After a grueling 3-1/2 months of being grounded for engine MX, I'm finally back in my super cub!!

Too depressing to go into the details of the engine probs, but having it overhauled by Ly-Con this time, I'm confident that it was done right...after a couple hours in the air, so far so good!!

There was some good that came from my down time, was able to really tear into the plane and make it better than its been in a long time. Learned a TON about my airplane which will really help in the future...also added about 25lbs. to the useful load in the process.

Got a field approval to move the circuit breakers and switches from the right hand wing root panel, to the new instrument panel fabricated from a blank made by F. Atlee Dodge. Had a friend cut out all the holes using his homemade CNC machine. Used brand new switches and breakers along with new wiring...much nicer having everything in front of you, and less chance for a post crash fire resulting from a tank rupturing next to all the electrics in the wing root. All the instruments and radios worked fine, so I re-installed those items, minus the vacuum system...that got nixed...saved about 8 pounds there.

Other upgrades include:
B&C 40 amp alternator in place of the old boat anchor generator
Lightweight oil cooler moved to the rear baffle, getting rid of heavy copper oil cooler on the nose bowl
Dodge underseat battery rack, with 14 pound Odyssey, replacing the 30 lb Gill batt
3" extended gear with safety cables and a long step
Steves aircraft gascolator...a very nice addition
Had all the lower interior panels powder coated black

Here's some pics...some before, some after:

Before:






After:




Laying out the instrument panel:




New engine almost ready for cowling:



On the test stand at Ly-Con, horsepower measured 170 @ 2700 RPM...standard 150 horse 0-320 with cylinders ported polished and flow matched.



Ready for first flight in too long!! Borer prop will be installed after about 10 to 15 hours engine time.

Nice job it looks great! How does it feel now with 170 hp compared to before?

Thanks! A little better than before , but still breaking it in, no long full power climb outs just yet.

The 170 number came from their dyno, but that was measure without an exhaust system...just straight stacks. I'm using the sutton exhaust, not sure how much power the muffler system robs over straight stacks. Either way it runs smooth, and I'm happy so far!!

Good job, Bart-- that new panel looks great! I'm guessing that you made enough changes that you physically reweighed the airplane for a new W&B, as opposed to just calculating it? That's what I would have done anyway. Besides the weight loss, which way did you CG move?
I was wondering abut Lycon's dyno. I don't see anything hooked to the engine in the test-stand photo. Do they connect some sort of device to the flange and apply drag to measure the hp, or do they put on a propeller and measure thrust with a strain gauge?
I've read posts by lots of guys whose engines "dyno'd out at" whatever horsepower, but I've never seen a dyno at an airplane engine shop. I must admit that I've only been in a few aircraft engine specialty places though.

Looks good, Aaron! Perfect timing to fly it up to Gravelly Valley this weekend! You do need to break in that new engine anyways.

Very awesome! I really like that new panel. Got a pic of the new oil cooler location? I assume it is cooling well.

hotrod150 wrote:Good job, Bart-- that new panel looks great! I'm guessing that you made enough changes that you physically reweighed the airplane for a new W&B, as opposed to just calculating it? That's what I would have done anyway. Besides the weight loss, which way did you CG move?
I was wondering abut Lycon's dyno. I don't see anything hooked to the engine in the test-stand photo. Do they connect some sort of device to the flange and apply drag to measure the hp, or do they put on a propeller and measure thrust with a strain gauge?
I've read posts by lots of guys whose engines "dyno'd out at" whatever horsepower, but I've never seen a dyno at an airplane engine shop. I must admit that I've only been in a few aircraft engine specialty places though.

Yes, I re-weighed the plane, there were too many changes to try and calculate...came out to 1116 lbs. CG moved forward a bit but thanks to the lightweight alt and oil cooler up front, and getting rid of vacuum system, the change wasn't bad.

To be honest I don't know much about the dyno, unfortunately I wasn't there while it was running. I just took their word for it!! The main mount can turn in the blue barrel, and you can see a gauge of sorts on the left side rear, they also use a socket on the centerline where they can hook up a torque wrench.


Rob, I wish I could come this weekend, theres a very remote chance I could getup there for some sat morning flying but not likely.

Whee, here's a pic of the oil cooler mount... Seems to be cooling just fine, although its not that hot yet. I've read others have had no problems with this setup.

What's that baffle material you're using? It looks like some sort of fabric fiber blend? I've only ever seen the rubbery stuff used on new installations, so forgive me if that's old hat. That engine looks so clean!

That is gorgeous. I've heard from a few folks that use that Ly-Con motor in their C150/150 setups, that also say it's a true 170hp. Nice plane!

Zzz wrote:What's that baffle material you're using? It looks like some sort of fabric fiber blend? I've only ever seen the rubbery stuff used on new installations, so forgive me if that's old hat. That engine looks so clean!

Good ole fashioned felt, standard on cubs, at least the older ones anyway. Although I got this stuff from univair, it might be a synthetic felt as it feels a bit different than original...I'll see how it works out in the long run. Would be fairly easy to change to the silicone baffle material if necessary, but this was so easy to work with, and cheap. Unless you get the really expensive silicone material with special coating on one side, it's harder on the cowling...or so I've read.

Thanks for all the compliments!! It was a ton of work, but so glad I did it now that its (mostly) done.

The only thing (so far) that I would have done differently would be a smoother powder coat finish on the interior panels. They have a very vine texture to them, which hides the dents in the panels very well...the downside is that it highlights dust and dirt. Drag your foot across getting in or out, and it leaves a nice mark. Good thing though it is super durable and a damp rag will erase the marks easy.

looks great! Im super jealous that you have an airplane to fly. The WX has been so nice here in New England. Everyone seems to be flying but me!

Congrats!

Your engine installation looks great. Is that a Sutton (Pro Pilots) exhaust? I think that's a good mod-- much simpler than stock & leaves the firewall area much more open. It's similar to the Avcon exhaust on my C150/150. I have a similar oil cooler mount also, although your cooler looks like it might be larger than mine. Seems to work just fine, although up here in the cool pacific northwest high oil temps are not usually too much of a problem. That photo reminds me-- I need to remove the winterization plate plate on the aft side of the cooler one of these days.

I'm jealous, too--airplane's been down for a couple of months, first to send off a couple of gauges for manufacturer repairs, then for the annual that snuck up on me (failed to put it in my calendar) and then for the prop, which is at the prop shop hopefully being only re-sealed. I'm afraid I might have forgotten how to fly!

Cary