I disassembled and clean the left strut. I replaced the O rings, polished the piston, cleaned and honed the cylinder, and replaced the hardware. The photo shows it disassembled next to the right strut that’s still in sorry shape.  The struts are filled with a petroleum based hydraulic fluid that helps dampen landings.

The photo I took isn’t the best. The four tubes in the cabin that are seen by everyone are now painted Stinson Maroon. Once dry they will be masked and the rest painted white. 

Moving forward……..

Patch weld complete.  Ed is the best welder around and has built many home-built airplanes.  He’s a former Southwest pilot and Midwest Airlines pilot and has raced at Reno.

Ed Bowes welding the patch over the dented tubing.

Weld done but my phone didn’t focus well.

A textbook weld per FAA AC 43.13.