F-105 , 450 gallon drop tank

[+ravenclaw_007 7,649]

i´m trying to make new F-105 450 gallon drop tank but i can not find any info on the length or diameter of this tank , if anybody has some info on this dimensions please let me know

[+Coupi 4,413]

Here ? There are plenty of information about the F-105... about its equipment !

This is difficult to find the right size of these tanks !

http://www.avialogs.com/index.php/en/aircraft/usa/republic/f-105thunderchief/t-o-1f-105f-1-preliminary-flight-manual-f-105f.html

http://www.avialogs.com/index.php/en/aircraft/usa/republic/f-105thunderchief.html

Edited May 28, 2019 by Coupi

[+Erik 1,904]

There's a bunch of F-105 tanks down at the Air and Space Museum next to Davis Monthan AFB. I'm sure they'll let me measure one next time I'm down that way. There were three tanks assigned to the Thud IIRC a 390 USG internal bay tank non ejectable, a 450 USG centerline AND inner wing hardpoint slung tank, and a 650 USG centerline hardpoint slung tank. To verify you want the most common one the 450 USG external drop tank?

[+ravenclaw_007 7,649]

wow...  that would be great Erik , i really would appreciate that 

[+russouk2004 6,959]

ive looked thru 6 105 pdfs i have but no measurements...best i have is Republics own measurements of the G and guess you could scale it to find measurements in max. if it comes to it.

[+Crusader 2,103]

The 450 gal wing tanks came in 2 variants. One with integral pylon and one for mounting to the existing inboard pylon.

[+Erik 1,904]

I called down there and the F-105 they have is being refurbished for display, off limits to the public at the moment. Maybe these will help you scale a tank based off your model?

 

[+GKABS 8,826]

Hello  ravenclaw_007,

I have searched and like all of you didn't find anything worth reporting.  Therefore I asked one of my friends who happen to have a model to scale of the F-105B Late with 450 wing tanks moded to scale, so I have asked him to send me the file (not the best model but It will do I hope).  please find attached the file and some photos of the measurement hope that will help you.

Max File

Fuel Capacity

internal: 7,900 lb (3,580 kg) in seven tanks totaling 1,160 gal (4,460 L)
external: 13,190 lb (5,985 kg) in one 390 gal (1,475 L) bomb bay tank, one 650 gal (2,460 L) centerline tank, and two 450 gal (1,705 L) wing tanks

Edited May 30, 2019 by gkabs

[+guuruu 6,007]

The best what I could find.

[+GKABS 8,826]

One more finding

[+ravenclaw_007 7,649]

Thanks for the help

i measured and compared a lot of scale drawings and i think the dimensions are about 27 inches ( 685,8 mm ) in diameter and 278 inches ( 7061,2 mm ) in length for the drop tank with out the fins

will try it and see if it fits

Edited May 31, 2019 by ravenclaw_007

[+swambast 723]

Hi Ravenclaw, 

Just as a point of comparison, here is a 300-gal reference

 

[MichaelZWilliamson 17]

Well, I'm resurrecting this thread because a late friend of mine had one of these tanks in his basement.  He was a retired USAF navigator with a stack of decorations, a weird collection, and a long story as to how a drop tank got in his basement.  But here's the link, and a couple of pics to start it. I took photos from every angle possible.

https://www.michaelzwilliamson.com/randomfactoids.html

 

[+Erik 1,904]

That is the greatest and wildest story I've ever heard, but how neat is that? Personally, I don't know a single person who could ever claim they have an entire drop tank in their basement. 

[MichaelZWilliamson 17]

I was trying to ID it and found this thread.  I'm retired USAF, contacted some old timers, and they told me which nomenclature to look for, and I made sure we took every image possible for you guys.

Half the Fort Harrison museum was his collection. We sold most of it. I paid the estate for several to add to my collection. 

 

 

[MichaelZWilliamson 17]

Ah, here's my writeup from last year:
 

Finally shipped the last NFA weapon from Gary's estate. It took two years, me, Jess managing paperwork, two firearm attorneys, the estate attorney, an SOT who handles really oddball stuff, the executor, and a very nice, very knowledgeable, very efficient Examiner at NFA Branch.

It started when I was helping him sell sabers, bayonets, etc, and he said he wanted to sell some of the firearms, so I assisted with photos, a Gunbroker account, research, listing.

And he said, "I also have the deactivated machine guns I loaned to the Fort Harrison Museum. In 1968 I sent papers to the ATF and they sent papers back."

I twitch. "So, those are DEWATs."

"?"

"DEactivated WAr Trophies."

"I guess."

"Well, with a Form 1 and $200, those can be reactivated. They're sellable."

Pulls out his pipe. "Oh, well, I've got a Maxim, a Madsen, a Hotchkiss, a DP28, an MG42, an MP44, a Lewis Gun, a Japanese Type 99, a Thompson, an MP18, a Soviet mortar..."

"Holy $#!+, Gary, that's $100,000 worth of hardware!"

"I only paid a few hundred."

"Yeah, in 1962 when they couldn't give them away."

Then he passed away, and we had to find the paperwork buried in his house.

A friend, my son and I are up in the attic pulling out guns. "That's a mortar...is that a firing pin? This is a live mortar."

"Holy $#!+, that's a complete Sturmgewehr."

"Is that a Boys Rifle?"

"Wait...that's not a bazooka....that's...holy $#!+, it's a Panzerschreck."

This is in addition to Lugers, Broomhandles, Carcanos, Mausers, SMLEs, Webleys, Arisakas, a Sharps buffalo rifle, Trapdoors, more sabers, Mosin Nagants, Walthers, a Gewehr 41 and a Gewehr 43, an original 1800s musket, a percussion cape gun, an FN49, a No4 Mk1(T) sniper rifle in transit chest with matching scope, a Japanese Type 97 sniper rifle, an M1D, a Soviet Mosin sniper, pre-import markings, a P14 sniper, a Reichsrevolver, a Radom P35, a stocked Inglis, a Dutch Hembrug carbine, a Bayard .32, a Steyr M95 8mm, a No 5 Jungle Carbine ... some of them still with the museum tags and receipts.

Not counting sabers, Japanese swords, bayonets, uniforms, scarce helmets, a mine detector new in box, radios, a drop tank, and all the mundane autographed SF books, comics, anime, the woodblock prints, jewelry...

Then the executor, and estate attorney, had to file a bunch of paperwork that my attorney assisted with. Then the first buyer was also a firearm attorney, and knew someone at NFA branch who helped find the missing records. Then we had to fix all the Amnesty forms, including a WRONG SERIAL NUMBER and wrong IDs.

Maxim 08/15

Madsen 1908

Hotchkiss 1914 with tripod

DP28

MG42 (not papered, now converted to semi)

StG44

Lewis Gun, in transit chest, with tools and accessories, Irish surplused after being British surplused.

Japanese Type 99 LMG, being converted to take either 7.7 Jap, .308, or 7.62X39, because original mags don't exist (drop in conversion, no structural changes).

1928A1 Thompson (mine now, with new barrel, all new springs, bolt, and some other tuning)

MP18A1

50mm Soviet RM38 mortar

Finnish 81mm M42 Savunheiten mortar

Panzerschreck

Boys Rifle (.55 Boys British anti-armor rifle)

His family thought he died broke. We were able to fix that, and find caring homes for some amazing, historically important hardware.

The Finns literally don't have a Savunheiten in their military museum. I've been getting detailed photos and measurements with the assistance of Oleg Volk so their few photos can be upgraded with better visuals and specs.
~~

The drop tank. Apparently, he was on the mailing list for Interarms.  He was flying out of Germany when he got forwarded a catalog with THIS MAY BE YOUR LAST CATALOG! tagged on it. And he believed them. Because it's never your last catalog.

 

So he bid at auction on three drop tanks, $25 each, figuring to get outbid.

 

Who needs a drop tank? Pretty much no one. So he won the auction and a truck showed up at his parents' house with three drop tanks.  I have no idea where the other two went, but this one went into his basement a few blocks from their house. It was buried under other hoard/collectibles, and it took four of us to remove the stair railing and get it out.

[MichaelZWilliamson 17]

This is after we excavated all the autographed books, electronics, comics, and misc piled around it.

Anyway, for the modelers and archivists, we tried to get every image possible. If you need others, a friend of mine bought it for display outside his business, so we can possibly get more.

 

[+ravenclaw_007 7,649]

ooohhh my gosh

i was asked to make a new more detailed 450 and 650 gallon drop tank for an F-105 project and i had only some pictures without any measurements as basis to start with , it took me quite some time to find more good pictures and i used the original tank from the 3d model as reference for the length and diameter , i just wish i had pictures like this for my work 

excellent pictures , thank you so much

some how my tank pictures are looking different from the one you posted is this an early type  drop tank ??? the one i have has 3 fins and the main body is screwed together along the whole lenght of the part like the one from the F-4 Phantom 

the 450gal tank i made

 

i still have to make the 650 gallon drop tank , if anybody has pictures like the one above please send them to me or post them here , thank you

[Wrench 9,948]

All I can say is "WOW". My knees go weak just thinking about all those collectable (and some of those guns I'd love to have in a collection -- note to self: start collection)

 

[MichaelZWilliamson 17]

Yes, that's a 1958 tank, probably F105 or even earlier Century series.

I kept a Finnish 81mm mortar as part of my commission.  Stamped, works, 20' CEP at 500 yards.

I paid them for the Soviet DPM, 1939. DEWAT that I had to reactivate--this is the one that had the wrong serial number on the registration paper.

And my wife said, "I think we should get the Thompson. I mean, it's a Thompson."
Still tuning that one to work.

 

A friend of mine bought the Panzerschreck and is working up rockets for it.  It may be one of two entirely complete, functional, with wiring harness and blast shield, on the Registry.  The WWI Imperial helmets also came from the same estate.

[MichaelZWilliamson 17]

Also, here's the citation for his Distinguished Flying Cross.  He also had a Navy/Marine Presidential Unit Citation probably from this same mission, two USAF Presidential Unit Citations, Outstanding Unit Award (2 X), Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters, Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Readiness Medal, NDSM, Vietnam Service, Vietnam Gallantry, Armed Forces expeditionary, and Expert Marksman.

Nerdy little guy about 5'6" tall. Very quiet and self-effacing. And apparently a steel-balled badass of a navigator.

That was the day the NVA broke through the wire at Khe Sanh.

Edited Wednesday at 03:37 AM by MichaelZWilliamson