Here is the September 06 report on the rebuild of BL628 the Spitfire V.

Parts starting to go back together with other overhauls finally being completed.

The fuel tanks are now complete. The final end wall of the top tank has been riveted into place and all the inspection panels have had sealing gaskets cut and the plates screwed up with PRC sealant. We will carry out the final pressure test after giving the sealant time to fully cure. We have tested the performance of the submersed fuel pump by mounting it in a 20 ltr container and running it on the bench. It performs to the specifications with no leaks. This is a brand new pump. The pump has been installed in the lower tank with new gaskets and the shut off valve and manifold assemblies have also been fitted at this time.

Work has continued around the firewall area with a number of fittings and brackets being fabricated. These include the main oil filter mounting bracket, the pneumatic regulator mount, the boost line fuel separator mount and the vacuum pressure regulator mount. Work has been on going on the numerous clamps and fittings for the bearer assembly itself and these are now mostly on hand ready for fitting to the mount. The mount itself is coming together and we are starting to complete some of the tubing elements. The main attach pins are now complete as are the lower tube ends.

The main gear legs are now complete and have been fully tested and await final paint. The main gear retract rams, and the tail wheel oleo have also been completed and these too have been tested and finally painted. The flap cylinders and the flap retract spring units have also been completed and painted.

Work progresses on the right wing tip. All the components have been fabricated now, assembly has continued with the installation of the nav. light assembly. The edges have been trimmed to final size and all that remains to complete the unit is the installation of the wood screws and riveting the trailing edge and main bulkhead.

Work has begun on the radiator housing construction. A partial kitset of parts came with the project and we have fabricated all of the missing components and are in the process of assembling the parts on the wing. This will confirm the layout and allow us to finally assemble. Virtually no parts existed for the outlet flap, and we have built these and are ready to rivet this up.

The pneumatic bottles have been fitted to the fuselage following the refurbishment of the mounting hardware and attachment straps for the assembly. Allied to this has been the fabrication of the oxygen bottle mounting assembly. New clamping straps and tensioners have been fabricated. We have also fabricated a new rear cowl attach flange.

The following parts have been fabricated:

Two special bolts for aileron hinges.

Pilots head armour mounting studs and knurled nuts.

Turn barrels for battery clamp assemblies.

Seat latch pins and handles.

HF antenna mount isolators.

Voltage regulator mount bracket and spacers.

Undercarriage uplock brackets and cable guide rollers.

Elevator bellcrank brace tubes.

Numerous cockpit components are now coming together and some have been installed in the cockpit whilst others are still in the assembly stage. These include:

Rudder pedals and adjusters

Throttle quadrant

Fuselage mounted ident light

Fuel selector assembly

Landing gear selector

Instrument panel

Gun camera footage indicator

De-ice pump and tank

Radio rack

Work has also continued on the flap installation with the setting up and assembly of the main flap operating arms and the fabrication of one arm clearance door. Both the door assemblies have been installed. We have also begun fabricated of the main gear pintel covers.

The battery has arrived and we can now completing the securing assembly and rack.