Glacier Girl

[Krusty]

She was rebuilt rivet by rivet. So no.

[Masherbrum]

Does the Glacier Girl have it's original engines?

She was rebuilt rivet by rivet. So no.

Glacier Girl has her ORIGINAL ENGINES that were overhauled by JRS Engines.   Around 1/2 of the parts in the engines, were in the original engines.  Only one propeller blade was NOT used, the rest are ORIGINAL.   One of the original blades on the aircraft was bent during extraction, but was repaired and it cannot be distinguished from the others. 

So yes Sector950, they are the Original engines.     

[CAP1]

Glacier Girl has her ORIGINAL ENGINES that were overhauled by JRS Engines.   Around 1/2 of the parts in the engines, were in the original engines.  Only one propeller blade was NOT used, the rest are ORIGINAL.   One of the original blades on the aircraft was bent during extraction, but was repaired and it cannot be distinguished from the others. 

So yes Sector950, they are the Original engines.     

i believe that glacier girl is considered to be the most extensive, and accurate resto. of a p38.

i've not yet had the pleasure of seeing a p38 in flight for real..only videos.

[Golfer]

Most Extensive?  Yes. Most Expensive?  Without a doubt.  Accurate?  No.

[Guppy35]

Most Extensive?  Yes. Most Expensive?  Without a doubt.  Accurate?  No.

Explain in regards to what's inaccurate? 

The original engines were used.  I do believe that at least one was replaced when they attempted to cross the Altlantic to England the first time.

[thndregg]

Glacier Girl has her ORIGINAL ENGINES that were overhauled by JRS Engines.   Around 1/2 of the parts in the engines, were in the original engines.  Only one propeller blade was NOT used, the rest are ORIGINAL.   One of the original blades on the aircraft was bent during extraction, but was repaired and it cannot be distinguished from the others. 

So yes Sector950, they are the Original engines.     

I heard likewise from the project director as he gave a slide presentation at the Warhawk Museum here a couple years ago followed by a demonstration flight of the "23 Skidoo" P38 along side a P51, a P40, and a T28 Trojan.

[Golfer]

I don't mean original engines and what not.  When it comes to consumables or life limited items on the airplane as long as the part numbers are right it's original as far as I'm concerned.  There are things you simply cannot do using original parts if you want to make the airplane flyable and safe by todays standards.

My meaning is in regards to other components on the airframe.  There are others here who can go into greater engineering detail than I could ever hope to fathom.  That said...

"It sure is purdy."

[Guppy35]

I don't mean original engines and what not.  When it comes to consumables or life limited items on the airplane as long as the part numbers are right it's original as far as I'm concerned.  There are things you simply cannot do using original parts if you want to make the airplane flyable and safe by todays standards.

My meaning is in regards to other components on the airframe.  There are others here who can go into greater engineering detail than I could ever hope to fathom.  That said...

"It sure is purdy."

Any working warbird is going to have new build metal in it and certainly things done for safety as required by current FAA standards etc.  I took your comment to mean it was inaccurate in how it was rebuilt.  That I don't agree with.  In terms of flying 38s it's as close as you can get to a time capsule.  I'm confident that will change in the next few years as a couple of other 38s rejoin the flyers.

One of the nice things in the warbird world is more owners are spending the bucks to take them back to wartime stock.  Paul Allen's collections is a great example of this, and any of the Mustangs that have come out of Midwest Restorations starting with Lil Margaret also fit the bill.

As for original warbirds flying, MH434 up until her rebuild a few years back was probably towards the top of the list.

[Masherbrum]

It's a shame when questions are asked, the appropriate answers are given.    But people still feel the need to throw feces on an otherwise informative post.   

[Krusty]

In the Glacier Girl documentary that has been around forever, they explain how they found metal shavings in the oil of the restored engines (at least one) and didn't feel safe flying with it, so swapped it/them out.

The allison engine is easily atainable. It's not like it's a DB601 or anything (rare). Makes far more sense to put a newer certified and reliable engine into it for safety's sake.

[Masherbrum]

You are wrong Krusty.   They used the Original Engines like I stated before.   Bill Moja (no longer with them) of JRS Engines of Minneapolis did the "rebuild" on both (IIRC, he left and started up Cascade Engine Services, WA).   Bodhi would more than likely, know him or of him.   He is one of the best Warbird Engine rebuilders in the World, if not, the best.   

Call them yourself and ask them if the Original Engines were used. 

Any thorough write up I've ever read stated they used the Original Engines with a little over 40% of the parts being reused.    Grab a Warbirds Digest, Issue 9. 


So again, the questions have been promptly answered correctly (by myself and Guppy) for the people who asked them.    Every post of yours in this thread again shows the Community how little you really know.    What you do is more or less hijacking.   

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

The original engines were rebuilt and re installed. After Steve took her up the first time, they found metal in the oil of one engine, it was determined that a bearing failed. That one engine was removed, and sent back to be repaired, again. A new crankshaft was installed, some rods were reconditioned, and the original engine, with some new parts was re installed, a second time. That, Krusty, is FACT, I talked to both Bob Cardin and Steve Hinton at Middlesboro more than once, standing next to the plane in the hangar, and next to the original crankshaft, in the display case.

Those two engines remained installed in the plane until they had engine trouble on the recent attempt to fly the Bolero Mission. Both engines were replaced then, and only then (according to reports I read, both engines were finally replaced with new engines flown in to where the plane was when the failure caused the trip to be cancelled). They had been in the plane since the first year it flew after being restored, and seen very little  mercy. I've personally seen Steve put the plane through her paces 2-3 days in a row, for an hour or more at a time, and getting all she had in her in the process, and see it several times over the years. The engines were due for an overhaul, in terms of use and abuse, if not in hours. I've stood next to that plane talking with the guys after a show while it crackled and popped as it cooled for over an hour. I wish she had not been sold, as I no longer have regular and easy access to the plane and the guys. It was once a short 4 hour or less drive from home. I had the pleasure of spending time with Steve, Bob, and Mr. Roy several times.

By the way, it was a "new in the crate" surplus Allison that had a problem when Lefty's son had to put "White Lightin" down in a cotton field. I've been into a few Allison engines myself. They are no longer so "easily attainable". Mostly because guys like me were working on them in pulling tractors, and a lot of them were used up in Unlimited Hydroplane racing. There are not too many sitting around to be had, and those that are, especially if new, are bringing $250K and up from what I'm hearing. Gone are the days of the $5K Allison in a crate.

[CAP1]

i believe that there are 27 or so of them lined up in the maintenance hangar off to the side of the b24 down at fantasy of flight. i think there's a single rr merlin there too. it's been a year or so since i've been down there though.

and thanks for the informative post!