Heavens Eagle
Well-known member
Interesting! learn something new every day!
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Tom Kat
- Thread starter Big10
- Start date
Never seen braces like this and I was a bomb loader. Why did they take the originals off the racks?
Dang man, learn something new every day.
Dang man, learn something new every day.
Big10
Well-known member
What do you mean by originals?
The bomb rack on a P51, and any over bomb rack would have sway braces attached to them. They are removable.
This is for a P51K but I'm sure it's the same for all late models.
Avialogs: Aviation Library - TO 60JE-22 Replacement of bomb rack sway Braces - P-51D and P-51K
{phocadownload view=file|id=3951|text=Download PDF}
https://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2005/12/images/walkaround_p51_b_231.jpgBeen thinking about this. Those are the bigger P38 tanks, 110 gal I think? Maybe the original sway braces were too short and didn't give the stability needed. Or the geometry wasn't right for them to even fit the curvature of the tank.
Now i'm searching this I'm seeing more images with wooden sway braces. Nice find John!
Big10
Well-known member
Gotcha, yes, they were definitely bigger than the other two drop tanks. They still had those two braces but were of a different design.The bomb rack on a P51, and any over bomb rack would have sway braces attached to them. They are removable.
This is for a P51K but I'm sure it's the same for all late models.
Here's a good shot of them from IPMS StockholmAvialogs: Aviation Library - TO 60JE-22 Replacement of bomb rack sway Braces - P-51D and P-51K
{phocadownload view=file|id=3951|text=Download PDF}www.avialogs.com
Been thinking about this. Those are the bigger P38 tanks, 110 gal I think? Maybe the original sway braces were too short and didn't give the stability needed. Or the geometry wasn't right for them to even fit the curvature of the tank.
Now i'm searching this I'm seeing more images with wooden sway braces. Nice find John!
Outstanding! 
Heavens Eagle
Well-known member
jeaton01
Well-known member
The first two pictures above show the 165 gallon P-38 tanks. The third one might be a Firestone made 110 gallon metal tank that looks very much like what is on your model. Notice the weld seam is in the vertical plane on the Lockheed tank while the Firestone seam is in the horizontal plane as was the 75 gallon tank. The sway braces for the 75 gallon tanks most likely were a poor fit to the 110 gallon tanks. The 110 gallon tanks referenced by the TO posted are most likely the paper ETO tanks which were not used in the Pacific if what I have found is factual. They were close to the same diameter as the 75 gallon tank.
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Big10
Well-known member
Yea, the only reason I threw in the first 2 pictures were for the clarity of the wooden anti-sway brace. Great pics by the way
Thanks JohnE, you look at the mounting lugs and see how almost flat the area is around it. I'm thinking again the sway braces just don't have the angle to support these big fuel tanks.
Really neat, never have seen or heard of this. Outstanding build John.
Really neat, never have seen or heard of this. Outstanding build John.
centaur567
Well-known member
Very Nice !! Gary S. XLV MMXXIV
Out freakin' Standing!
