Electric Motor Installation - Top Flite F6F Hellcat Instruction Manual

18. Position the tail gear retract cover over the opening,
aligning the seam with the blue and white covering. Tape it
in place. Drill 1/16" [1.5 mm] holes through the cover and the
fuselage at each mark. Remove the cover and enlarge the
holes in the cover only with a 3/32" [ 2.5 mm] drill bit. Attach
the cover to the fuselage with #2 x 3/8" [9.5 mm ] sheet metal
screws and #2 washers. Harden the screw holes with thin
CA glue.
The aircraft maintenance offi cers liked the F6F Hellcat
because it was a simple plane to maintain. It had very
little hydraulic system to break. The plane was based
on Roy Grumman's motto "build it strong, keep it simple
and make it work."

ELECTRIC MOTOR INSTALLATION

If you are powering the F6F Hellcat with a gas engine, skip
ahead to GAS ENGINE INSTALLATION on page 29.
1. The removable battery hatch is secured at the factory
with two #2 x 3/8" [9.5mm] sheet metal screws. Remove the
two screws from inside of the fuselage. Using a sharp knife
blade, locate and carefully cut the battery hatch from the
fuselage. Extra Insignia Blue covering has been provided to
cover the edges of the hatch and the fuselage along the cut.
2. Install the plywood battery tray, aligning the slots and
tabs. Check that the tray is seated on the formers and then
glue it in the fuselage.
3. Glue the plywood battery tray support to the aft end
of the battery tray.
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