So here we go. After lurking on this forum for many years, and posting only a few times, I finally get to post something, hopefully useful. I have read many of the threads on rebuilding an airplane. Some quite scary.
I have a partner who wants to go in on a 4 place floatplane. Being in Seattle, we settled on the requirement for wheels (tri-gear) for the winter months. Besides, finding a good 180 at any reasonable price is very difficult. Leading to the "NEED" for 182 with a run-out engine that can be Float modded. Yes, I have read the corrosion discussions. It will be an issue but everything is compromise.

Finding a Run-out 182 is also a challenge, but "conventional wisdom" says that is the best approach. Actually it says buy what you are looking for that is all done but I failed step 1.

So this thread will be my attempt to log the rebuild of a C182P that had a little nosewheel "incident". Hit a ditch and folded the nosegear.
Shipping, New firewall, float mod, engine rebuild, new cowl, floats ... What could possibly go wrong?!

Happy to hear, and hopefully heed any advice.

Yes, I am re-reading PilotRyan's thread from a couple of years ago.

Which float STC are you planning on using?

MTV

Excited to follow along!

Which Float Kit? That is one of a very long list of questions. And one reason I am posting here, for recommendations, opinions, etc.

Which Float Kit?
Which repair shop?
Which engine? Rebuild the old one? It lists at 5400 hours SNEW. Upgrade?
Carburated or Injected? This is the year 2020
Electronic ignition?
Propeller? The current curled one is toast
Floats? edo 2870s and 2960s are cheap but you get what you pay for.

So let the advice begin.

My underlying tenant is to get it flying before worrying too much about mods. If a critical mod should be done now, great.

I put the seaplanes West kit (now Acorn) on my plane, pretty straight forward for an experienced mechanic. Allows for EDO or Aerocet floats.

Only other kit available is Wipaire’s I believe? I think you’re limited to only wipline floats with that kit? I might be wrong in both counts.

Only a handful of shops in Washington situated next to the water that are capable of this swap. Kenmore, ACE Aviation, or Northwest Seaplanes come to mind. Unfortunately they’re all extremely busy, might want to get on the list soon.

It’s very difficult and expensive to put a fuel injected engine on a 182, only STC I know of is the Petersen one, good luck with that.

Pponk or Texas Skyways carbureted 520 is really the only option for a HP upgrade on a 182, especially if you’re interested in getting it done quickly.

NW Aviation tradeshow is in a couple weeks down In puyallup, should have reps there from all of the companies I listed above, excellent place to do research.

Where are you going to base this plane?

PNW Flyer-check your messages.

Halestorm wrote:...It’s very difficult and expensive to put a fuel injected engine on a 182, only STC I know of is the Petersen one, good luck with that. Pponk or Texas Skyways carbureted 520 is really the only option for a HP upgrade on a 182, especially if you’re interested in getting it done quickly.....

I know two guys with the Air Plains IO550 conversion--
one with a '56 C180, one with a 1980 C182.
The 182 is on Wip amphibs.

The Seaplanes West kit offers the lowest price options for floats. As noted above, if you go the Wipline route, you're going to be spending pretty large for floats. Of course, with the Seaplanes West kit, you may also want to go with Aerocets, so equally spendy.

The advantage of the Seaplanes West kit, though is that you can use EDO 2870 floats. If you can function with straight floats, these floats can be had for a very low price these days, and they are an excellent performing float. So, even if you eventually think you might want to go with bigger floats, you could initially use a set of 2870s, build some experience to make a more informed judgement whether you want to spend the additional $$ to go with the more expensive floats. I've seen really nice 2870s go for less than $10K recently. Some for quite a bit less.

Of course, if you're thinking amphibious floats.....then I'd certainly consider the Wipline conversion and floats as an option.

I owned a Cessna 180 on 2870s and it was a great airplane. Legal useful load was actually 5 pounds higher than the 185 on PeeKay 3500s that I was flying at work. The 185 would haul that load out of the water quicker, but......

MTV

Planning to base out of Kenmore, since I now live almost next door. I have request for quotes out to the 3 shops you mentioned.
Yes, straight floats. So now to find the correct SPW kit to install.
The 2870s look like the right near-term float plan.
Leaning toward tearing down the existing O-470 and then deciding if any of it can be re-used. Any engine shops to steer toward or stay away?
Thanks for the notes on fuel injected. I like FI but not enough to spend $$$$ and months upgrading.
Any mods beyond the SPW kit that really should be done while it is torn apart?

Almost guaranteed to be quite a bit cheaper to do any repair and mods outside the Seattle area. If I was looking to buy a damaged airframe and rebuild/mod it, I would have one of the shops in the mid west do it and then relocate it to Seattle once the bugs were worked out of it. You could spend quite a bit of money getting a not so desirable plane in shape for what it would cost to buy something already flying with better resale. I tried every which way to paper out and justify various lesser aircraft. The best choice I ever made was waiting and saving a bit more money and buying a big motored modded A185. Never regretted it and when I pass, my daughter will be able to sell it for top dollar. -YMMV-

Unless you have a waterfront house then Kenmore is the best choice for sure, but my opinion might be a little biased...

I agree with MTV and his opinion that the EDO 2870 is a great setup for the 182, I have a set I'm fixing up in the hopes of installing on my plane in 2021. I do not agree that they are readily available, it took me a couple years to find a set that were up to my standards. There is a set of 2870 with C-180 attach gear sitting on the ramp near ACE but Kurt was never able to tell me who owned them. Once you do find a set you'll need to get the attach gear from Acorn, took them 3 months to produce gear for me, your results may vary.

A couple phone calls to Acorn Welding to establish a relationship with the parts guy and get a feel for parts availability is a good idea. They can tell you what will be required in terms of their kit for your airplane.

I somehow missed the Air Pains STC for the IO550, must be because it's not available for my S/N airplane. A quick look at their website it appears that it's just as complicated as the Peterson STC. Basically turning the 182 airframe into a 185 airframe with the addition of a header tank and return lines, big $$$. That's not to say that a Pponk style carbureted 520 on a seaplanes west mount is going to be cheap, but everything is relative.

If you want to stay local Avian in Bremerton is a good option for an overhaul, I've known Pat for many years and he seems very conscientious. They built the bottom end of my engine and it's very smooth. If the cylinders on your engine are original you definitely want to replace them now, floatplanes love to cook cylinders.

Wing-X wing extensions are a good idea for your setup. More wing and more horsepower (duh) are what it takes to make a floatplane perform.

I'm also a fan of electronic ignition. Kenmore is running it on the training fleet (C-172) now with great results. I wish the surely had been available when I purchased my Electroair, seems like a superior system, time will tell I guess.

Sorry if my comment on 2870s was off. Been a few years, but there were a fair number removed for Aerocets acwhile back, and I’ve seen a few here and there (Alaska and MN mostly) for bargain prices. These were all 180 rigged, but barrels were good.

Maybe the supply has dried up, but I saw a set a month or two back for sale in ANC for $8K

MTVp

Halestorm wrote:…..If you want to stay local Avian in Bremerton is a good option for an overhaul, I've known Pat for many years and he seems very conscientious. They built the bottom end of my engine and it's very smooth......

Premier down in Troutdale is on my short list when overhaul time comes around.
Friends of mine have kept their floatplanes at Kenmore, sounds like storage costs are very reasonable
and service is excellent re calling ahead & having your plane at the dock gassed up & ready to go when you get there.
The other option would be Renton at the other end of the lake, esp if you wanna do it all yourself with an alligator trailer.
Dunno the situation re current & future available ramp space though.

I have a '63 182F with EDO 2790 amphibs, a new PPonk, MT prop, wing extensions and a Sportsman STOL.

Often wish I had more power, and newer floats. Then I think of the price delta and go back to being grateful I actually own an ampib airplane.

I'm in Squamish, not too far north. PM if you have any questions.

Allan

Okay, I’ll try to add to what has already been said. I would say that buying the plane already set up the way you want it would be the cheaper way to go, but it looks like you’re already started down the road of a project. You may have as much into it as a nice 185 by the time you’re done.

I have the float kit from Aero Consulting Services in Winnipeg. It was installed over 20 years ago, so I have no idea if it is still available.

Since you’re rebuilding the engine anyway, I would highly recommend either the PPonk or Texas Skyways conversion. A float pilot can never have enough horsepower (or money).

I’d look into the MT prop to go with whatever engine you do. I have an 88” 3 blade McCauley and that, along with some other mods, really puts the CG pretty far forward. I think the MT is a bit lighter and that will help. The 185 parked next to me in the summer has the MT prop and the owner really likes it.

Edo 2870s are good floats and plentiful. I’ll second what MTV said as I’m in Anchorage and you see them for sale all the time. $6k seems to be an average price for decent 2870s. That would be a good start and if you feel like upgrading to Aerocets down the road, you could shoot the wad then.

Other mods that I recommend are wing extensions, long range fuel (if you don’t already have it), extended baggage and Atlee Dodge jump seats (in case you want to go out heavy from a long lake with a 3rd person).

For the panel I would highly recommend a 6 channel engine monitor, carb temp gauge and fuel flow monitor. You and your engine will be much happier with those, rather than shooting in the dark.

Good luck with your project; you’ll love it when you’re done.

Ross

Paperwork always takes longer than expected. Still not done.
But thanks for the inputs to date. And since it is February and typing is easier than flying a couple more questions.

Floats
While Aerocets are a dream, I think some used floats are more realistic for now. So far I have found these. Any to stay away from or watch out for?
Aqua 3190 - $3200 Seattle
edo 2960 - $8500 Anchorage
edo 2870 - $2900 Maine
CAP 3000 - $8000 Ontario

Avioinics
My partner wants a nice IFR setup. I am a minimalist but do see value in the ability to punch up or more importantly down through a layer in a floatplane in the Pacific NW. I am leaning toward a basic GTN 650 or old G430 and a good mount for an ipad.

Those Aquas that are currently listed on Seattle Craigslist are not approved on the the 182, nor are CAP floats for that matter.

Hard to go wrong with a basic Garmin setup, unless you plan to do real IFR flying when your airplane is on wheels then an elaborate panel is mostly eye candy in a floatplane.

PNW Flyer wrote:Paperwork always takes longer than expected. Still not done.
But thanks for the inputs to date. And since it is February and typing is easier than flying a couple more questions.

Floats
While Aerocets are a dream, I think some used floats are more realistic for now. So far I have found these. Any to stay away from or watch out for?
Aqua 3190 - $3200 Seattle
edo 2960 - $8500 Anchorage
edo 2870 - $2900 Maine
CAP 3000 - $8000 Ontario

Avioinics
My partner wants a nice IFR setup. I am a minimalist but do see value in the ability to punch up or more importantly down through a layer in a floatplane in the Pacific NW. I am leaning toward a basic GTN 650 or old G430 and a good mount for an ipad.

As Halestorm pointed out, the Aquas aren’t approved on 182, and they are big and heavy. Not great floats even on a 185.

Your gross weight will suggest which of the EDOs would be best. The 2870s would be my choice if the GW is fairly low.

The 2960s are good floats, but they are looooong floats, and they’ll make you work. At getting off the water. But. Once you learn some technique, they’ll work.

MTV

The CAPs would be near perfect, in my mind. They are approved on 180. I wonder if there’s any hope of a field approval?

MTV

Great suggestion. I will be at the NW Aviation show this weekend and will ask.