Replaced the old some what working radios with TKM units, but was pretty sick of the old ratty patched up panel and an Ipad on the yoke. Managed to do a center stack over the T- column. Only room for the radios and audio panel there, but that is fine. Transponder below where the second glove box used to be works. Found some real shoddy tray mounting that was sagged allowing the aileron chain to rub. Tore and cleaned the rotten 60 year old carpet off the dash and installed a ashby glareshield. I like the extended eyebrow. ADF gone, shot VOR indicators gone. Carb heat/suction guages moved to lh panel. New intercom will be mounted in open guage hole on lh panel.

Nice! Looks much better. The previous owner of my 180A was also able to do a center stack above the yoke, and I'm really glad he did. I have a transponder and ADF (hopefully coming out soon) down low and that doesn't bother me at all, but having the radios up high is really nice.

Although those radios seem like a little overkill without indicators to use the nav part for haha.

Ya, they are a little overkill, but what sold me on them is just a slide in without having to replace trays and rewire. Now after doing the tray work, I may as well just have put smaller radios in and rewired. Wouldn't mind having at least one vor, too bad no one seems to make a new version. Not many places overhaul anymore and ones that do only will touch specific ones.

Nice! How longed it take from start to finish?

I pulled 2 crappy coms out of my last airplane, and installed one good one (Icom A200). Pretty easy job BTW-- the intercom was wired to jacks (lots of wires), radio was wired to intercom with just 3 wires: audio, mike, PTT. Plus power & ground to radio, and some jumpers.

Ya - Doesn't seem so bad to do the wiring after wrestling with tray moving and mounting. Especially big trays like these are. With newer thin com radios might even be able to fit the transponder in the center stack too. I have replacing the intercom next on the list so i will be digging into the wiring anyway. Amazing what shoddy work some avionics places do, Trays installed with only one screw in each side - tinnermans for backing, next to non-existent rear supports. Granted the radios were put in in the early 80's, but still. Always wondered what the shudder noise was when I manually lifted and lowered the elevator from the tail - rubbing on radio tray.

Took me a couple 5 hr days to do. But I did preorder everything i anticipated needing: 50 thou panel stock, bolts/nuts, aluminum bar stock for radio tray supports, guage reducers to move guages from rh panel to lh, primer, flat black paint etc. I ordered the airgizmos mini ipad mount and the angle piece for it, but no real good place to put it unless I did the full engine monitor and got rid of the fuel/oil guage cluster. I ended up using a MGF aluminum mount - really nice and solid and looks like part of the panel. Pricey though. Ashby glareshield was easy, biggest task was guessing at the heat duct slot cut as windshield was in. Otherwise no trimming required, nice product.

Mark Y. wrote:Ya - Doesn't seem so bad to do the wiring after wrestling with tray moving and mounting. Especially big trays like these are. With newer thin com radios might even be able to fit the transponder in the center stack too. I have replacing the intercom next on the list so i will be digging into the wiring anyway. Amazing what shoddy work some avionics places do, Trays installed with only one screw in each side - tinnermans for backing, next to non-existent rear supports. Granted the radios were put in in the early 80's, but still. Always wondered what the shudder noise was when I manually lifted and lowered the elevator from the tail - rubbing on radio tray.

Took me a couple 5 hr days to do. But I did preorder everything i anticipated needing: 50 thou panel stock, bolts/nuts, aluminum bar stock for radio tray supports, guage reducers to move guages from rh panel to lh, primer, flat black paint etc. I ordered the airgizmos mini ipad mount and the angle piece for it, but no real good place to put it unless I did the full engine monitor and got rid of the fuel/oil guage cluster. I ended up using a MGF aluminum mount - really nice and solid and looks like part of the panel. Pricey though. Ashby glareshield was easy, biggest task was guessing at the heat duct slot cut as windshield was in. Otherwise no trimming required, nice product.

Good on you! Looks awesome!

Looks good Mark. A couple thin comms and your easily fit the xpndr up there as well. Watch Ebay, with the new 8.33 channel spacing requirement in Europe there is a lot of very reasonably priced radios on there.

Looks good Mark. A couple thin comms and your easily fit the xpndr up there as well. Watch Ebay, with the new 8.33 channel spacing requirement in Europe there is a lot of very reasonably priced radios on there. I guess around your neck of the woods dual comms is nice for dealing with YEG. Up here in the sticks I like just a single comm an intercom. No audio panel needed that way, so no avionics shop needed either.

I do like and somewhat need dual comms. The old 170 worked, but the ugly old MX12 was dead. The TKM's were the fastest, if not the cheapest solution at the time. $500US off of retail each Oshkosh discount wasn't too bad a year and a half ago. I will definatley keep an eye out for a new thinner com for a decent deal as VOR's will be a thing of the past sooner than later. Any particular ones you would recommend i watch for?

Mark Y. wrote:I do like and somewhat need dual comms. The old 170 worked, but the ugly old MX12 was dead. The TKM's were the fastest, if not the cheapest solution at the time. $500US off of retail each Oshkosh discount wasn't too bad a year and a half ago. I will definatley keep an eye out for a new thinner com for a decent deal as VOR's will be a thing of the past sooner than later. Any particular ones you would recommend i watch for?

There been some SL30s and 40s going for around 1800. Not cheap, but cheap for quat you get. And thy are very slim. But anything really. The TKMs work pretty good though for the price.

A1Skinner wrote:...I like just a single comm an intercom. No audio panel needed that way, so no avionics shop needed either.

My first airplane was a stock C150J, with two ARC nav coms.
No audio panel, it had a toggle switch to select which radio you were transmitting on.
And another toggle switch to select speaker or headsets.
Volume on each radio took care of which one (or both) you were listening to.
Simple, cheap, very effective.

Mark Y. wrote:....I have replacing the intercom next on the list so i will be digging into the wiring anyway. ....

Most intercoms seem to utilize a multi-pin connector between the intercom and the headset jack wiring.
The one on my Sigtronics intercom has 12 pins.
I wonder...if most intercoms share a common configuration, maybe a new intercom could just plug right into the existing harness?
That would save a lot of work if the existing headset jack wiring is good.

In a European context is there room in these vintage panel centre stacks for an IFR GPS with 8.33 COM (Garmin GNC 355), a Garmin 255 NAV/COM, although an old Bendix KX155 might be already fitted, and a Mode S transponder?

Where does the VOR/LOC CDI usually sit, in the lower left? not super easy to scan perhaps.

To get to a reasonably efficient cruising altitude in Europe you need to file IFR, hence Mode S, 8.33 and IFR GPS.

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