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Flop tube

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Billduster

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I am rebuilding a Starduster II . I am reluctantly going thru the airplane and bringing things up to flying condition. It has a dual main tank with header section on bottom. Before i started taking all the side panels off i could see an old fuel leak on the main drain fitting. After removal of the side panels i could see the leak was coming from the main fuel fitting. I put leak detector on the one inch fitting and added a little air to see if it was leaking at the threads or the tank being cracked. It was the threads. After trying to remove the fitting the aluminum threads were galled.Now to the point of this jibbering snowballing aircraft maintenance saga. Turning the fitting i could tell the flop tube is stiffer than a spring wind in Michigan. Now i am removing the windshield,top panel,etc. to get the fuel tank out to repair the threads and replace the flop tube as it won't come out of the tank by the firewall. Maybe the builder should have put it to the rear for service.That would have caused fuel starvation when inverted. So that will save alot of trouble shooting time. Inside the angle tube fitting that goes in the flop tube fitting there was a cut red o-ring lodged in the fuel line. Makes it all worth it.
Bill
 

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