.
q.
Make any small openings or other
provisions where necessary to allow
access to the needle valve and for
hooking up the glow plug.
7.
Main Landing Gear
Assembly of the main gear requires the
completed fuselage.
a.
Place the 3/16" Main Gear wire and the 3/16" Rear Brace wire into the grooved L.G. Blocks in the bottom of the fuselage.
Note on the plan that the Main Gear wire should be perpendicular to the bottom of the fuselage while the Rear Brace wire
should be angled forward to meet it near the axle. You will have to trim the groove in the rear L.G. Block slightly to allow
the Rear Brace wire to swing forward.
b.
Using the soft copper wire supplied, bind the ends of the two 3/16" wires together near the axle, along with the 1/8" dia.
Bottom Shock Strut wire that goes between them. Use tape, clamps, or whatever you can come up with to help hold the
three wires in alignment while you wrap them. If the wires don't line up exactly right with each other, rebend as necessary
to get them to fit properly. Make the copper wire wrappings as tight as you can, with each strand of copper wire right next
to the previous one. There should be no gaps between the strands of copper wire. Don't worry about running out of copper
wire, as we have included extra to help insure that you can make these bindings very strong.
c.
When you have the wires bound together in proper alignment, solder them
securely with normal rosin core solder. It is not necessary to have them brased or
welded - just be sure to use a soldering iron or torch with enough heat output to
get the wires and bindings hot enough for the solder to flow smoothly. Also, use
plenty of soldering paste to help the solder flow completely around and thru the
bindings. Protect the fuselage during the soldering operation with a cloth so that
dripping solder or paste will not fall on the wood. After both axles are soldered
and cooled off, carefully remove the wires from the grooved blocks.
d.
Next bind and solder the 1/8" dia. Top Shock Strut wire in place at the top of the 3/16" Main Gear wire. Position this wire
carefully before soldering - note in the front view on plan plate 4 that the middle bend of this Top Shock Strut wire should
contact the middle bend of the Bottom Shock Strut wire so that they can later be bound together by rubber bands for flying.
The rubber bands will serve as an effective shock absorber.
e.
After all the solder joints are cool, file
and sand them to smooth out any
prominent bulges in the bindings. Clean
all joints with dope thinner or other
suitable solvent.
Bungee Cover Simulations
Factory fresh J-3 Cubs had "leather boots" covering the bungee shock chords
of the landing gear. Some recently restored J-3's have gone to airfoil shaped
fiberglass or metal covers. You can easily simulate either type on your model.
Leather Boots:
Cut two pieces of scrap balsa to
approximately 3/4"x1"x2·1/2". Cut a groove halfway
into each and epoxy them in place on the Bottom
Shock Strut wire. Fill the groove with putty or epoxy
glue. Carve and sand the balsa blocks to resemble
the leather boots. Smear a thin coat of epoxy glue
on the blocks. Sand smooth when dry. Finish as you do the rest of the landing
gear.
Airfoil Covers:
(See drawing on plan plate 4) Four
molded plastic Bungee Cover halves are provided.
Trim each out leaving a small flange around the
outside. Notch the ends to fit over the L.G. wire.
Groove 1/4"x 1/2"x2·1/2" balsa sticks and epoxy
onto the wire. Shape the balsa pieces as needed to
slip the Cover halves over them. When right. epoxy the Covers together and to
the balsa and wire at the same time.
f.
Cut a 1" long piece of wire, about 1/16"
dia. or so, from left-over scrap pieces
you undoubtedly have in your
workshop. Form it into a shallow "V".
Bind and solder it into the bottom of the
Top Shock Strut. This serves as a hook
for wrapping the rubber bands around
both shock strut wires to as a shock
absorber. You can see this scrap wire
hook in the pictures under "Bungee
Cover Simulations".
g.
A single sheet of 3/16"x6"x7" balsa is
provided for fairing in the sides of the
Main Gear. Cut out a right and a left
fairing to fit between the 3/16" wires.
Note proper grain direction on the plan.
Epoxy the fairings in place and allow to
dry.