrived last Friday!

I'm beside myself!!

Schizophrenia is a Sad Affliction

D.

Was that a jokey response?!?!?


I don't really care, btw


At least Schizophrenics are never lonely

[Dan4th]

Aw, Gaz, I thought you'd get a laugh

Tell us more about the Tires/Tyres, will you?

Danf.

[Gaz]

Aw, Gaz, I thought you'd get a laugh

Tell us more about the Tires/Tyres, will you?

Danf.

4, pretty much, new MLG tyres. Only had 3 landings on them, worth, about $5,000, donated to us by the good folks at JSC.

It's going to be a helluva job to fit them. Nothing overly complicated, but, the weights involved are truly staggering. Each tyre weighs around 400lbs, the brake packs are about the same weight, the wheels themselves are around 4ft in diameter, the split rims haven't been apart in, at least, 17 years and the O-rings will probably fall to bits when we separate the two halves.

It'll be fun though!!

If nothing else, we'll get to service the brake packs

[Dan4th]

AHA!

A CHALLENGE!

At least it might make for some nice pics
and a vid or two.........

I was thinking (always dangerous) that maybe
on a CWJ day there might be some entity that
would PAY you for using the Guppy to show vids
of a promotional nature to the assembled multitude.......

Fits-in with your movie theatre idea....

Sometimes my imagination just won't leave me alone!!!!!!!!!!!

Danf.

[Gaz]

AHA!

A CHALLENGE!

At least it might make for some nice pics
and a vid or two.........

I was thinking (always dangerous) that maybe
on a CWJ day there might be some entity that
would PAY you for using the Guppy to show vids
of a promotional nature to the assembled multitude.......

Fits-in with your movie theatre idea....

Sometimes my imagination just won't leave me alone!!!!!!!!!!!

Danf.

We actually have been approached by a couple of organisations. No mention of payment though.

[Dan4th]

No mention of payment though.

Perhaps YOU ought to mention it?

After all, they would otherwise incur expense
for some other less convenient way of doing
what they do!

Ye Iconic Guppy is an Icon with Value !

Danf.

[Bubbles]

The O Rings won't be a problem, I've a kit for that. The brake packs aren't strictly needed, so for ease of fitting can be left off. It'll be a fun job changing the wheels.


Warning: that last sentence is probably a lie.

[RLN]

Found this. It has a good video, too.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/Features/super_guppy.html