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[Ric Gillespie]

What continues the connection located between tubes, where the flap actuator brackets and cover are located?

As you can see from the photo below, the heater duct runs under the flap actuator covers.

As far as the piece of wood, I wonder why it would be necessary to use it to mount a dado atop, as there are already two multi-ply sheets of wood to attach it too.

So that you can remove the heat shields without removing the whole floor panel.

[Jerry Germann]

I believe the flap actuator covers allow for the bulk and curvature of the fabric cover part of the duct and conceals those material ends .....It appears that the fabric cover stops at the actuator bracket point, however; an inside pipe ( or duct) continues on through the bracket to make a complete run , fore and aft along the cabin walls. These are just my thoughts and observations working with limited images,and very subject to change.

I see your point about the Dado and how it may have been fastened to a strip of wood to allow it's ease of removal or installation. Are there any larger holes in the bottom of the dado edge, or holes that indicate a spinning fastener that would indicate a few attaching screws were placed at the ends or staggered along the length of the dado?

[Ric Gillespie]

I see your point about the Dado and how it may have been fastened to a strip of wood to allow it's ease of removal or installation. Are there any larger holes in the bottom of the dado edge, or holes that indicate a spinning fastener that would indicate a few attaching screws were placed at the ends or staggered along the length of the dado?

Whatever they are, they're not dados.  The are no large holes in the right-angle flange where the structure was attached to some surface.  The holes are uniform in size and appear to be nail holes, not rivet holes, so the surface to which it was attached apparently wood.
Look at the drawings and photos in https://tighar.org/Publications/TTracks/2004Vol_20/undados.pdf and https://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/Archives/Research/Bulletins/51_HeatShields/51_DetectiveStory.html

The heat shields would be permanently nailed to the wooden strips.  The wooden strips may have had some kind of removable fastener that permitted them to be easily dismounted from the flooring.

[Jerry Germann]

Ah yes,pardon....Had dados on my mind.... meant heat shields.

Would really like to get a better look at what the object next to the last tank is. It may be a play on eyes, but does the shadow near the bottom of the tank look darker and a slight line above the darkest at about the height a heat shield would be?

The darker shadow near the tank bottom is more noticeable in https://tighar.org/Publications/TTracks/2004Vol_20/undados.pdf   however; I couldn't copy that image.

[Ric Gillespie]

Would really like to get a better look at what the object next to the last tank is. It may be a play on eyes, but does the shadow near the bottom of the tank look darker and a slight line above the darkest at about the height a heat shield would be?

This is the best I can do.  There's something there.

[Jerry Germann]

Anyone here expert in understanding shadows cast from flash photography? From my layman's perspective,...if an object such as a heat shield or other panel were placed next to the tank, and a photo was captured at the angle we see, my best explanation for why the lower portion of the shadow looks a bit elongated on the lower aft end nearest the actuator cover, and appears darker at the bottom with a seemingly straight looking break line ,is because the light from the flash had a smaller channel ( from panel to fuselage, than from tank to fuselage), in which to reflect ,and the panel being closer to the fuselage wall than the tank itself, it created a bit of an elongated shadow near the bottom.....but, that is no expert opinion, just guessing, I could be totally wrong.
As far as what appears to be a break line , between dark shadow and darker shadow, I don't know if one could determine the panel height using it's position on the fuselage wall, it may be taller/shorter than actual, due to the angle of capture....Only the shadow knows.

[Ric Gillespie]

As far as what appears to be a break line , between dark shadow and darker shadow, I don't know if one could determine the panel height using it's position on the fuselage wall, it may be taller/shorter than actual, due to the angle of capture....Only the shadow knows.

This is interesting.  Great observation Jerry. There is definitely a "bump" (what you call a "notch" or "break") in the shadow.  Something caused it and it seems like it must be the thing, whatever it is, that is just visible between the tank and the heater duct.  Determining the height of the "bump" is going to be really tricky but should be possible by getting the height of the heater duct from the engineering drawings.  I measured the height of the artifact from the top edge to the bottom of the right-angle flange where it was nailed to a wooden surface.  It's exactly 6.5 inches.  How tall is that strip of wood?  Maybe an inch?  Is that bump in the shadow the right height off the floor allowing for distortion caused by the angle of the light that is causing the shadow?  This is really getting down in the weeds.

[Greg Daspit]

As far as what appears to be a break line , between dark shadow and darker shadow, I don't know if one could determine the panel height using it's position on the fuselage wall, it may be taller/shorter than actual, due to the angle of capture....Only the shadow knows.

This variation of the shadow could be a wrinkle in the fabric cabin liner. I see what appears to be a lot of creases or wrinkles in the fabric cabin liner in the overall picture. They seem to occur more often where the cabin roof curves.

[Ricker H Jones]

I'm wondering if the purpose of the "heat shields" might be to deflect forced air from any heat duct outlets to go up toward the cabin space, and away from the space beneath the tanks, where it could, over a period of time, warm the fuel, and prevent the occupied space from being heated.