Frank, I made a set of them for the convention silent auction two or three years ago....I think a guy from Alaska bought them.....think they went for $30. What a deal ! They were in a small bag, don't think anyone really noticed them.
If we'd known that an ARR-TEISTE like Ed Booth had made them, they'd have gone for much more!
I actually have a spare OEM one I have planned for a local metalsmith to bid on to make a group. (But Ed's solution is all us average guys will ever need.)
You'd think the old Chevys of the 40s people would have some of these but I've been unable to find any.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention. An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
I stopped by F. Atlee Dodge Aircraft Services in Anchorage yesterday to buy some bar stock for a project.
Laying on the front counter were these assist strap attachments fabricated as direct replacements to the originals which were broken. They are made, as Ed Booth described in the preceding post, out of 1/8” stainless bar stock. I would round off the sharp edges where the strap attaches.
Very nice workmanship but I was unable to find the price.
F. Atlee Dodge fabricated assist strap attachments
Richard Pulley
2014-2016 TIC170A Past President
1951 170A, N1715D, s/n 20158, O-300D
2023 Best Original 170A at Sault Ste. Marie
Owned from 1973 to 1984.
Bought again in 2006 after 22 years.
It's not for sale!
Here are the passenger assist strap end fittings that Atlee Dodge made for me. They are made of .125” SAE 304 stainless steel They made a bunch up and if anyone wants one, contact Justin at Atlee Dodge. The fittings have been in a tumbler for a while to knock off the sharp edges.
I am not certain what I am going to do about the strap. My original has a very strong internal rope like cord with a swaged, interlocking metal end fitting that loops over this fitting. Unfortunately I can’t find a replacement anywhere.
I am most likely going to sew a strap of nylon mountainineering webbing. Not at all sure it's kosher with respect to fire resistance. I may use nice sewn leather instead. That would certainly be better in case of fire.
This picture is from another thread on here. Ray and Cathy do a superb job of building hand hold straps. I had them do mine and they put a 2500 lb tensile strength webbing in the middle of the leather. They replicated the flat construction of my original with high quality leather and I love mine.
Just another thought to throw into this mix. If you're looking for a way to make an old ratty cloth covered assist strap look better, try heat-shrink.
I believe 1" will fit over the brackets. Thread a loop of safety wire, or paracord through the screw hole in the end of the bracket, then drop it through the pre-cut length of heat-shrink. Gently pull & work the heat-shrink past the bracket over the strap itself. Shrink using a heat gun, preferably with a heat-shrink adapter. Trim the ends if necessary. Mine were very sad looking, but with this repair, have been in service for 10+ years.
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