Hello All

I thought I would start a new thread to document the upgrades to our 1979 180K. I have owned this airplane for several years and it already has some upgrades installed but we are planning a trip to Alaska this summer so I'm trying to get the airplane setup and "finished" in the next few months. I'll try to highlight some upgrades that have not been extensively covered by other posts.

Currently Installed:

Sportsman STOL
Kenmore 3,190 Gross Weight Increase
Silkirk Interior
BAS harnesses
BAS inertial seat reel
Tail handles
Bubble Windows
XP Tailwheel

Planned Modifications:

Air Plains (Bonair) 252Hp upgrade (O-470U). Currently, I have the STC and most of the parts to complete the install
Fuel Flow computer
Instrument panel overlay re-paint
cockpit USB ports
ADSB / XM Datalink
Upgraded GPS
Cargo Nets
Door Stewards
SCS Viny
29" Bushwheels

I also posted an introduction with some photos in the Community forum and will soon start a separate thread to outline our AK trip plan, and ask for input and help when needed, and document the trip.

Regards,

William

So we flew 2732K out to Tullahoma a few weeks ago for the Beach Party fly in and spent the night camped under the wing as we often do. On the flight home, I had an idea on how we might eliminate some of the clutter of jackets and blankets while flying and camping. It seems like they always end up on the floor of the aircraft when not in use so I came up with the following idea. I have something very similar in a Land Rover Defender and it does a good job of keeping light but bulky items accessible but out of the way.

Our aircraft already has seatbelt shoulder harness nutplates, so this was a very simple and removable addition. Obviously, you would not want to store anything up there that you don't want to hit you in the back of the head during a sudden deceleration. In the attached photos, there are 3 North Face "Puffy" jackets stowed with plenty of headroom remaining (for my 9 year old) to sit in the rear seat and not be affected.

I'll report back once we have had a chance to use it more but it seems like its going to do the intended job.

So after an almost 5 week business trip to the Middle East and all the other distractions in life I finally have my Annual Inspection done along with some of the modifications I have been wanting to do. In the past two months I have been able to complete the following in preparation for our trip to AK:

Removed and repainted instrument overlays
Removed and repainted KX-155 faceplates with Cerakote H-series paint
Installed Jupiter Avionics "glove box" in avionics rack
Removed carpet and installed SCS vinyl flooring
Installed door stewards
Removed old King KMD-150 GPS and King KR-86 ADF
Installed standby 28Volt Attitude Indicator
Installed Garmin Aera 660
Installed Garmin GDL-52
Replaced RH Cowl Flap cable:(
Installed Shadin Microflow fuel computer
Installed Stratus dual USB Chargers
Installed EI “Super Clock”
Installed NVG compatible cockpit post / flood lighting
Installed aft and middle cargo nets
Removed 4th, 5th, and 6th seats
Installed shoulder harness for 3rd and 4th seats


About all that’s left to do is install the Air Plains (Bonair) 252Hp upgrade for the O-470U and source bushwheels and tailwheel.

Also as a note it took almost 11 weeks for my 2019 CBP user fee sticker to arrive. Im assuming the government shutdown did not help but don’t leave it if you need one….

Looking good!

All,

I currently have the XP Mods 10" tailwheel installed and am looking to upgrade to the ABW. Does anyone know if the internals fo the XP 10", the ABW Baby Bushwheel, and Scott 3400 are all the same? I.e. can I upgrade the XP 10" to the ABW Baby Bushwheel with just a fork and tire change change (per the ABW kit)?

I will call ABW this week unless someone knows for sure it will work?

Regards,

W

Cwillfly wrote:All,

I currently have the XP Mods 10" tailwheel installed and am looking to upgrade to the ABW. Does anyone know if the internals fo the XP 10", the ABW Baby Bushwheel, and Scott 3400 are all the same? I.e. can I upgrade the XP 10" to the ABW Baby Bushwheel with just a fork and tire change change (per the ABW kit)?

I will call ABW this week unless someone knows for sure it will work?

Regards,

W

It will work. For reference, the XP is a direct copy of Scott, to include the fork casting. The ABW internals are a copy of the Scott internals. The outer casting of the ABW head and fork are slightly different. All you need to order is to BBW fork, tire, wheel spacer and bolts.

If you haven't had your XP disassembled recently, I'd break it down and order any worn internals along with your BBW parts.

Make sure and reassemble exactly as the ABW schematic depicts. I can't count how many I've rebuilt that were assembled with extra parts, missing parts or just incorrectly.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk to specifically annoy:
Zane
Hammer

Hammer,

Thanks for the quick response. Im on it!

Regards,

W

Cwillfly wrote:All,

I currently have the XP Mods 10" tailwheel installed and am looking to upgrade to the ABW. Does anyone know if the internals fo the XP 10", the ABW Baby Bushwheel, and Scott 3400 are all the same? I.e. can I upgrade the XP 10" to the ABW Baby Bushwheel with just a fork and tire change change (per the ABW kit)?

I will call ABW this week unless someone knows for sure it will work?

Regards,

W

FWIW, I think the only difference is the lock plate. That may only be the case on the XP 14" TW, but I seem to remember not being able to use the XP lock plate on a scott or ABW fork. The Baby Bush comes with a dummy plate, but if you want to lock it, you need to change it.

Not going to open the can of worms concerning whether or not you want the lock though......

So we have been looking for the best place / way to mount the In-Reach Explorer in the 180. The below photos show the Garmin powered mount (USB) attached to a simple .040 sheetmetal bracket. The assy is "temporarily " attached to the A pillar using 3M Very High Bond (VHB) tape with an adhesion promoter applied beforehand. The VHB tape is legit and I'm not sure I could remove the bracket even if I wanted. Ill tuck the wire behind the paneling and job done.

Mine’s on a handlebar bracket clamped to the V brace.

I like how clean that bracket looks.

Mine is currently looped around the right V-brace leg and tossed to the left side of the dash.



I might make a simple sheet metal bracket like yours, thanks for sharing your idea!

Update

I have been working on a few small housekeeping projects in the 180 with the concept of keeping the aircraft organized and certain items accessible. We have historically always started trips with a well organized aircraft but that rarely survives the first few days.

Quick Detachable Survival Kit
So I am familiar with the arguments, and Pros & Cons of waring a survival vest and enjoyed the well put together video and posts on the subject here on BCP. I have several Military Spec vests that I have worn for many years flying overseas but personally do not fly in one on family / Cessna trips. That being said I recognize the need to have equipment on board and accessible so I have settled on the below compromise consisting of a detachable bag attached to the back of the pilot seat.

In addition to the QD kit content shown below, I keep a few essential medical items, sat phone, and signaling devices in my day pack.

Aqualink PLB
Individual First Aid Kit (IFAC) with Quick Clot, Israli Bandages, Cats Eye, S-Packed Gauze, sutures, Etc
Sam Splint
3 Emergency Blankets
Fire Starting Kit
50 feet of 100Lb rope
Bug dope
Water purification tabs
Compass
Whistle
Signaling Mirror
Leatherman mini
Small VS-17 panel
Rescue Laser with spare batteries
AA LED flashlight / Strobe with spare batteries
Sea Die Marker
3 Orion Flares
3 Red 12 hour Cylumes
Small tarp / shelter





Benelli Mount
Next task was to figure out a simple way to mount / store / secure the Benelli 12Ga. I have seen / worked with some similar setups for M-4s and thought Id mock something up. Since I have one of the rear seats removed, utilizing the attachment provisions from the seat and hand hold would provide a simple and "temporary" mount. The mount will not allow the gun to be installed if the action is closed. ie. the slide must be to the rear / open or it will interfere. Overall weight of system is 8 Oz.






Life Jacket Under Seat Stowage
The last project was a simple way to store 3 or 4 airline type life jackets out of the way while still being accessible. I had originally just bungeed them under the rear seat, but the little guy (my son) was not able to get them out with his seatbelt on. The photos should show the approach and it seems to work perfectly. He can now grab them while belted in and it only takes a few seconds. The aluminum added a few ounces but not much.

Wow, nice job!

I have a recommendation. The Precise Flow air vents Sporty's sells for your wing root cabin air vents are a VERY worthwhile, easy mod. Best $450 I have ever spent on a Cessna! Check them out.

Kurt

G44 wrote:I have a recommendation. The Precise Flow air vents Sporty's sells for your wing root cabin air vents are a VERY worthwhile, easy mod. Best $450 I have ever spent on a Cessna! Check them out.

Kurt,
Thanks for the suggestion. They are on the list but have not made it to the top yet. Its good to have a positive PIREP as I was on the fence and was not sure if they would install with the seaplane V brace in the way.

Cwillfly wrote:

G44 wrote:I have a recommendation. The Precise Flow air vents Sporty's sells for your wing root cabin air vents are a VERY worthwhile, easy mod. Best $450 I have ever spent on a Cessna! Check them out.

Kurt,
Thanks for the suggestion. They are on the list but have not made it to the top yet. Its good to have a positive PIREP as I was on the fence and was not sure if they would install with the seaplane V brace in the way.

They fit no problem in my 1976 185 with the V Brace.

Do you have to remove the V brace to install them or remove the old ones? Seems awfully tight.

My new tailwheel fork and tire arrived on Friday! I ended up going with the 4.00X4 glider tire on the ABW fork. Its all painted and ready for install.

StuBob wrote:Do you have to remove the V brace to install them or remove the old ones? Seems awfully tight.

No, we didn't have to do that.

Kurt

Cwillfly wrote:….. I ended up going with the 4.00X4 glider tire on the ABW fork.....

Friend of mine put that set-up on his Maule,
and had trouble with the tube failing--
both the originally installed tube, and the spare he'd also bought which he replaced it with.
He contacted Airframes, and they told him those tubes were known to be substandard & subject to splitting.
They suggested buying a much more expensive tube (which they also sell).
Dunno which tube you got, but be advised.

hotrod180 wrote:Friend of mine put that set-up on his Maule,
and had trouble with the tube failing--
both the originally installed tube, and the spare he'd also bought which he replaced it with.
He contacted Airframes, and they told him those tubes were known to be substandard & subject to splitting.
They suggested buying a much more expensive tube (which they also sell).
Dunno which tube you got, but be advised.

Hotrod,

Well I read your post after I had already installed the new wheel but sure enough I came back to the hangar and it was flat. The tube had a split/de-lamination around the valve stem. Called AA and they basically told me the same thing as you had posted regarding your friends Maule.

FYI the "heavy duty tube" is actually a 500-4 from a Beaver tailwheel if I understood them correctly. Basically the wider tube will fit better in the overly sprawled out 4.00X4 tire (when mounted with the ABI spacer) plus its of much better constructions. Ill add some photos when it arrives.