P-51C Mustang Landing Gear - Torque Links Continued

The pivot mounts on the lower strut were similar in construction, but I added another strip of thin plastic top and bottom because unlike the mounts on the upper strut, these mounts are tapered. Dirty little buggers. All that means is there was the added step of cutting the tapered and filing it down to the proper shape and thickness.

To attach the mount on the outward side, I filed a flat area into the strut and glued the mount in place with plastic cement. This picture also shows the 7/32” tube covered in tape to protect it from stray file movements. The Oleo piston is always the shiniest part of the landing gear and I didn’t want it to get scratched. When you add this aluminum tube, you have to carefully drill and file a hole into the lower strut. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of this process, but you can see the end result in a few pictures below.

 

The inward side was much more fun (Fun being a very sarcastic, misunderstood word) only because you have to deal with two really small pieces and position them in just the right place so the torque links will move properly. Once I created the piece, I use the torque link assembly to make sure this piece was the right length and in the right position. It took several trial fittings as I filed off little bits at a time, just to make sure I didn’t file too much off and would have to remake the part. After about an hour I was satisfied with it and glued it down. The piece on the opposite side was fitted in a similar manner using a piece of .020” brass rod to help align the part. Also in this picture, you can see the piston tube mounted in the lower strut. On the real Mustang there this portion is indeed hollow, so by making the piston from a tube instead of a solid rod, you get two scale details for the price of one.

 





 



As a final check of the operation, I put everything together and made the first movements. I also checked to make sure the lower strut was perpendicular with the upper strut. The model would look weird if my wheels were pointed outward or inward. Everything has to be straight. On real aircraft with landing gear of this type they would use shims mounted between the torque links. On the model, you can do the same, although they would have to be really thin (I’ll probably use .005” plastic or pieces of paper) or you might have to file down the tube that joins the torque links together. I purposely made them a little long for this reason.

You can tell by the video that the parts worked well and the torque links behave exactly as they should. To make the suspension, there will be a spring installed inside the upper strut as well as a stopping mechanism. On really airplanes the lower strut is held to the upper strut by the torque links or by a stop ring installed inside the strut. Of course with this model, both methods are a little inpractical, but I have devised a way to make a stopping mechanism so the spring doesn't push the lower portion out of the upper. When the time comes to install the landing gear, I will describe this in detail.

But until then, enjoy the tail wheel construction coming up next.