I'm headed out this morning to look at an 180HP/172 (1957) that has a 1800SMOH engine. The plane looks in decent shape but has older Collins radios in it. I think they are VHF 251's. Have only seen grainy photos with no equiptment list. I have only been flying in areas where basic unicom is used for nearly the last couple of decades, are these radios still useable for heavy traffic areas? The plane is not for me, and will be headed to the west coast where there is considerably more controlled airspace. I'm just the guy that's going to look at the plane to take pictures and look at the log books.

I do know that a few places I have flown require a 6 digit (such as 123.075) frequency and I believe these radios only have 2 spaces after the decimal.

The high time and possiblity of have to OH the engine and upgrade the plane might make this plane a money pit. 2913TT 1800SMOH on an O-360 with Hatzel CS prop. Prop was last overhauled in 2010 @1544 hrs. Asking $40K which I think is high considering the high time SMOH engine. The other plus is it has a STOL cuff but not sure which brand, he said it's a 'Doyn' STOL conversion, but I have never heard of it.

I agree the price seems high for a high time 0-360 STC model. The radio was top of the line back in the day and gave good clear communications. I don't remember model numbers but the first out 720 channels had a switch somewhere to make the third digit come up on the led screen. If not, good commo for the common 2 digit frequencies.

The 0-360 STC 172 climbed better but used more gas to go only a little faster. The H2AD O-320 at 160hp was unpopular in the 172 until they figured out the oil that the valves liked, then was fine. It climbed better than the 150hp O-320 and was similar on required 100LL gas. 100LL annoyed any small engine with much more lead than necessary. Fouled plugs had to be cleaned every 50 hours.

The buyer should have an AI check the paperwork and do an inspection.

Keith,

Those radios were great radios in their day. I can't recall if the ones in my old 180 were 720 capable, but I know some of these were. Not sure you could get parts for these, but there were a LOT of them out there.

Check the prop hub for the corrosion and cracking AD compliance. You'll need the serial number of the hub. I've had two Hartzell hubs condemned, which is not an inexpensive process. Basically have to purchase a new hub, then have blades overhauled....if they pass. Etc. If that prop was last worked on in 2010, there's probably an AD that requires inspection every 100 hours. That gets old.

MTV

WWhunter wrote:....The other plus is it has a STOL cuff but not sure which brand, he said it's a 'Doyn' STOL conversion, but I have never heard of it.

I never heard of a Doyne STOL kit,
but there was a Doyne engine conversion for the C170 (and possibly the 172) which used a 170hp Lycoming O340
& Hartzell c/s prop.
It's possible that at some point the 340 was upgraded to a 360.

If the rest of the airplane is good, I wouldn't sweat the radios too much.
It's pretty inexpensive to tear out the old coms & install one good one.
Under $2K for the radio itself, and (should be) just a few hours to install.
I did just that myself with my old C150/150TD.

Thanks everyone. I flew down this morning in near glass smooth air. I love those kind of flights!

The plane was decent overall but had some small areas of corrosion and what appeared to be leaking aut fuel from one of the wings. The logs showed the left wing tank had been recently removed/repaired. Owner said he only used 100LL and it's what I smelled from the fuel drain. Older but very nice looking brown leather interior. Minimal oil residue in the engine compartment and on the belly considering the looked like the last time it was washed was a decade ago. A good buffing would bring out some shine but it's probably due a complete paint to make it look real nice.

Mike, thanks for the refresher on the prop. I thought I had read awhile ago about your issues with the Hartzel. This prop had been rebuilt (new hub, etc,) in 2010 I believe. I took lots of pictures of the logs and will have to check again.

In regards to the engine conversion and the STOL cuff, it's paperwork says Mid-America STOL Aircraft Inc. (MASA) Doyn aircraft out of Wichita, KA.
I think the plane would be a good flying project for someone that has the time and ability to do the work themselves. I would have purchased it myself but I am already over run with projects.

I talked the prospective buyer out of it, only because they are interested in a time builder and felt they would have more invested in the final product than could be purchased already done.

Thanks again all!! The contributors on this site are awesome!!

PS. The guy me on my way home and he listed it on BS for $45K if anyone is looking for a flying project.