P-51B Shillelaugh SPRING 2026 Update

Update by Chuck Cravens

The fuselage is mated to the wing!

Restoration Progress

Another momentous stage in the restoration of P-51B Shillelaugh was reached this month as the wing and fuselage were mated together. Work on systems and in the cockpit continued to progress. As the major assemblies come together, it seems like the pace of the restoration has picked up, but that impression is probably a result of more visually interesting events happening than more rapid work. The restoration has been done with maximum effort all along.

With the fuselage and wing joined, Bruce and Aaron work on connecting systems.

The main landing gear was mounted before the wing and fuselage were joined. One of the identifying features of the B/C (and some earlier) Mustangs is the 2 gun ports in each wing.

Cowling and air induction parts await their turn in the assembly process.

The air filter boxes direct air through filters for ground operations and prevent contamination from grit, sand, and dirt thrown up by prop wash.

The carburetor air induction assembly is being fitted.

Shillelaugh’s air scoop is ready.

Cockpit

Ensuring all cockpit systems, instruments, and equipment are accurate and functional requires a significant, ongoing investment of time. Seeing the progress is exciting because when the cockpit has been completed, the test flight is months instead of years away.

The instrument panel installation is nearly complete.

The pilot’s main switch box is mounted on the bottom center of the main instrument panel. The selector handle has yet to be installed on the fuel tank selector valve.

It isn’t a cockpit without a pilot’s seat. Aaron is in the process of installing the seat.

The left side of the cockpit includes the throttle control quadrant, trim wheels, and the bomb control handle (the red knob with the white button on it).

This is a cabin air hose.

The purpose of this battery sump bottle is to catch vented battery acid overflow.

Shillelaugh had a fuselage tank, as did most of the later B models.

During the first half of 1943, heavy bombers faced devastating casualties whenever mission distances exceeded the operational reach of their escort fighters. Pressure mounted to produce a long-range escort fighter, so North American experimented with adding a fuselage tank.

The first Mustang to actually fly with the tank was P-51B-1NA 43-12112, which had a 93-gallon steel fuselage tank added. (1) This flight took place on July 17, 1943. This historic P-51B still exists and is owned and may be restored by our friends at Fagen Fighters.

In early August 1943, P-51B-1 43-12304 was successfully flown with both a Firestone 85-gallon self-sealing fuselage tank and combat drop tanks. Experimentation continued, but the configuration for the much-needed long-range escort fighter was being finalized.

The first P-51 B model Mustangs to enter service with a fuselage tank were taken from the assembly line of P-51B-5NAs. The 85-gallon tank was added at a modification center. These Mustangs were designated as P-51B-7NA.

North American established the change point as the beginning of the P-51B-10NA block. So the first production block to be built with the internal fuselage fuel tank installed on the production line was the P-51B-10NA, which is Shillelaugh’s production block.

1) James William Marshall and Lowell Ford, P-51B Mustang, North American’s Bastard Stepchild That Saved the Eighth Air Force. Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford , UK 2020 , p20,5

This, of course, is a fuel gauge. It sits behind the pilot on the left side and measures fuel in the fuselage tank.

The purpose of this battery sump bottle is to catch vented battery acid overflow.

The radio antenna mast has been installed.

This image illustrates the mounting of the wooden antenna mast’s base.

The insulator for the antenna wire is just behind the upper recognition light and the mast.

The auxiliary ring-type gun sight is a backup in case the main N3C reflector sight fails.

This is the upper latch for the left side cockpit enclosure exit hatch.

Because the left side cockpit enclosure exit hatch assembly part number (73-31949) begins with 73, we know that this assembly hasn’t been changed since the very first Mustang NA-73X.

Gun Bay

The armament is an important part of portraying the history of a warbird, so care is taken to make the bays and guns as accurate in appearance as is possible.

The gun mounts have a tilt to them. The Mustangs that were built before the 6-gun D model had Browning .50 caliber M2s that were slanted to the side. When the P-51Ds came out, the guns were upright.

At the bottom of this photo is a replica gun borrowed from Lope’s Hope 3rd. Above it are the 4 replica .50s that will be used in Shillelaugh.

This is another view of the replica Browning M2 machine guns.

The gun borrowed from Lope’s Hope has an authentic Morris Gun Heater sticker on it.

The ammunition boxes have been fabricated.

These rollers allow the ammo belts to feed smoothly from the ammo box to the gun’s receiver.

Wings

The wings are finally structurally complete. Internal items such as fuel cell bays and gun bays are receiving attention.

One of the gun bay doors has been installed.

The very last section of wing skin to be permanently riveted in place was this piece, which has an access door opening.

This is a fuel tank bay door.

The weathered-looking sheet of fiberglass is a used fuel tank bay liner.

The new fuel tank bay liners look much brighter.

The number 102-48192 is the part number for the fuel tank bay liner, which North American officially named “liner, fuel cell compartment upper”, and the stamp is an inspection stamp.

Balsa wood, the same material used to build flying model planes, is used to cushion the fuel cells inside the fuel tank compartment.

This is a fuel cell, complete and ready for installation.

The wing tips are being fitted.

The control stick tube assembly has been mounted. It is the olive drab tube in the upper center of the photo.

The wheel wells and tank covers are shown in this image.

Fillets

Possibly the most difficult parts of a Mustang restoration are the wing and tail fillets that blend wings into the fuselage to reduce drag. They curve in several directions at once. Randy Carlson, of Carlson Metal Shaping, specializes in forming tight, compound curved aluminum pieces. He has collaborated with AirCorps on projects for years and was again called upon to do this specialized task on Shillelaugh.