P51K Mustang recovery

**LUCKYSTRIKE** · 01-11-2011, 01:56 AM

Its looking good Ian, nice work. Just a question but wouldn't it be easier to reduce and loosen the rust by first leaving it in a bath of de rust fluid. The quality of the steel is very good so it should come up a treat. I can see its hard work but it'll be worth it for the end result.
Thanks for the pictures, looking forward to seeing the next stage.
LUCKYSTRIKE

**381st digger** · 01-11-2011, 09:24 PM

The 50s are great!! What are you going to put on them once you have got the rust off to stop it rusting up again?

**ian_** · 01-12-2011, 12:55 AM

At the moment I'm quite enjoying the manual method, as I can see the crud come off get to the machining underneath, the top is coming up very nicely. I've got a couple of different rust removers, a jelly one and bilt hamber solution. Unfortunately I've got nothing big enough to put the solution in. the wife is very understanding but would quite rightly draw the line at a .5 soaking in the bath. (It's too big anyway, I did measure...). She does put up with a P61 prop blade at the bottom of the stairs and even helped me carry a Vulcan ejector seat into our old second floor flat. It had taken me and three air cadets to get it into my car. Probably just light oil to protect it when finally clean, tradition and all that.

**381st digger** · 01-12-2011, 09:48 AM

by ian_

Probably just light oil to protect it when finally clean, tradition and all that.

Yeah probably best. Andy

**fighterace** · 01-12-2011, 10:54 PM

Looking very good ian, I did say its a little time consuming but worth the effort!!

If you get a punch you can knock the top cover hindge pin out and open the cover with a little force to access the feed mech.

**ian_** · 01-13-2011, 12:29 AM

That's the next game, need somthing hard to drift the pin out with, Ive bent a couple of bolts trying and very nearly caught my thumb with a lump hammer.

**ian_** · 03-20-2011, 07:37 PM

Another quiet Sunday spoiled. Down to bare metal on one side.

**NickW** · 03-20-2011, 11:04 PM

Looking good Ian - Ive spent the weekend re-arranging my workshop & shoe-horning the Prospector in! Had to move my gun collection & noticed that two of the Invader .50s are Frigidaire as well - Think i am going to have to start a production line to get them all cleaned up + try and knock the three that EOD blew up back into some sort of machine gun shape!

**fighterace** · 03-20-2011, 11:28 PM

Nicely done ian, and you wanted a cleaned one!!, look at all the fun you would have missed out on. You will find that a little bit of black lead and it will look a million dollars. Whats needed Nick is an extension to the shed !!

Any new projects on the horision

**ian_** · 03-28-2011, 10:07 PM

Did a bit of swapping at the weekend, Whitley bits for P51, both from the same dump site. The tracking and link chute fit nicely but Bird dog, I'm sure you could supply better!