SSBN659's ALFA OVERHAUL

[SSBN659]

Boy, that really raises the bar for my paint job! Lots of good tricks here. No way I can match this but I hope to come close. Thanks much David.

SSBN659

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Anytime, pal. You've been a big help to me in the past. Just returning the favor.

M

[SSBN659]

Today's experiment.

SSBN659

[trout]

So it actually works? Huh, I thought it was a cruel joke David was playing on us to see how many people would be missing fingers or get a body paint job. Go figure.

[SSBN659]

I remember David saying he drove a nail through a can of paint and the mess it made.

FIRST, A WORD OF CAUTION. DO NOT TRY THIS ON A FULL CAN OF PAINT. DO NOT DO THIS INDOORS.

The can of paint I had was old and almost empty but it still had some paint left. The nozzle was clogged and I couldn't clear it. I sat at my bench for awhile trying to figure out how to do this. The issue was how to vent the pressure and keep it contained while still capturing the paint. So, remove the nozzle, insert a small diameter brad into the tube, put the can into a plastic bag and seal it. Push down on the brad and release gas and paint into the bag slowly. When the bag inflates stop and vent the bag. Reseal and repeat as often as necessary until the gas is depleted. Cut off a corner of the bag and funnel the paint into a jar.

SSBN659

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Now, THAT was SLICK!!!

m

[SSBN659]

Back down in the shaft alley now for another look. After several attempts to get it right, the linkage for the rudder is now complete. It could be better but I’ll go with it as is.


With the propeller shaft in place and dog bone connected, I laid the control rods across the clevis joints. I kept the rods longer than needed until I could make something to connect to the clevis. Note the glazing putty around the tail cone. This is still a work in progress. I’ll also have to clean up the tarnish on the prop but that can wait.


The clevis connectors are brass tube hammered flat and drilled on one end. Then a smaller length of brass tube was soldered in place and ready to accept the brass control rods after they were marked and cut to length with the cutoff tool.


In these shots you see the clevis/control rod connections, but looking closely you see the clevis arms are not closed up. They will close tight by slipping the clear tubing (next to the motor bulkhead) over the clevis arms.


Although there are still some items remaining on the overhaul specs, e.g., hull sanding and painting, prop polishing, electronics assembly, and dock trials, the major work on the overhaul is complete.

SSBN659

[greenman407]

Interesting additional seals on your Sub-Drivers pushrod exits. I had never thought of that. They look like glow fuel hose.

[SSBN659]

Actually it's just plastic tubing I use to lock the clevis.


SSBN659

[greenman407]

OH. I wonder if it would work as a seal.

[SSBN659]

Are you thinking as a shaft seal?

SSBN659

[SSBN659]

Work on the overhaul continues. When I measured the diameter at 4 points along the upper and lower hull halves I found a 4 mm difference that needed correcting.


So I compressed the upper hull to match the lower hull measurements and taped it as shown below. I don’t have a heat gun so outside it went to soak up some warm California sun. After the hull cooled I put the two halves together and found a very close transverse match. So far, so good, but that’s not the end of the story.


As you can see in the next picture there is also a gap along the horizontal axis where the upper and lower hull meet.


I have a plan for correcting this problem but I’ll try it out first and talk about it in my next post.

SSBN659

[SSBN659]

I could use some help here. The original hull was finished off with a spray of satin clear coat. I thought I had done a pretty good job of sanding before priming to see what flaws are still needing to be fixed, but when I sprayed primer over the upper half of the hull it "alligatored" in several places. Any suggestions?

SSBN659

[Kazzer]

Can you specify what actual paints were used. Looks like you have an incompatibility problem and need to use a different primer.

[SSBN659]

It's been a long time since the original was painted but my best guess is Rustoleum on the upper hull, Krylon on the lower hull followed by a Floquil Flat clear finish. I'm using a Rustoleum Gray Primer.

SSBN659