Another Museum Project!

[WillWagner]

The item that we will be attacking is not really the thing in the following images. It is just the stand or shipping skid FOR the item.

I will be playing carpenter for this project. Hope the splinters are kept at i minimum!

I need to make a new crate, shipping device, display stand for a Sargent Fletcher manufactured ART/S 27-370 Aerial Refueling Tank. This worked on F-16 VISTA aircraft as well as a few others. I do not know if it ever went into production. I do not know if this example we have is the one in the pictures and articles attached, but it is possible that it is. I do know that the motor the extends and retracts the probe is still in the device. There is evidence of some type of sensor adhered to the probe that comes up and out of the body and wraps around the barrel of the probe. This could have been used to measure the stresses put on the probe when docking with a refueling chute.

Sargent Fletcher was an aircraft equipment manufacturer that did make drop tanks during WWII and they specialized in aerial re fueling and external fuel tanks. They were located maybe 2 miles north of the Museum on the frontage road that runs parallel with the I10 freeway. They were bought out by Colburn?

We will most likely give the thing a "chemical overhaul" while it is out of it's space. The white paint is in good shape, the red stripes, not so much. Maybe touch up some of the lettering on the thing too. It will probably be re located to somewhere where it can be actually seen instead of tucked in between a fake Russian tank and a Dodge ambulance.

And yes, I do know the tires are low/flat on the ambulance. That is how the falling apart skid was detected, we were doing a tire inspection to see what needed attention.

Anywho, here are some pictures of the tank and some links to articles about the ART/S system.

https://airrefuelingarchive.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/7a7c4b39d01.pdf

Sargent Fletcher ART/S Pod – F-16 VISTA

In this picture a Sargent Fletcher Aerial Refueling Tank/System (ART/S) pod is attached to an F-16 VISTA. This unique concept is the product of the vast Sargent Fletcher experience in External Fuel…

airrefuelingarchive.wordpress.com

 

[M813rc]

Fascinating piece of gear!
The main body looks like it could have been made from an F-4 370 gallon wing tank, that rib on the side being a recognition feature of those brand tanks when on a Phantom.

You have also tantalized us with mention of the other tank, the "fake Russian" one. Care to enlighten us further on that?

Cheers

 

[NDT]

M893 needs some roof rust repair too!

 

[WillWagner]

Fascinating piece of gear!
The main body looks like it could have been made from an F-4 370 gallon wing tank, that rib on the side being a recognition feature of those brand tanks when on a Phantom.

You have also tantalized us with mention of the other tank, the "fake Russian" one. Care to enlighten us further on that?

Cheers

Who knows. I think this was one of not too many made, the paperwork, which is one of the two I linked, had no mention of F-4. SF was known for these types of things, wing tanks, drop tanks, etc. They could have modeled it after something they had already made.

I can snap some pic of the fake tank.
I do know it was used for some sort of radar, tracking, something. I think Northrop had it. It is powered by a mid 80's Chevy van. I have not been in the thing. Craig wants to bring it back to life.

It ran when it was parked there, then some volunteer was tasked with making it go. The guy decided that it didn't need all the vaccum lines and tore them out. Then decided he couldn't make things work and left it as it is.

Why are people stupid? Sorry, but not.

It is all fiberglass.

 

[WillWagner]

M893 needs some roof rust repair too!

Yes, it does. Most of the time we don't see the tops, usually when the items are brought to the shop for the normal maintenance that is required by the Army/Navy for the items on loan, we see things. They are repaired at that time. For the stuff owned by the Museum, things get checket a bit more often and get handled.

I can tell you the the M880 series based truck require MUCH more attention than most anything else. That includes the bodies attached, like what you see on the Ambulance. I think the steel used on the trucks and whatever was melded onto them, was the same quality. Dodges rot at the roof line. CUCVs rot at the rockers. Dodges, MUCH worse than CUCV. The Jeep Gladiator stuff, M715 based, do not rot!

The ambulance is on a list to work on, but we have no volunteers that are regular, so a project like that can't be started unless we have the manpower to see it to completion.

There are only 2 employees, myself and Craig. I only do two days a week and I am kept busy, as you can see by the stuff I post. I am getting older and my carcass doesn't tolerate most of what I do any more, hence only 2 days, gives me time to mend. We are looking for people, but seems like people now a days, don't like to work, come in on a regular basis, but that what volunteering is, when you can spare the time.

Adding a second part time or full time employee will cost more than it would be worth what with Ca. workers comp, payroll and all the extra crap Ca. tacks onto things. The Museum shed 2 employees, they were accepted into higher learning institutions and Annapolis. Workers comp went UP because of it. Go figure.

But the truck is on a list to be tackled.

 

[M813rc]

SF was known for these types of things, wing tanks, drop tanks, etc. They could have modeled it after something they had already made.

I wasn't clear, I should have said that rib was a recognition feature of Phantom tanks made by Sargent-Fletcher. It would indeed make sense that they'd base the new pod on an already certified (and well tried!) supersonic wing tank.

Thanks for the info on the Russian "tank", looking forward to the pictures.
I don't understand someone who would rip out part of a vehicle's guts, then be surprised that they can't make it run and just walk away.

Cheers

 

[WillWagner]

I don't understand someone who would rip out part of a vehicle's guts, then be surprised that they can't make it run and just walk away.

Cheers

We have a replica HaGo that started life as an M5 HST that was incomplete, no power plant. I think it was Windtalkers, the production co rented it and shipped it off to either NZ or Aus. and repowered it with a SB GM engine and built an all steel HaGo tank body for the HST chassis. It looks awesome!. After production ended, they shipped a running, driving replica tank back to us. It ran fine, just ran warm because it had a radiator mounted facing the bottom and it was plugged with mud. and the wiring was, well, studio quality. But it worked. We had some volunteers that worked for Ford. They decided that it needed a wiring harness, so they proceeded to tear out all the studio wiring and then furnished a "parts list" that consisted of all Ford components. Wiring harnesses, fuse blocks, ignition system and a mess of other stuff. It was like a grans worth of parts. Craig asked them why they couldn't just make their own wiring harness like had been done on another vehicle, I had just made the harness for the Wayne Bus/ repair van. Their answer was that they only knew the Ford wiring and what color wires went where.

It is a SB GM with a carburetor and HEI distributor, it ain't that hard.

No was the answer.

It is sitting in the same place as it was when the wiring was removed. I have looked at it, drawn up a harness and have the wire pulled/sitting in a box, but just haven't had the time to do it. Again, yet another thing to do that was created and not just caused from the decay of time.

Somewhere I have a video of it running and driving.

I'll look for it

 

[WillWagner]

I believe that at .17 in this clip is one shot of the M5

 

[WillWagner]

Just an update on the fuel tank.

We have a new cradle.

For the most part of last week, it rained here like a cow pizzin on a flat rock. Thursday was the worst. All day long. 5.5 inches. The Tuesday prior, no rain, just overcast and a bit of a breeze. The few days prior, weather was good enough to have some of the volunteers give the new Doug Fir a coat of boiled linseed oil for some protection. Tuesday was my day to make things happen so that the cut pieces parts could be coated before assembly.

I was able to get the base frame made up, the horseshoe cradle pieces made up, screwed and glued, the radius' laid out for cutting, got the supports for the cradled cut out and all the pieces laid out for another round of oil.

The weekend, from Friday to Monday, was bea-u-tiful out here, so, I took the opportunity to head out to Calico Ghost own and do some camping/off roading. It was awesome, 40 people/12 camp spots filled with our group, a few miles ridden and a few beers consumed!

Over the weekend, craig was able to drag the pod out of it's resting place and out into the compound so we could attack things. The cradle was MUCH worse than myself or Craig thought. It about split in half when trying to move it out of it's slumber spot, but it came out and when I got to the compound today, it was peacefully resting by one of the M60s.

Today, got the cradles cut out, mounted on the frame, all of the bracing done, casters installed and the pod test fit. I did not see a rib on the bottom at the center of the pod, so I needed to add a notch to the center cradle.

We removed the pod and put it on the ground resting on some chocks. The newly finished support assembly was then moved to the shop area, another coat of oil applied to the newly cut wood and some fire hose cut to fit on the supports.

Tomorrow, all that is needed is to install eyes for tie /hold down straps so if it ever moves anywhere, there is a way to keep it secured in the cradle, and make a couple of data plates stating something like "Property of ASMH.....do not destroy.....and a description of the object that the cradle is made to hold, including some sort of ID number. There is nothing on it as it sits now, so we need to assign an ID/asset number to it.

Also did some more work on the M62 today, but that will be added to its thread!

Last two are for a size comparison next to the M60.