The L-P is ready for engine runs and first flight whenever we get some warmer weather. In the meantime, I finished and installed the cockpit combing and made the wheel covers.
As I mentioned in previous posts, all the upholstery was made from a leatherette material used on Ford Model T roofs. It is called cobra-grain and fortunately it is available through car restoration shops.
I had all the original pieces so they could be used as patterns.
I'm blessed to have a talented wife that could sew all this together. Configuring the pieces was critical because unlike leather, this stuff has no stretch. This meant all the curves had to be sewn in.
Here's one of the finished pieces for the front cockpit
Here are some pictures of the final installation. They are laced on with leather lacing cord.
Here are the wheel covers I made. Steps were:
1. Used a bead roller to form the bead
2. I then formed the flange by hammering the metal over the edge of a wood disc.
3. Formed the raised curve on my english wheel.
The left ones are for the inner part of the wheel and those on the right for the outer. They are attached to the wheels with leather lacing through grommets. These will be painted the same red as the rest of the airplane once it gets warmer.
The next post should be the engine run. Let's hope it all goes well!
