Kevin Gazarian wrote recently and commented that not everybody has giant hangars full of antique airplanes, how about some coverage of the smaller spaces as well? Kevin was kind enough to tell us about his project, a PA-12 that he's restoring in his garage.
I am working on a ’47 PA-12. The wings are signed off and ready to cover now. They are sitting in a cradle in my hangar at the Reedley Airport (O32) in Reedley, CA. A lot of guys put flaps on but mine are stock. The airframe is in my garage now. I am in the process of pre-cover assembly. The frame is almost ready to go to the hangar so I can hang the wings and run cables, etc. I am currently waiting for a new instrument panel then will move into the wiring phase.
I have a few mods on the airframe. The biggest one is the extended baggage compartment. To carry some baggage and passage together on a visit, the extended baggage would enable me to take a box or two with me. To do this, I had to install a PA-14 Cathedral brace and PA18 elevator control routing. I didn’t want an external baggage door so I installed the back seat on a piano hinge so it can be folded down to load bags. I didn’t want to throw bags over the rear seat cross bar so I installed a removeable rear brace.
I also wanted shoulder harness so I installed an overhead bar with the short tubes for the harness. The two weak spots on a PA-12 are the trim and the fuel system. I installed a PA-18 trim system so it will not slip anymore and installed a fuel valve that will let me run Left/Right/Both/Off. The original -12’s had an O235 and were underpowered. I am planning on an O320. This will mean that I will have to install Supercub tailfeathers. It gets very hot here in Central CA in the summer and I wanted some good performance.
I think this is pretty much about it. It will be painted in all stock colors, with a stock panel, etc. I know that there are some purists out there that will think I am nuts but if these are done properly and tastefully, it will look OK and be like something that came out of the factory.
