I'm interested in removing the stabilizer on a 1958 C180 I bought this summer, both to inspect the jackscrew mechanisms and to replace the vor cable. The service manual is kind of sketchy on that process (I'm an AP); anybody have any real world experience/tips? Thanks!

jrc111 wrote:I'm interested in removing the stabilizer on a 1958 C180 I bought this summer, both to inspect the jackscrew mechanisms and to replace the vor cable. The service manual is kind of sketchy on that process (I'm an AP); anybody have any real world experience/tips? Thanks!

It's fairly simple. . Remove rudder. . You can just let the rudder cables hang. . They won't fall off any pulleys or anything. Remove bolts and screws holding vertical stab on.. don't lose the special washers on the Allen head screws that go through the vertical stab at the lower rudder hinge.

For the horizontal stab. Undue the top fasteners in the trim jack to stab. . Lift the stab up a little bit and put a 12" drill bit through the trim Jacks so they don't get out of rig. Undue the 2 bolts at the back and lift the stab out. . If I remember correctly you lift the front out first.

For reinstall it's the exact opposite. . If you lose the trim setting make sure when you are rigging that you have the right number of chain links under the trim wheel sticking out (I think it's 3 aft of the left sprocket. . Or else you'll dent the skin under those sprockets when the chain link tries to go past the sprocket. .

Another helpful hint for reinstalling the elevators. . Do up the middle and outboard hinge on both elevators before you put any bolts through the elevator to bell crank end. . It helps prevent damaging the horizontal stabilizer trailing edge skins from your wrenches needing that last little bit of movement to get the next "flat"..


And the one pivot bolt for the bell crank is fun to reinstall. . Horizontal stabilizer has to be in the right place and a little bit of swearing seems to help. It might be easier to put that bolt in, after you put the stabilizer back in place but before you put the horizontal stab bolts back in.. (I'm not sure on this because I've never tried it that way)

It's actually surprisingly easier then it looks. But be sure and pull the cowl and attach a hoist to the engine mount (or put some weight in the extended baggage), cause once the tail assembly is off it's real easy to put it on its nose. At least that was the case with my 185.

Great stuff! I don't think I have to worry about the tip over, as the engine is off being p-ponked. One clarification - is there any way to avoid losing the trim setting? Thanks again.

jrc111 wrote:Great stuff! I don't think I have to worry about the tip over, as the engine is off being p-ponked. One clarification - is there any way to avoid losing the trim setting? Thanks again.

Just put a drill bit through both trim Jacks after you pull the upper bolts.

Barnstormer wrote:It's actually surprisingly easier then it looks. But be sure and pull the cowl and attach a hoist to the engine mount (or put some weight in the extended baggage), cause once the tail assembly is off it's real easy to put it on its nose. At least that was the case with my 185.

So, far it's been a little difficult. I did discover it's a little easier to access the stab spars if you remove the side panels, which requires you to roll the front of the tail down with trim:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129286532@N02/20348827912

which gave me access to the vor cable and rotating beacon wire which someone had cleverly taped together and moreover, had put a BNC connector on the bottom front rib on the VOR cable making it impossible to change the cable in the tail without disassembling the vert stab.

On my C180B, there are no Allen bolts at the aft spar, but instead a pair of large screws, the left one required drilling out:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129286532@N02/20169269770

Both will need replacing.

I'm stumped on the front spar bolts, though:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129286532 ... ed-public/

The only way I can seem to gain access to the nuts is with a 1/2 inch cylinder wrench:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129286532 ... ed-public/

You can see the two of them way up there between the rudder spring bellcranks. I probably can get the nuts off with help using the cylinder wrench, but even with my arm all the way up to my armpit in the access panel, I don't seem to be able to put fingers on the nuts. How in the world will I be able to get the nuts/washers back on the bolts when I reassemble?

Any suggestions would be for sure appreciated. Thanks!

You can just get the nuts back on and have someone else turn the bolt or take your shallow socket and pack it with tape to hold the nut "out of the socket" a little bit.. A little fuel lube on the washer and a long extension, with your tongue hanging out the corner of your mouth. It is doable.. I'm lucky, I can shove my arm up the hole from the bottom all the way up to my armpit so, depending on which way I am lying and which arm I'm using I can thread each of the spar nuts, onto the bolts.