Hi, Mike. Thanks for your input. Yes, I thought the same thing, but there's a problem: 3.9 inches of the BT-50 is buried inside the BT-55 booster section. That leaves 14.1 inches of exposed BT-50. Trouble is, when I measured the section of exposed BT-50 that I removed, it was 12.5 inches. So did the original builder get it wrong, or was the BT-50 less than 18 inches. Furthermore, when I put the 12.5" replacement tube in place, it just looks too darn long.

So while your analysis makes sense to me, I still need an explanation for the inconsistency. That's why I'm hoping that someone here can actually measure the length of the tube in a kit, or measure the exposed length of the BT-50 in a built one.


Joe