Best three mods

[c170b53]

George I only have so much money for our Alaska members

[marathonrunner]

Ok, so we just agree to disagree. I have had good luck with them in many airplanes. I do know that having bad luck does make one jaded towards certain products. I think Janitrol heaters are great but have had bad experiences with Southwind so, while I do not think they suck I am a bit leery of them. Also I think Slick Mags SUCK and that capital is for emphasis. Bendix tend in my opinion not fact, to be pretty reliable and bomb proof. Depending on the environment some impulse couplings jsut do not hold up as well as they do in the heat of Texas.

I think any 170 with a float kit should have Aerocet 2200's Edos on a 170 definitely SUCK emphasis added

Take care guys

[terryg3454]

Trying to determine a person's tone online is incredibly difficult.

http://www.wired.com/science/discoverie ... 6/02/70179

According to recent research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, I've only a 50-50 chance of ascertaining the tone of any e-mail message. The study also shows that people think they've correctly interpreted the tone of e-mails they receive 90 percent of the time.

Some people see CAPS as shouting, others see it as emphasizing a keyword in a sentence.
The same can be said of using "quotes".

When it comes to keeping things civil; this is one of the BEST online "groups" I've seen. People here genuinely want to share their knowledge and/or opinions without insult and readers mostly take the position that the other person wants to help and means well.

"CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?"

[blueldr]

It has been an awfully long time since I worked on a P&W R985 but I do think that they and the P&W R1340 both had a rubber 19/20 coupler driving each mag., but no Impulse. I also remember that both of those engines, were very easy to start by hand propping with the throttle at a dead idle.
I've also "propped"and started the P&W R1830 on a Dizzy Three, but thats considerably more involved and requires a man in the cockpit (or in the event of a LADY crew member, "The Box office") to run the primer and boost switches.

[hilltop170]

I never have had any trouble starting a P&W 985, 1340, 1830, Jacobs 755, any Continental or Lycoming, hot or cold, winter or summer with whatever stock ignition system they have. Just follow the correct procedure and they always start. But, I just fly 'em, I don't work on 'em. I also don't hand prop anymore on anything with more than 65hp.

But back on topic, my best three mods are;

GPS
Fuel Flow Computer
More horsepower

[robw56]

My best 3 are:

Sportsman STOL
80/42 Prop
Bushwheels

[170C]

Best three mods on my 170C:

Switching from nose wheel to tailwheel (I didn't do it, but sure glad a former Calif owner did )
Going from a Loran to Gps's
Replacing the original front seats to later model ones (much more comfortable, but still not as much as I would like)

[blueldr]

I had a bunch of modifications on my C-170B, but I guess I'd pretty much have to agree with Richard Pulley on the three best ones.

1. I had two simple GPS hand held sets that had uncanny accuracy. I was convinced on them after visiting and flying with my daughter,Nancy, on the Southern Air Transport Hercs over in east Africa. They used a hand held GPS, attached with velcro to one of the front windows of the Lockheed Hercs, to find to find the african mud hut villages to deliver the famine relief stuff out in the bush in Ethiopia and Sudan.

2. I had also installed a Shadin fuel flow instrument that was incredibly accurate and seemed able to tell you anything at all that you might want to know about your fuel status.

3. The last of the "Big Three" mods was, of course, the installation of the Continental IO-360 engine providing 210 HP, a quantum increase from the stock 145 HP. That engine makes a real "Dream Machine" out of the C-170B.

[GAHorn]

Since we're only d r e a m i n g.....I"ve got about 950 hrs on my O-300-C, and I can't wait to receive the laughter and critiques from Bruce and Frank when I reach TBO and install a TCM IO-360! They'll be GREEN with envy!

(I've got a set of 175 fuel tanks to go along with it to further ruin my originality.....but it'll LOOK right!)

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

George, you'll have to shorten your slogan to "The original nut for many reasons".

[170C]

George, my engine tsmo is pretty close to yours and I would love to have one of BL's conversions, but it is just too cost prohibitive unless one has an unlimited budget. With that cost and the airframe value one could be looking at early 180's, but of course that wouldn't be a 170. If you do that conversion you will then get to see some of the performance Bruce and others see in their GREEN planes

[blueldr]

Frank,
If you were to get a C-180, do you think you could get the fuel burn down to what you're getting in your present mount?
When I installed the Cont. IO-360, my fuel burn was exactly the same as my old C-145 ----- AS LONG AS I FLEW THE SAME AIRSPEEDS.
A C-180 will burn a little more than that even at those speeds.

George,
If you're serious about someday converting to the Cont. IO-360, start looking for an engine now. They are quite scarce other than new. It's a shame there aren't more airplanes to convert. In view of the way most of them are used, I doubt that many C-172 owners would be interested. Not many qualified guys are interested in pursueing the development of an STC for such a limited market. Knowing what a neat airplane it results in, I think maybe I'd take a crack at it myself if I were twenty five years younger.
I wouldn't be a bit surprized if old "Tail Wheel Tom" Anderson wouldn't get interested enough to re activate his STC if there were nenough dollar signs to make it worth his while.

[bagarre]

Tom's STC is still active and he'll even sell you a legal copy for your plane.
Back in June, he quoted me $500 for the STC paperwork and $1000 to lease the jig to make the mount.

He's just not allowed to make the mount nor other parts. Its on you to get the mount approved.

Once I build my garage, I'm going to start looking for a decent mid-time 360 and get a whole new FWF built up (over the next few years) before making the swap.

[blueldr]

I believe that the reason that Tom can't make the mount is because he never moved his PMA over to Wenatchee (Sp) from Arlington.

[170C]

Dick, I am sure you are correct regarding fuel burn, etc. I had a '65 182 and while it hauled a lot more load & faster, that O-470 burned no less than about 12 gph and more if you pushed it. I know of one of our members with that IO-360 (Cont) that can cruise around 135+ mph on about the same fuel burn as I do in my O-300B and I am going quite a bit slower as in around 115+.