Not a restoration or major upgrade thread (yet!), but we just got the first Bushwheel our 185 has ever seen...



Like I said, it's a start! We're still keeping the 8.50x6's on the mains for now.

The old IO520D off and ready to be shipped out. I said this in another thread, but if you are looking at any airplane with an engine that has been through the One Stop Aviation shop in Oceanside, CA, BUYER BEWARE!!! Be damn sure to have a good A&P really look over any work that they did with a fine tooth comb and really scrutinize the logs. This engine had just over 280 hours SMOH and after getting in to all of the issues that we found at annual, we opted for a factory reman instead of re-overhauling this one. Peace of mind goes a long way in the boonies of Idaho!



A good preflight will catch this sort of thing before it becomes a problem during the flight...



There's more, but I have to remember where I saved those pics! Hehehe

Great pictures! Sorry about the 520. That will be my luck for sure. Was it shop specific or more issues with 520 majors vs 470s? Local guy in my EAA chapter has a 185 with the 520, but it has sat for awhile.

CapnMike wrote:Not a restoration or major upgrade thread (yet!), but we just got the first Bushwheel our 185 has ever seen...



Like I said, it's a start! We're still keeping the 8.50x6's on the mains for now.

The old IO520D off and ready to be shipped out. I said this in another thread, but if you are looking at any airplane with an engine that has been through the One Stop Aviation shop in Oceanside, CA, BUYER BEWARE!!! Be damn sure to have a good A&P really look over any work that they did with a fine tooth comb and really scrutinize the logs. This engine had just over 280 hours SMOH and after getting in to all of the issues that we found at annual, we opted for a factory reman instead of re-overhauling this one. Peace of mind goes a long way in the boonies of Idaho!



A good preflight will catch this sort of thing before it becomes a problem during the flight...



There's more, but I have to remember where I saved those pics! Hehehe

Awesome Capn! I'm digging pretty deep in to my Skywagon this winter as well.

Mike, you had expressed some concern, when we talked on my boat in Waikiki about the annual being slow. Glad to see you are getting issues worked out. New or reman is really the only solution with TBO'd Continentals. The total cost of ownership (TCO) will be lower if you fly.

rcwflyer wrote:Great pictures! Sorry about the 520. That will be my luck for sure. Was it shop specific or more issues with 520 majors vs 470s? Local guy in my EAA chapter has a 185 with the 520, but it has sat for awhile.

Definitely shop-specific. If you Google reviews of One Stop Aviation in Oceanside, CA you'll see what I'm talking about. We aren't their first victims by any means. The good news is we'll end up with an engine with which we can have a lot more confidence.

So, the new engine arrived last week, along with other goodies:

New engine monitor! Really excited about this. I've been doing a lot of Mike Busch reading lately to get ready for a long, happy life with the new IO520D



Of course, this is going to be a nice addition to our 185 glider.



And the back side view:



Out with the old engine controls, battery cable and grounding straps!



New engine mount as well!



Better view of the mount. You can see the old engine in the background, getting ready for shipping.



Port side:



As my dad said, "It's starting to look like an airplane again!"



New baffles going on:



Clean machine for now!

Exhaust and the alternator going back on! Almost ready for the prop...





Lots of new baffling, too.



Alternator back in place.

Very clean!

Getting her close, congrats!!

What kind of exhaust is that? Standard IO 520?

Coming along nicely, looks great!!

I've got a puddle of drool in my lap.

Zzz wrote:I've got a puddle of drool in my lap.

ok good....thought it was just me!!

nice looking work Mike......can't wait to start mine!!

Roamer

Glidergeek wrote:What kind of exhaust is that? Standard IO 520?

Yes, it's a standard IO520D exhaust. I'm guessing you were looking at the extra metal at the bend you can see here?



We looked at that, too. No idea why it was welded there, it doesn't seem to be part of a repair. Short version is, it isn't hurting anything, so it went back on the airplane.

Very nice! Your shipping the core 520 and old mount to my house right

Did you run into any issues on the seaplane mount?

N300RE wrote:Did you run into any issues on the seaplane mount?

This

Those are wonderful mounts but I can remember a couple being recalcitrant to line up.

Looks great!

No issues on fitting the Seaplanes West engine mount that I know of! Prop is back on! WooT!

The last month saw us finally finishing our "annual"... It was a bit of an adventure, once we started uncovering some of the serious problems lurking under the surface of our old engine, but the new TCM IO420D is amazing! The new G3 we installed is really impressive - it's hard to believe how much functionality you can get out of a 3-inch instrument! I'm really looking forward to getting out of the break-in period so I can get back my stickum wheel landings.

I forgot to post pics of the elegant solution to jacking Cessnas... This simple bracket cradles the gear leg and can be kept on with a small bolt through the hole at the top. A bottle jack fits in the cup underneath. You can put a layer of shop rags in the cradle if you're worried about paint scratches. I can't believe I haven't seen one of these before.





The prop is back on and the interior has gone back in...





Last pic before getting the fuel flows calibrated with the local "fuel guy".



Yesterday we spent the afternoon draining the last of the fuel and then refueling 10 gallons at a time to make some calibrated fuel dipsticks for the fuel tanks. I made separate dipsticks for regular and long-range fuel. One-time deal and we're done. Now we just have to burn more of that fuel out... hehehe





My dad did the first ring-setting flight last week, and we're now into the first part of the break-in period flying with mineral oil. It was hard flying for hours with only a few landings, but we all have to suffer in aviation...







I was really surprised at how much smoother this engine mount is compared to our old one - there is very little airframe vibration all through the RPM range. It's flying like a dream. This morning I flew us from Sandpoint down to Spokane, 6500ft in cool, smooth air at 7:30am. Indicating 140 knots with the 8.50x6's and the power at 23" and 2400 RPM. The only thing I'm bummed about is that I bounced the landing

Overall, though, it was a good morning!

Looks great Mike! I have almost and identical jack pad. Mine has a piece of angle iron the bottom for the jack to sit on. Works great!
I'm curious how much fuel you had to put in before it started reading on your dipstick?