Took my '58 182A out to Panamint Springs Resort a few weeks ago and landed on their private strip behind the gas station. It's in beautiful shape, by the way... Granted, this was my very first time landing on dirt, sooooo maybe it's rough, maybe it's smooth LOL!

Anywho, during preflight before departing the next morning, I pulled the remote fuel drain knob, heard liquid blue money hitting the ground, then proceeded to walk around the aircraft. I noticed fuel still dripping from the drain under the cowling. Fiddled with it a bit, still leaking. Noticed if I pulled down on the lever real hard, the drips would stop... Tried readjusting the cable, still leaking. So, cut the cable off the lever, safety wired the drain lever down nice and tight. Turned fuel back on, no leaks. Went and used the restroom and said bye to some friends, to give the fix a bit of time to make sure it wouldn't start leaking again. Looked good, pushing and pulling, shaking and shimmying I couldn't get it to leak any more. So, I departed and had a smooth and uneventful flight home. I was hoping to hit Stovepipe and Furnace Creek on the way home, but I opted to get home as quick as I could.

After a few interweb searches and talking to my IA, I decided that going through the effort to rebuild and overhaul the 61 year old glass and cork vessel with levers and bails, and all sorts of moving parts, was not nearly as attractive as bolting on a shiny new one. Monday morning I called Steve's Aircraft and ordered up one of their gascolators.

It showed up quick, and when I opened the box I was blown away at how nice it was. Now I may be growing numb to how much "aviation" things cost, but compared all other things "aviation", this thing is a bargain!

All new AN fittings and a new SAF-AIR drain valve to replace the remote cable nonsense and it's ready to fly. Waiting to have it all checked out and signed off and I'll give her a test run.

Just wanted to echo what I've heard many times on here, as well as other sites, that Steve's Aircraft is a joy to do business with and they sell a quality product for a fair price.

A few pics below...

Good dudes. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in their shop with them rehabilitating my cylinders. Watched them fulfill a few gascolator orders while I was there.

I've been working with them for 13 years. I always felt like they've done me right and then some. The stories are priceless.

And of course I have a golden gascolator on my bird.

I have had one for a few years. When I got it I had it on my desk for a week or so before the install. It is REALLY NICELY MADE. Almost bought another just to keep on my desk.

Brian and Steve are the finest kind and make excellent products. If I were closer than 1000 miles NW of them I’d have another real airplane and I’d ask them to work on it.

Nice review! When my gascolator dies this is probably what I will replace it with.

One question. Would I be right in assuming that your gascolator is set up with a strainer drain? i.e. the little thinger that that you poke with one of these I didn't see any of the levers and the pulleys that mine used to have.

The steering linkage gets in the way of being able to press on the drain valve with the little cup, so I just push with my fingers and catch the fuel in the little cup. I suppose one could add a little 22.5 degree angle adapter to point the drain away from the linkage, but I didn't want the valve sticking out past the cowling any more than it does already.

I eliminated the remote drain cable, but Steve's does have a gascolator that retains the remote cable linkage if you are so inclined.

I've had filtered debris get between the drain plug and seat seal on Cessna and Bellanca filters. Hundreds of miles from maintenance and required removing the cowl to clean the drain. If there's crap in there let it run out completely before shutting off the drain. I was just lazy and pulled the drain knob on the Cessna and never looked at what was coming out. We were fueling out of containers through a filter but it's hard to be perfect.

Steve's the best. I got one on my Taylorcraft and maintenance always compliments on its build and filtering effectiveness.

Gary

I'll be gettin me one of these, they just look cool

Awesome product for sure. I've put many of them on and they are just awesome to service. I need to order another for my 206 shortly...

I don’t normally like to toot my own horn.. But.. I never get tired of hearing/reading/seeing positive reviews of our products...

Thanks Guys.. [emoji3]

Brian


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My ‘57 182A had the glass-colator and I was never really cool with it. Sure it was nice to see the blue go-juice in the window but I always fretted about it breaking inflight. Not sure if that was a valid concern or not. The previous owner replaced it once after it was dropped and shattered during an annual. I was at Beagle Sky Ranch visiting my pal Chuck around 2005. We walked over to Steve’s and I bought the gascolator I had been dreaming of. That and Dynamic Propeller’s carb air box support brackets were money well-spent.

The glass is quite thick.

C180_guy wrote:The glass is quite thick.

Mebbe so, but glass is glass. To me, having a glass bottle full of gas within inches of a hot manifold made little sense, so when I learned about Steve's Gascolators, I had to have one. Problem: as often happens with my orphan P172D with the Avcon Lycoming conversion, it wasn't on their STC AML list. Sure, my IA could have gone the approval route with a 337 and all, but instead, I contacted Steve's directly. "Gee, we're sorry that happened. Tell you what. The FAA will be here next week, and we'll just get it on the AML then. Is that quick enough for you?" You bet! So I ordered it, and it came about 10 days later, with STC and the amended AML which added P172D. Good stuff, good people.

Cary

C180_guy wrote:The glass is quite thick.

Quite a few of my sales to early Cessna’s is due to dropped and broken glass...

Brian


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Brian,

Are they approved on A-1C Husky's?

Kurt

G44 wrote:Brian,

Are they approved on A-1C Husky's?

Kurt

Kurt,

The A-1C 200 is.. But, for some reason the A-1C 180 got missed...
I have several aircraft models I need to submit to ACO for an AML update, just need to get my rear end in gear and finish the paperwork.

Brian.

Brian-StevesAircraft wrote:

G44 wrote:Brian,

Are they approved on A-1C Husky's?

Kurt

Kurt,

The A-1C 200 is.. But, for some reason the A-1C 180 got missed...
I have several aircraft models I need to submit to ACO for an AML update, just need to get my rear end in gear and finish the paperwork.

Brian.

Thanks Brian, we need 4 or 5 of them in my neighborhood for the A-1B and A-1C 180hp Husky's. Let me know when you have the Husky on the list.

Thanks
Kurt
[email protected]

Thanks for the pi-rep on those. It was very timely. My 205 project plane is missing its gascolator, and I'm ready for one. They really look nice in the pics. Too bad I couldn't mount it on the panel.

I just finished removing and cleaning the gascolator on my ‘58 182. It doesn’t have the glass bowl but an anodized aluminum bowl. I was confused about the cylindrical fuel strainer inside that I had to pull down to get out after removing the bowl. It was a little difficult to pull out. When putting the parts back together the strainer goes over a 1/4” or so tube that hangs down from the top. The tube fits into a hole on the bottom of the strainer with a thin wire “clip” that looks like it’s intended to hold the strainer there until you get the bowl re-installed over it. I did also manage to “pop” the strainer back into the top but it didn’t seem very secure. Is there something more positive that’s supposed to keep the strainer attached to the top of the bowl or does the bottom of the gascolator come up flush against the strainer to hold it there. Like I said, it was difficult to pull out but then barely stayed back up in the top. Mine doesn’t leak and so I see no real reason to change what Ihave.

I'm sporting a Steve's Gascolator on my bird, nice piece of hardware. I've ordered screens and O-rings over the years and SG's service was always top dog.