P-40 Parts part 2 by Dan Collier

P-40 Parts - part 2
by Dan Collier

Here are some photos of a typical P-40 gunsight. There were other gunsights used as well on the P-40,
but this setup was pretty standard on U.S. P-40's. This particular instrument panel is from a Canadian Lend-Lease P-40, and so the gunsight is a British 1088, modeled closely after the U.S. N-3A single electric lead, (as opposed to the N-3B double leads.. This 1088 was made in New York City for the Lend-Lease British Commonwealth nations.

The small mirror just ahead of the crash pad was used on the early gunsights as a periscope, when coupled with a corresponding mirror mounted on the top windshield frame. This gave the pilot a few degrees visibility over the nose of the plane..

This gunsight is missing the green sunscreen and plastic rails that the suncreen rode on to elevate itself over the clear reflector glass during a bright day. The sunscreen was activated by a lever on the left side of the gunsight mounting yoke.

This photo is of a generic A-1 bombing head. This gunsight sighting head doubled as a bombsight because the reflector glass angle could be adjusted from guns to computing the trajectory of a falling bomb. In addition to P-40's, This A-1 bombing head/gunsight was also used on early P-51's, early P-47's, P-39's, as well as B-25's and other light bombers. Used mainly with the N-3B gunsight body, according to my observations.

Here is a P-40N wing tank gage. These gages were mounted on the cockpit floors, which was the top of the wings, and it had a 10-inch stem that extended down into the wing fuel gage and it had a float that would ride in the tube and through mechanical means, make sense of the reading on the face of this fuel gage. Although this one is from a P-40N, other P-40 models had these as well. The difference between P-40 models would be the numbers on the face of the gage.

Here is a mounting plate for an artificial horizon in P-40D, E, and F models. maybe other models as well. I don't know.

Originally they were made of a plastic, or bakelite material. With the use of my Curtiss technical drawings, and some photos of an original mounting plate, (Thanks to Mr.Charles Darby of New Zealand) I was able to make a prototype out of aluminum, and then take imprints off it to make a mold to make a plastic one for my display panel. The aluminum sample was not too difficult to make, and I'd have no problems with using it on a real aircraft (maybe someday).. I made it up in my hangar using a piece of 1/4-inch aluminum plate, a piece of 3/8 aluminum plate, a fly cutter a drill press, an aluminum file, a welder, a 90-degree metal block, emery paper, and lots of love. The aluminum sample was a good prototype to make the plastic mold from.

This intricate trim wheel for the rudder and elevator was used in all P-40 models.. A neat and affective design, why change it??

This nifty little notched quad was used with the manual operating lever for the P-40 cowl flaps, or shutters. The pilot could drop the spring-loaded peg in the handle into any one of these notches to open the cowl flaps to a variety of settings.

Here's a P-40 tailwheel and related parts.

Collecting parts at this rate, I should have my own P-40 in about 250 years!