Can anyone speak to before / after experience with installing an upgraded engine mount on an older straight tail Cessna?

Cant speak for a straight tail but.... I put one on my 185 (1976) a few years back. I was very happy with it, great quality, smooth and so on. Expensive but worth it. I would do it again.

Kurt

I have one on my IO550-D powered 182-G, so not a straight tail. I bought it that way, so no before/after first hand comparison.

It's a solid mount which stoutly harnesses the 300 HP powerplant. I believe it makes things a bit tighter to work on between the engine and firewall. We had to remove the top two bolts, loosen the bottom two, and tilt the mount away from the firewall to replace the starter adapter.

Pierre

250-545-4884 www.seaplaneswest.com

Funny timing, I'm driving to Vernon tomorrow to pick up the whole seaplane kit for our 182E. Again not a straight tail but I'll report back anyways. Might take me a few months to get the whole thing sorted, installing a pponk at the same time

You're not far from Park Rapids so why not just call them and talk to Jeff, I believe he installs them when he does the Aerocet floats. I could ask for you since I was going to fly into town today but not sure the weather is going to be cooperating.

Ordered one up today!

The last two factory original engine mounts I have had repaired had the usual heat corrosion damage with cracked/ bent mount mounting pads cost around $2500. Adding the seaplane tubes brings the cost closer to 3k. Probably a good idea to just buy the seaplanes west mount in retrospect....

Halestrom- I would really appreciate an install overview or a build log on the float kit!!

PAMR MX wrote:The last two factory original engine mounts I have had repaired had the usual heat corrosion damage with cracked/ bent mount mounting pads cost around $2500. Adding the seaplane tubes brings the cost closer to 3k. Probably a good idea to just buy the seaplanes west mount in retrospect....

Well, maybe not, I'm quickly finding that the seaplane west engine mount on a pre 62 model will require a new exhaust system, which will in turn require mods to the carb heat which will in turn require mods to the cowl! She's adding up fast! You got the number to the shop that beefed up your stock mount?

AWI man!
They made me a beefed up with an extra brace.
They make the seaplanes west one as well I believe.
The big isolators r great but the mount is overkill. IMHO.

X2 for the AWI, I have the same as 55Wagon on my 59' n it's great.

New engine Luke?

Unfortunately, yes. I've had the AWI mount for two n a half years or so though.

Which engine and prop combo are you going with?

Dunno who made them, but the "seaplane mounts" I've seen had an extra vertical tube, connecting the upper & lower points where the mount bolts to the firewall. Looks like that tube would be a deal-killer for a battery mounted on the firewall where Skalywag's is . I don't recall if the seaplane mounts I've seen had those diagonal tubes, seems like they would do more good than the verticals.

hotrod180 wrote:Dunno who made them, but the "seaplane mounts" I've seen had an extra vertical tube, connecting the upper & lower points where the mount bolts to the firewall. Looks like that tube would be a deal-killer for a battery mounted on the firewall where Skalywag's is . I don't recall if the seaplane mounts I've seen had those diagonal tubes, seems like they would do more good than the verticals.

The vertical and horizontal members in the Seaplanes West mount are an integral part of the stiffening needed for the associated seaplane kit for 182s, along with the extruded SS brace wires in the cabin. If you're not using it as part of a 182 float kit then yeah, might be a little overkill.

That battery box has a 2" space between battery and firewall to allow it to be mounted over the vertical members.

Seaplanes West has two upgraded mounts, a seaplane and landplane version. The beefier seaplane version has the vertical and horizontal tubes along the firewall. They don't have an STC for the landplane version on older narrow body 182s so in my case I had to choose the Seaplane version. Probably overkill, but what the hey. AWI fabricates these mounts. Skalywags looks like the landplane version, which they do have an STC for on the 180s. I would have preferred the landplane version so I didn't have to move the cabin eat...

Yup the cabin heat was why I didn't get the standard seaplane mount. Probly be overkill for land plane anyway, I've no intention of going on floats. Seems like I remember this mount being approved for floats though, gonna have to double check. As I remember, the vertical braces are part of the swinging (hinged) mount, which is why I wanted it in the first place, boy would that be nice!!!

As Hoeshcen noted, the firewall battery box gives enough clearance for the seaplane mount, as far as I understand anyway.

Highly recommend the seaplane bushings for either mount regardless, the rubber bushings are a joke!

Santa came early

Hey! Me too!

Got a good start on installation of the kit