Plenty to Fix

 

Summer is here!  As usual, I had several projects to work on today.  The first was to install more sisters to the ends of the carlines on the roof of the 319.  They look like this.

 

After that, I started on fixing a broken seat in the 36.  The seat frames here are older and of a different type from the other cars, so there was much to learn.  The most obvious difference is that the transverse beams are made of wood, not steel.  And on this one, the end is broken (red circle).   Actually, given the design, it's a miracle there aren't more broken pieces.  But since it's wood, it's something I can either fix or replace.

And with this design, the seat back can be removed just by pulling upwards hard enough.  Luckily this particular frame doesn't have foot rests, so it's relatively simple.

The arm rest and outboard casting assembly are held to the frame with two large machine screws into the transverse beams.  Here you can see how the end of one beam is still in the casting. 

After the various loose parts are carefully removed, we're left with the two beams bolted to the pedestal and to the wall casting.  The wall casting has to be removed in order to detach the beam.

With the end casting on the floor, the two beams stand straight up.

 

Turned upside down, perhaps it's easier to see how this works.  A hole is drilled from the end down the axis of the beam about 4" in.  Then there's a mortise into the bottom of the beam to insert a square nut, into which the machine screw threads.  This is a rather Byzantine design which inevitably weakens the structure, but as I say, they hold up better than expected. 

Finally, we're left with the broken beam.  The two pieces still fit well, so I hopefully took it home to try to epoxy it together.  And I will start making a couple of replacement beams.  The biggest challenge will be to drill the hole exactly parallel to the axis.  This will have to be done at the shop, since I don't have a drill press at home. 

Maybe these pictures were more confusing than instructive, but it was very interesting for me to see an earlier version of the design I've been dealing with for so long.

 

That went pretty quickly.  Then I spent a couple of hours fighting with the windows.  Several are either stuck or harder to lift than they were when installed last winter.  After some work, most of one side is working pretty well, although in general they drop down a lot easier than they lift.  But so it goes.

Meanwhile, work on the property continues.  Our contractors are still working on roads and grading and so forth.  Here we see fresh oil on South Depot glistening in the midday sun.

In the afternoon I made some more molding strips for the 319's roof, and then painted them.