RESTORATION OF A BARNFIND COLLEGIATE

[Allen Self]

I just purchased a barnfind collegiate. Need help finding as much info possible for total rebuild. I dont know where to start really. Any and all help appreciated.

[Andy Gelston]

Well, if you want to do a ground-up restoration, start at the ground and work your way up.  How does the floor look there where you'll be working?  Dirt and gravel really suck.  Concrete's okay if you can get some carpet on it.  Property management companies are great sources for free carpet if you're willing to go the the rental unit and haul it away just as the carpet installer has pulled it up.  Heated floors are really nice, but a heated workspace will allow you to work all winter, provided you have good lighting.  So in fewer words: get your workspace set first then you start photographing, disassembling and cleaning/repairing/repainting each part.Drawings are still available from Joe Rankin, the Type Certificate holder, but please pay him for them, as others have stiffed him in the past for even the printing and postage, let alone the time he spent getting it all done...and welcome to our wee Club!

Andy

PS: Please tell us the model, serial # and N# of your old gal.

[Allen Self]

N37714  serial  943   I spoke with Mrs Rankin on the phone. She said he was in the hospital with a broken hip. They think he will come home this weekend.  The plane has sat a long time. Wings are patterns only. Everything else is here though so it wont be as hard as it could be. How extensive was the tubing work on yours?

[Andy Gelston]

I had to rebuild the top of the rudder, make new wing struts, and install the landing gear Vee supports for the seaplane configuration.  I also had to weld up a crack in the tail post and another on the Franklin engine mount.  Fortunately, the lower longerons, especially back near the tail, were in good shape.  You should sand blast the entire frame to get a good look at the tubing, then prime and topcoat it within a day or two, to prevent further rust in all the areas that don't require repairs or tubing replacement. Before your final weld, add some boiled linseed oil (or the tube oil that Polyfiber sells) to the tubing interior through a small hole in the tube, then weld the hole closed.

Do you know if all the steel wing fittings are still there and airworthy?

Which engine did ol' 943 originally have, Continental, Franklin, or Lycoming?

Thanks for telling us about Joe!  I'll have to call and wish him a get well soon.

[Allen Self]

Wings still have partial cover. Everything is there. I have not started on them yet. Sandblast of tubing should happen next week. I am hoping I wont have to replace anything except thin trim pieces around interior...windows,door. The plane sat for many years, wings off. According to logs original Continental was pulled for rebuild. Another Continental installed for a time and then original was reinstalled after major. Engine numbers match original logs. It too will have to be gone thru. What are the chances of finding a Porterfield tach? Also, recommendation on other instruments. What about STC for brake upgrade? Could you send pics of interior paying close attention to detail around windows,door and skylight if you have them? I found a few here on the site, but not complete. Thanks for the help. Im sure I will have plenty of questions as I go along.

[Andy Gelston]

Joe Rankin has the instrument panel drawing in pdf and hard copy.  There were two versions, the standard and the deluxe.  Both are the same, and on the same drawing, one just has more instruments.  I had all my instruments overhauled by Keystone.  They can screenprint  PORTERFIELD on a tach if you can't locate one.  The originals weren't recording, so you have to keep track of your flight times in a little notebook that should never leave the plane.

I spoke with Joe last week.  He's getting around well with a walker, but healing up and in good spirits.

[David Talley]

I have photos of two Porterfields that have been restored.

They are large file size photos.  I can drop them on a CD or DVD and get them to you.

Contact me for details. 210-834-4234

David Talley

San Antonio, TX