LATEST
RESTORATION
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While the recovery and restoration of MAAM’s rare P-61B 42-39445 has been a daunting task, there have been some extremely challenging tasks within the project itself. Rewiring it is one of those! We’re trying to do it right, however it is super time consuming to do so. When we say “right” not only do we mean that all circuits are returned to what they once were, we also mean that we have utilized all of the correct cannon plugs, junction blocks, relays etc. In the majority of cases you just can’t go to the parts store and pick up what you need. Some items Northrop had made especially for the P-61. In a number of cases we have had to make the part, or a piece of a part or connector. We are lucky to have an extraordinary machine shop and a seasoned machinist with experience in the microprocessor industry who is able to reverse engineer what we need to have made. While we do have the P-61 drawings on 17 reels of microfilm, that does not include parts Northrop procured from vendor suppliers – which included nearly all electrical items! So please, enjoy the newly posted photos of the P-61 electrical installation, but be patient – there’s obviously still a lot more electrical work to do. |
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| wiring harnesses going into right side pilot's compartment | wiring harnesses and connectors on right side turret compartment | |
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| the SCR 720 radar antenna sitting on the electrical bench | turret compartment buss bar junction box wiring | |
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| recently refinished gunner's cockpit seat | recently acquired night binoculars | |
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| pilot's end of night binoculars | front side of night binoculars | |
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| radar operator's seat installed in entry position | power junction box and one of the turret amplidynes | |
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| pilot's night binocular mounting frame | pilot's lower instrument panel and wiring | |
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| pilot's generator control panel | inboard side left-hand wheel well wiring | |
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| more connectors and harnesses in lower right turret compartment near lower rear spar | left-hand nacelle battery wiring , relay, and AN style battery connector | |
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| left hand side pilot's compartment wiring installation | left hand nacelle firewall and engine wiring harnesses | |
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| heater installation and wiring in right rear gunner's cockpit | gun turret control box and shielded wire harnesses | |
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| general view looking aft from gunners cockpit toward radio operators compartment | junction box and wiring right upper turret compartment | |
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| external power receptacle and wiring in left-hand aft wheel well | circuit breaker panel on pilot's right side | |
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| a view of the electrical shop bench with enlarged electrical drawing spread across it | another view of the electrical bench | |
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| another right side turret compartment junction box | radar wiring harness in left-hand lower fuselage, must be installed before skin can be riveted in place | |
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The following structural components remain to be completed on the P-61 restoration project: Rebuild left and right wings Rebuild rudders ( 2 ), ailerons ( 2 ), elevator ( 1 ) Rebuild miscellaneous gear doors. With the amount of work remaining to be accomplished and the variables involved, no completion date can be set at this time. The P-61 project is worked on daily by a full-time professional restoration staff. When a completion date comes within a predictable timeframe, it will be promptly posted on this website. |
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