Javelin and Flint?

[cessna170bdriver]

Sounds like you got Jamie a lemon George. My 1997 Saturn will hit 330,000 miles next week, and I'd leave for the East Coast in it today. My Saturn dealer in Bakersfield is also a 90-mile round trip, but I'd drive twice that far for the good service they've shown me over the last 10+ years. When/if the wheels ever fall off of this one, I'm looking at Saturn first.

Miles

PS: Anyone care to get this thread back on track? What was it about anyway?

[Jr.CubBuilder]

Yep. My wife's Saturn can't be fixed by anyone when it breaks because you can't get the parts unless it's driven to Austin (90 miles roundtrip)...except it only goes 25 miles on a battery charge and it's computer shuts down....and the gear-shift then is locked and can't be shifted. (And the auto-electric company won't touch it because they can't get parts like bruses/bearings for the alternator. Saturn never has one in stock, so the alternator is 3 days backorder...and costs $590 plus tax.) They get $80/hr to be parts-replacers and they always manage to get 2 hours to R&R an alternator. (Mounted at the botton of the engine compartment on a transverse engine.)
A 2000 Saturn LS-1, within 4 years had two alternators, air conditioner condenser flex-line replaced twice due to defective rubber in the hoses, an engine main-bearing oil-seal, ..... and three recall programs for lighting issues and door-handle mechanism issues and engine ignition/computer issues (the only things covered by warranty was the recalls.)
Any other GM product could have been handled by the local GM dealer....but not the Saturn. Nope. A whole day wasted and 90 miles roundtrip and usually several days wait for parts.
Saturn.....never again.

Geeze George, I thought my Dodge was a lemon but that beats mine.

I haven't seen them or tried them, but I thought I'd throw it out there that DelAir has a tank mod for bigger wing tanks. They make the stock ones bigger and modify the wing to make them fit. Sounds like more money than it's worth for me, but it keeps the gas out of the cabin and the weight isn't hanging off your wing tips either. I thought the wing tip mods looked great till I started thinking about the weight issue, and also the pain in the a** it would be to have to get out there with a ladder to put that little bit of gas in each wing tip.

[Dooley]

I want to add range to my 170A with Lyc O360. The Delair STC I believe would be just as easy to install. Only two fueling points, no extra plumbing,switches or fuel gauges. I will DIY it as I am an A&P and my brother is an IA. Not much info on this mod on the internet. Del air has no Web savvy. I have seen javelin mods and Flint has a pretty clear explanation on their site. Has anyone ever seen a Del Air mod or is it in theory only? Would I be part of their R&D? Dooley

[blueldr]

Everything that I've seen in the way of mods by Harry Dellicker have been absolutely first class. His kit for the Lycoming 180 conversion is by far the finest and most complete one on the market. It may cost a little more, but you can bet it's better.

A good example of the quality of his stuff is the completely rebuilt C-170 that everyone was raving about at the last convention.

I wouldn't like to give up the floor space required for the Javelin tank, and the flint tanks are a real problem to fill at times depending on the stand available at the fueling site. I suspect the Flint tanks might cause the wing tips to be kind of heavy.

[GAHorn]

...A good example of the quality of his (Harry Dellicker) stuff is the completely rebuilt C-170 that everyone was raving about at the last convention. ....

That airplane belongs to member Steve Jacobson in the DFW area. Steve has a few choice words to say about Harry's paperwork and follow-up issues. You might contact him (he's in the Directory and also here on the forums every once-in-a-while.)

Otherwise, Harry is well known in modification circles.

[Indopilot]

Does anyone know if you have to install the heavy duty stringers in the wings ( Extruded aluminum) like the 185 requires for the Flint tips?

[johneeb]

This is what the top of the wing looks like when you finish installing Harry's fuel tank mod. As Blu says Harry's kit comes with absolutely every thing you need including enough drawings to cover the walls of your hangar. One of the best parts of Harry's deal is the STC that comes with it making the paper work (often harder than the physical installation project) a slam dunk. Indo the mod does not require heavy duty stringers.

[Dooley]

John did you put in the 7 or 15 gal? I am thinking it doesn't cost much more to go really big. Dooley

[johneeb]

Dooley,
I used the 7 gallon addition, my goal was to keep the range similar to what it was before the engine upgrade. You know all the bad jokes about the human endurance as we mature well the 7 gallon addition to the airplane's tanks is somewhere past my personal capacity . In one conversation with Harry D. he mentioned that he thought that the market for the extra longer range tanks might be fish spotters and pipe line patrols.


I appologize for the picture in my post above not showing. When I past the url in the browser it shows up fine yet it does not always show up here

[GAHorn]

...I appologize for the picture in my post above not showing. When I past the url in the browser it shows up fine yet it does not always show up here

It shows up if you cut/past the ENTIRE webpage (but it's pretty dark):

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwDMGtoX ... 20wing.JPG

[Harold Holiman]

I really liked my Javlin tank. It only raised the floor of the baggage compartment about six inches and without a rear package shelf that never presented a space problem.

Harold

[jon s blocker]

I have a Javelin tank and really like it. as Harold said, it doesn't take up much space and it is great for the CG range inour plane. The only draw back I see is the fuel management issue of having to change tanks to get the fuel from the aux. to the right tank. This entails burning from the right, then burning from the left while pumping to the right, then burning from both, or a combination of the above while in flight to keep the wing tanks balanced on cross country flights to avoid a heavy wing situation. Harrys tanks would be nice, but our situation was such that we decided not to use them at the time of our rebuild, ( our wings had just been totally rebuilt and we didn't want to tear into them again. Jon

[ak2711c]

I seriously thought about putting Harry's tanks in my plane until I got my new motor in. I actually have better range now than I did with the stock motor. There are occasions where an extra 5-10 gallons would be nice but I think for the $4,800 + Labor that the tanks cost I don't mind throwing a couple 5 gallon cans in the back of the plane when I need it. Harry does do a really nice job on those tanks though.
The Flint tanks are very heavy and they can cause some excitment when landing on a steep beach with all of that weight out on the wing tip. I think they are a good product but there are better options available.
Shawn

[Harold Holiman]

Shawn,

I know they do it all the time in Alaska, but are you really comfortable flying with a couple fo five gallon cans of gasoline live in the cabin with you or you and your family?

Harold

[ak2711c]

I agree with you its not an ideal situation. However I only need to do it a few times a year. I use good cans that seal tight. I wrap them up in a big tarp just incase one does leak it doesn't get on the carpet. Then I strap them down very securely in the baggage area. I would rather have that a few times a year than a Javalin tank permanently in the cockpit with me. The Javalin freaks me out more. Of all of the available choices the Javalin would be my last. If I am in a wreck bad enough to puncture my cans in the baggage area than I bet the Javalin would be leaking too. If I regularly needed the extra fuel I would do Harry's tanks.
Shawn