Haha thank you everyone! It did take a bit of time but I think it paid off. The cosmoline came off with a real stiff wire brush...it flaked and went airborne and I had to cover my face after a while because of how bad my eyes started burning..haha. I also used smaller brushes on all of the little rings and clamps on the hoses and what not, which made a big difference.
About the airplane body, no I don't have my pilot's license. My father has been a private pilot since he was around 17, and that is the fuselage to his 1947 Stinson 108-3. He has been slowly, slowly restoring it since 1996 due to rust on the under belly, and flies a 1946 Aeronca Chief as his "daily," haha. Here are some pictures of them both:
Aeronca Chief:
Stinson 108-3 (when it was flying):
@ Johnboy - It was just a very tough wire brush for the large parts, and a smaller circular brush for the smaller parts. The intake manifold was a LOT harder to get shiny then the oil cover. I used a aluminum cleaner/polish on all of the parts I worked on, and that seems to preserve the luster pretty well. I'll go out into the garage and take a picture of all of the things used for you.
@ acevedo - I'm not 100% sure what you are talking about. Maybe if you circle it in one of my pictures, or take a picture of your own I could help more.
Thanks again everyone for looking and commenting. It's great seeing the reactions after putting solid work into it.
