Metal work always fascinated me above all other A&P work... can't leave it alone -
She might have gotten a nice little batch of metal from new stock somewhere, or she might have gotten some random 'scrap' (perhaps new metal left as cuttings from larger sheet) that was big and attractive enough to serve her notions (likely Mantz's, is my guess) of what might be needed along the way.
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Clad material is essentially no different from non-clad material to work with - you'd not notice the difference in drilling in forming. The cladding has a negligible effect on strength or rigidity.
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Engine cooling baffles
Wheel fenders
Fixed trim tabs
Wheel mud scrapers
Cabin heater heat shields
Muffler heat exchangers
APU heat shields
Interesting thought, but those all tend to have some sort of edge 'fastener' present.
Cooling baffles frequently have soft sealing material attached along the free edge, and when not are often shaped fit next into odd places or a curvature; a pure straight edge as we see might not be so common (is not in my experience, but now someone will find a photo...) -
Fenders and the like are typically reinforced; I think the Lockheed had a form of metal beading riveted around the edges (but a close-up would tell for sure). Don't know much about 'scrapers'...
Fixed tabs are a good example, agreed.
Cabin heat shields and heat exchangers could, but usually these are formed into cylindrical sections. Good thought, but we seem to be looking at 'stock' - unless it was from a fairly large article such as a shield or exchanger and cut loose from fastening features, etc.
No APU in the Lockheed other than the 'Armstrong' (it could be hand propped if you were tall enough and had the coconuts to do it...).
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I know the "A D" marks bug a number of folks regarding 'era'; it bugs me a bit, too - I see the point, but still believe 'the line' should be better defined as to when that change occurred before this pursuit could possibly be disqualified, all the nice pictures so far notwithstanding. The problem I have with all the nice pictures, so far, is whether we're really seeing a meaningful sample (and through the howls I'll also say I'm not totally certain of what we're seeing on 2-2-V-1, even though I know what it seems to be).
It probably bugs Ric that this bugs me a bit, but I just see it as one signature detail whose importance is not yet known for certain; it also bugs me that others who are really bugged by this aren't bugged enough to dig deeper for more definitive evidence about that if what we're doing bugs them so badly.
'A D' - bugger.
'night.