CLEVELAND, Ohio - The International Exposition (I-X) Center is building the best bistro that ever refueled a jet.

In the not-so-near future, a Cold War-era Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter will be parked on the south side of the I-X Center and open as a 50-seat restaurant and lounge.

The aircraft, which once refueled military fighter planes in midair, and saw duty with the Ohio Air National Guard from 1963-1968, had been mothballed in Arizona for nearly 40 years before it was purchased last year by the I-X Center.

The air tanker was taken apart and transported on six flat-bed semi trucks to the center where it was re-assembled and now stands behind the convention and exhibition hall.

Lisa Vo, executive vice president of the I-X Center, said the reasoning behind acquisition of the plane was similar to installation of the center's giant indoor Ferris wheel in 1992, in terms of entertainment and national distinction.

"By 2020, our hope is to convert the airplane into a unique dining establishment at the I-X Center," Vo said. "From aviation enthusiasts to parents with young, curious children, the restaurant will attract people from Northeast Ohio and beyond."

The Stratofreighter will make its public debut for the Summit Racing Equipment I-X Piston Powered Auto-Rama, March 16-18, parked in an area devoted to military vehicles.

As "Cleveland's most powerful and biggest piston-powered machine," the plane is a natural for the event, according to Steve Legerski, show manager.

He noted that the aircraft is equipped with four 3,500-hp radial engines, each with four rows of seven cylinders, adding up to 28 pistons per power plant.

During the show, two pilots will talk about the plane's aerodynamics and engines.

Legerski said there are only 24 Stratofreighters (including the I-X Center's aircraft) displayed in the U.S., and only one, in New York, that can still fly. At least one of the static displays has been converted to a restaurant/lounge, in Colorado, he added.

The airplane has a historic connection to the I-X Center in that the facility was built during World War II to manufacture parts for B-29 bombers, and the Stratofreighter is based on a variant of the B-29 design.

There were 888 C-97s built from 1947-1958, configured as either troop transports or aerial tankers. The planes saw use during the Korean War.

The I-X Center's C-97 was built in Seattle, Washington, in 1953 and was used at U.S. Air Force and National Guard bases across the country and in Germany.

Its service ended in 1978, and it was shipped to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.

Its journey to Cleveland started with disassembly by a group of semi-retired NASCAR mechanics in Charlotte, North Carolina, who now restore vintage cars and airplanes.

But previously, nothing this big, according to William "Tex" Powell, leader of the group and former crew chief for race driver A.J. Foyt.

Powell recalled that when he was asked about taking the plane apart and moving it to Cleveland, he replied, "OK, sounds like fun. I'm in."

His crew of four spent three months taking the C-97 apart. Powell remembered a process involving removal of "hundreds and hundreds of bolts."

They then loaded the pieces -- wings, engines, fuselage (in two parts) -- on trucks for their six-day journey to Cleveland.

The load had to be divided because the entire plane weighs 82,500 pounds. Each engine alone tips the scales at 7,600 pounds.

Powell said there was very little deterioration to the plane, possibly due to the hot dry Arizona weather.

Plus, they really don't make them like they used to.

"The quality of the machine work and all the equipment is equivalent to like a Mercedes or BMW today," he said. "Very precise, very high quality, just a pleasure to work with."

The crew also discovered a pair of fire-scorched metal crash dummies near the plane. They propped the headless steel skeletons in the cockpit seats and sent them off to Cleveland. The visual effect was bizarre.

The convoy got to the I-X Center in June 2017, and re-assembly began with the assistance of I-X mechanic Rocco Bevelacqua.

Cranes and forklifts were used to lift the sections into place. Bevelacqua also praised the aircraft's precision engineering.

"As long as we lifted every piece and set it the way it was supposed to, the bolts went right in," he said.

"Actually, we had no problem at all putting it back together," he added. "I was a nervous wreck, but it went along really well."

The process took three and a half weeks. The tanks used for refueling other planes were removed, but otherwise almost all of the original equipment remains intact. "It actually would fly if you reconditioned the engines," Bevelacqua said.

The I-X Center has invested $600,000 in the project so far, and officials expect it will take another $500,000 to complete their vision.

The next step involves interior renovation and conversion to a restaurant/lounge.

That task has fallen to Elyria industrial artist Mike Ensminger, of Iron Image Design, who previously created the huge robotic-like metal sculptures that stand at the I-X Center.

Ensminger spent several months last year removing oxidation from the aluminum surface of the plane in an arduous process of buffing and polishing. During the work he revealed the original Ohio Air National Guard markings on the plane's fuselage.

The artist is now thinking about the interior design. "I'm super excited about it," he said. "I have some really great streamline ideas."

The biggest challenge will be fulfilling his artistic vision while meeting all applicable building and electrical codes, in a process that he expects will take about a year, Ensminger said.

He believes the concept of using a vintage airplane as a restaurant/lounge is sound. "I think this thing could be a home run," Ensminger said. "I think it's going to be amazing when it comes to fruition."

And in a way, the Stratofreighter would still be in the "refueling" business, with diners instead of jets.

"Tex" Powell also thought the concept would sell, if only because of something interesting that happened during the disassembly and re-assembly process.

People kept coming up to the crew to tell them about a relative or friend who had some connection with those airplanes. "The interest level was very high. That really surprised me," he said.

Ensminger noted that the aircraft's heritage will be preserved, regardless of whatever form the final design takes.

"I'd like to leave it as historically accurate as possible," he added. "There are so many different variables.

"The sky's the limit, no pun intended."