MONTY THE ANSWER MAN ARCHIVE
PAINTING A SWIFT...
ORIGINAL INTERIOR COLORS... (020100)
Subject: Globe Swift Interior Paint
To: Bossolar@stihl.de
Jim,
I am in the process of redoing the interior paint of my Globe Swift Sn#1265
and want to be as original as possible. I know the hat shell is a lighter
blue as indicated in our Swift Hints and Information book but I'm not
sure where it breaks to the dark Swift blue. I assume the two cross supports
are the lighter blue. What color should the seat back, the trim crank
bracket and the large rollover support which the hatch latch is secured
to be? Also, I have ordered the two aluminum trim pieces for the shelf
from Joe at Swift Parts but I didn't find any holes from a previous installation
but was please to find the original data plate under some old upholstery
and glue. Did all Globes have this trim installed. Any help would be appreciated.
-- Ray Bossola
Ray:
I presume you mean turnover structure, yes, it's the lighter blue. The
seat back should be the dark blue. (The trim crank bracket and the large
rollover support) are light blue. N3272K was a "Deluxe" Swift, and I think
those trim pieces should be installed. I can get over to the airport in
a day or two and look at Mark Holliday's N80966 (s/n 1159) I will write
you back later. These answers are from memory. If you want a real expert
answer write Mark Holliday - MarkH85@aol.com. -- Jim
PREPPING ALUMINUM FOR PAINT... (070200)
From: Anton Venter <aviator185@hotmail.com>
Could you please advise on cleaning up the skin surfaces and preparation
toward priming. The fuselage has a layer of old paint on it, but the wings
are bare metal. I stripped a small piece of paint on the rear end and
saw what looked like a dark grey/black-greenish tarnish in the skin. This
wears through into bright silver aluminum. Is this normal? What do I do
about deep scratches on the skin surface?
Anton,
I would presume that the aluminum is coated with zinc chromate primer.
Paint stripper may remove it. If the stripper removes the paint but not
the primer, the primer is a lacquer primer and can be removed with ketone
or acetone. What you describe is normal. Deep scratches are a judgment
call, most of them can be filled with primer/surfacer and body filler.
-- Jim
BALANCING ACT... (070300)
Subj: control surface balancing
From: Michelle Dolin <swiftgal@hotmail.com>
Hi Jim,
We have recently stripped the paint off the control surfaces (elevators
& ailerons), in preparation for new paint. What we want to know is,
how much will the paint affect the balancing? What process if any, will
we have to follow to keep in balance. Thanks -- Michelle
Michelle,
The rudder is not balanced and has not appeared sensitive to application
of paint. (Note: the book figure for rudder cable tension is 70 lb.) The
elevators are partially balanced, perhaps 75%, (I never really determined
exactly) and they do not appear to have any flutter problems. The ailerons
are balanced 100% and I would caution you not to add an appreciable amount
of weight with the application of paint, although the Swift in general
seems resistant to flutter. -- Jim
KRYLON OVERHAUL... (080300)
Subj: Trim Paint
From: Richard Aaron <raaron@pica.army.mil>
Monty, I understand that at one time Swift Parts had the original blue
and red trim paint in spray cans, but that these are no longer available.
Would you know of any spray can (or other) paint that would be a close
match, such as a particular auto color, Rust-O-leum or Krylon? I only
have to touch-up some small spots. Joe had told me that the original colors
were Washington Blue and Chinese Red.
Dick,
Sorry, I don't know the exact answer to that. I would find a store that
has those colors and try them. Washington Blue was a color used by Ford
for many years. -- Jim
FACTORY PAINTED SWIFTS... (050301)
From: Rocky Rutter <gc1bflyr@yahoo.com>
Subject: Factory Painted Swifts - N3820K was RED
A minor correction. Although the story persists that only one Swift left
the factory painted, there were at least two. The original factory records
for N3820K are archived in Athens. When I pulled them & looked at
the original equipment list it shows "Paint - Red 15 lbs." I
believe it was Mark Holiday who commented at the time that 15 pounds of
paint will cover a Swift. There are a few concealed places where the original
red can be seen. N3820K was originally Globe serial number 1513 and there
is a Globe data plate in the belly with that number. After Temco acquired
the Globe assets, the Serial number was changed to Temco 3509 and the
plane delivered to California in early 1948. I have often wondered if
the paint was applied to conceal skin blemished by sitting outside as
an orphan. How ironic that so many Swifts were painted, yet one of the
rare painted ones has been stripped & polished. -- Rocky Rutter
Rocky,
The operative word in the phrase "the only painted Globe Swift"
is GLOBE. N3820K is a Temco. (even if Globe started building it!) N3820K
was in the batch that were underway when Globe went under. Many of that
series have a Globe data plate and serial number and also a Temco data
plate and serial number. N3820K would have been Globe s/n 1513, but was
sold as Temco s/n 3509. -- Monty
PAINTING YOUR SWIFT...(120301)
Subj: How Much ???
From: Pete King <peetking@earthlink.net>
How much weight is gained by painting a Swift -- The Swift -- not me !
Regards, Pete King
Pete
It depends on how much you put on! The old Dulux paint jobs only added
15 - 20 lb. I have an old Temco Weight & Balance sheet here somewhere,
I think it says 15 lb. Today's fancy Imron and other epoxy paints can
add up. If the paint weighs 8 lb. a gallon and you use 10 gallons, that
is 80 lb. before you allow for overspray and evaporation of solvents.
I checked the Poly-Fiber manual and they say the dope on a Cub weighs
45-75 lb. I have never weighed a Swift "before" and "after"
a paint job, but it might be interesting! -- Jim
PAINT STRIPPER EXPERIENCES...(050202)
From: Paul Smith <smithpae@yahoo.com>
Subject: paint remover
Dear fellow Swifters,
This is a letter detailing my experience with stripping the 5 coats of
pain of my newly acquired Swift 1171. It concludes with a recommendation
and information on obtaining the product. I started with a heavy duty
metal pain stripper recommended by my local FBO. I applied it, let is
soak, and hosed it off with a 4,500 PSI hot water pressure washer. For
the areas of the plane with only one coat on it, it came off very easily.
However, the underside of the plane had a total of 5 coats, Baby blue
on top, white under that, dark green under that, grey primer under that,
and yellow chromate on the bottom. On one wing there was the added coat
from the old large numbers. Removing these layers from one flap took 4
applications and much scotch brite scrubbing, with corners and rivets
still imbued with a variety of remaining pain colors. After a total of
20 hours on one half of one wing, I decided that something else had to
be done. I decided to go searching for some Removall. This is amazing
stuff. It must be applied properly, but does the job. It took a total
of two coats and about 4 hours to do the entire other wing, the remaining
half of the first wing, and all the belly plates.
Details I have learned the hard way.
1. It must be applied with an airless sprayer and low pressure setting.
2. They recommend a 0.019 to 0.025 " nozzle I suggest the largest.
The reason for this is that water inactivates this material, and any water
in the system will make the constituent parts clump like curdled milk,
causing nozzle obstruction.
3. Wait, then wait some more. This stuff keeps working a long time.
4. thoroughly clean the sprayer with hot water after use. Make sure
that you have allowed everything in the sprayer to dry before beginning
a new coat.
5. Use gloves and wear goggles. While it is not particularly toxic, it
does release peroxide which is very irritating to the eyes, and it is
very acidic, which will dry and crack your skin.
6. Stubborn spots clean up well with scotch brite and the remover.
NOTE: this is extremely slippery, oily stuff. Walking around it, even
trying to get the nozzle off to clean it out when it gets plugged brings
up the analogy of a greased pig.
Removall comes from Napier ltd in Canada in Delta, BC. 604.526-0802 <www.napierintl.com>.
The importer is in Florida and the rep is Arthur Bragg 205-266-7365 It
costs $ 112.50 for 5 gallons of removall. It is NOT a hazardouse material
and requires no special care in use, as it becomes harmless after
exposure to water. Good luck! Paul Smith
COLOR ME BLUE... (JUNE 03)
Subj: Swift Paint
From: Dave Jewell <jewell.jewell@verizon.net>
Monty,
Can you give me a reference number or color number for the blue exterior
paint for the top of the cowl & the striping? I'm doing a factory
original paint for my 1948 Swift. By the way, I really like my Sensenich
prop! It performs well, and I don't have to mess with weights on the Aeromatic
anymore. Thanks, Dave Jewell 1948J
Dave
What we've been using is PPG D-10701. The newer paint chips are brighter
than the old 1948 colors. If you want to be more accurate in the color
you might want to add a little black to get the blue a little darker.
We used to use a commercial blue -- same as the 1948 GM trucks. I have
the D-10701 on my Swift and it might be a little brighter than the true
1948 color but I think it looks great. I just put a new Sensenich on my
Swift too -- but I haven't had a chance to fly it yet. I put on a 74DR-1-62.
-- Jim
TRUE BLUE... (JULY 03)
Subj: Paint
From: Harry Fenton <Harry.Fenton@unison.ae.ge.com>
Hi Jim, Today's question: I was looking at the paint on the Swift and
it looks to me like the blue tint on mine looks suspiciously close to
Insignia Blue. I'm basing this upon the premise that the numbers on the
bottom of the wing have never been repainted and matching to other faded
samples I have of the Insignia Blue color. I've seen a couple of DuPont
p/n's thrown around, but I want to be exact, and document how I selected
the color. I'm wondering, that given that many former warplane designers
and production people were involved with Swift production, and the proximity
to the end of the war, if it is possible that a stock, AN color spec like
Insignia Blue was used. A related question- I have seen references to
instrument panel blue. Is this a different color than the trim? Many of
the original looking Swifts appear to have the instrument panel painted
the same color as the plane trim colors. I've been e-mailing you directly-
should I be posting my questions at the Yahoo site? I don't see much activity
there and you seem to have pretty quick answers. I just want to make sure
that whatever new info I might gather gets shared with the Swift group.
I see that a couple of our discussions have been in the GTS update. Thanks,
Harry
Harry
Try rubbing out & color matching the instrument panel. That is the
true color for both the panel and the external trim. We used to use a
commercial blue which was the same as the 1948 Chevy trucks. Lately we've
been using PPG D-10701 which may be a little brighter than what was used
in 1948. To get a true match you might want to put in a little black to
tone it down a little. I have the D-10701 on my Swift which I think looks
great, even if it might be brighter than the 1948 color. The insignia
blue might not be too far off either. The Globe Swifts were a little darker
shade than the Temcos. I think email sent to me directly is best. I try
to check the Yahoo site every few days but since Yahoo screwed up that
site there has not been much action there. I even thought about deleting
the whole site but several guys asked me not to do that. -- Jim
PS Remember I said the Globes were a darker shade of blue? I just remembered
something. Your plane was first flown in Dec. 1947 but it was probably
made a year earlier as a Globe Swift, by Temco. The 78xxx series of airplanes
were built under subcontract by Temco. After the Globe bankruptcy, many
sat around for months before being sold. It may have been painted the
Globe shade of blue.
ORIGINAL COLORS... (SEPT 03)
Subj: Panel Paint Color
From: Dorothy Golding <dotgoldswift@mail.ev1.net>
Hi Monty; Duane would like to know what kind of paint and what color the
original panel was painted? Thanks Dorothy
Dot
Globe orTemco? The Globe stripe and panel were PPG DAR 10403. The hat
shelf was PPG DAR 3004 Neptune Blue. Years ago the chip for PPG DAR 10701
matched the Temco blue exactly, now the color seems brighter. To match
the old color exactly may require a little black added. I have the 10701
on my Swift and altho it may a little brighter than 1950 I think it looks
better! I was told the Temco factory used a commercial blue, same as the
1948 GM trucks. We also have used Union Oil Blue in the past. The 2000
s/n's used the Globe blue as far as I know, but the later ones may have
been repainted by Temco. Your guess is good as mine as to what they may
have used. -- Jim
NEW PAINT JOB QUESTIONS...(MAR 04)
From: "James Cummiskey" <jccummis@yahoo.com>
Subject: Paint Recommendations & Swift Logo Nose Art and Trim Specifics
After my encounters with heavy rain and ice in Canada, my old paint job
on N3800K isn't quite what it used to be. Hence, I have decided to get
a new paint job that is close as possible to the original, and I have
several questions:
* Does anyone have any experience with using PPG Aerospace Desothane CA8000Z
buffable paint? I am thinking about going with the IM902 Titanium as the
topcoat. How closely will this approximate the polished aluminum look
of the original Swift (without all the hassle of polishing in the ocean
air of Southern California)? Since I have a fiberglass cowling on my IO-360,
painting the entire aircraft will also help preserve the look of the original
color scheme of the aircraft.
* Which specific Swift Logo nose art was used originally on my 1946 GC-1B
airplane (Serial #1493)? Does anyone have any high quality samples of
this art I can use to replicate the original look? What were the dimensions
of both the nose art and the accent striping?
* Can anyone confirm the modern color numbers for the colors in the original
logo, accent stripes and the N-numbers?
* What are the dimensions of the original N-numbers on the top of the
right wing and bottom of the left wing? Can anyone confirm the 18"
high figure mentioned in Monty's FAQ (and also tell me the width)? Can
anyone confirm that this positioning of the numbers on the wings will
satisfy U.S. Customs' requirements (as opposed to the typical location
on the sides of the fuselage)?
* What were the dimensions of the small N-numbers on the tail?
* I am thinking about changing my N-number from its current "N3800K"
to its original "NC3800K." Do I need to do any paperwork with
the Feds to re-register the plane with this new number?
Any advice anyone can offer for my first Swift paint job will be greatly
appreciated! Thanks!
Regards, Jim Cummiskey N3800K jccummis@yahoo.com
Jim -
You can paint "NC" on the airplane - nothing further required.
See FAR 45 for detail on this. Read FAR Part 45 (45.29) re: the size of
markings. The tail numbers can be 2" high per FAR 45.22 (b) (1) but
you may not operate in an ADIZ or DEWIZ or in a foreign country unless
that country consents to that operation. I don't know if Canada permits
the small numbers or not. Last month Denis had N77751 pictured on the
web site, that airplane (s/n 3523) should have the same trim as yours.
Denis may have the picture or it is on the web somewhere. Other than the
picture, I don't know of where to get more detail but that should work
pretty well. Years ago the chip for PPG DAR 10701 matched the Temco blue
exactly, now the color seems brighter. To match the old color exactly
may require a little black added. I have the 10701 on my Swift and altho
it may a little brighter than 1950 I think it looks better! I was told
the Temco factory used a commercial blue, same as the 1948 GM trucks.
We also have used Union Oil Blue in the past.
SWIFT COLORS...(APRIL 04)
Subj: Swift colors
From: Travis Foss <uster4@earthlink.net>
Hi Jim,
I am currently restoring Swift NC80529 and am starting to think about
painting. Some time back I remember seeing an article, possibly written
by you, in regards to original Globe Swift Blue both interior and exterior.
The article included a paint/part number and a source. Could you please
help me find this info? Thank you, Travis Foss
Travis
The Globe stripe and panel were PPG DAR 10403 The hat shelf was PPG DAR
3004 Neptune Blue. I am glad to hear you are restoring N80529. -- Jim
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