The International Cessna 170 Association

We installed the engine and mount on the airplane last Saturday and then I found that I had left the sim card out of the camera and could not get pictures taken. Sunday I worked on the P210 all day and have not had a chance to get back to the 170 until last night. This is annual season and I have four to do over the next two months so my alone time with the 170 will diminish. But here is a picture with with the initial cowl fit. It is different from the build up jig and I had expected that so did not make any changes to fit until I had the engine on the airplane. I had bolted the prop on temporarily to check spinner fit and clearance to the cowl and found no problems there. I had to take it off to do other work and as I did not have the camera no pictures, more later. Normally I would be polishing at this time of the year but I seem to have other interests right now.
I got a new mag switch with a start position this week and a vacuum regulator for the vacuum pump so the venturie will be coming off. It will give ma an excuse to remove the right side skin to make working under the instrument panel easier.
Jim

Looks great!
What spinner did you go with? I can only find the pointy one.

David,
There is an airplane salvage outfit in Artesia, N.M., that specializes in spinners. They might be helpful. I've heard that theyre very accomodating. You might also consult with TIC170A member Jim Yates down in Edmund, OK. I seem to remember that he had a tough time finding a suitanle spinner for his TCM IO-360 conversion. I wound up with a "pointy" spinner on mine, but I never did like it. Looked like hell!

Desert Aircraft Salvage
5401 W Richardson Ave, Artesia, New Mexico 88210
(505) 748-2107

Could those be hte guys?

What's the desirable spinner part numbers or what did it come off of?

I was looking at one off a 337 that wasn't so ugly but its not approved.

bagarre wrote:Looks great!
What spinner did you go with? I can only find the pointy one.

I went with the current spinner model approved for installation with the prop. McCauley does not make the old style center bulkhead for new installations anymore so I understand. It is essentially the same as the Hawk XP spinner and is the same spinner used on a 182 now installed via 337 and McCauley STC. I got it brand new for half price. Tom says the best spinner to use is off of the Franklin powered Maules M4-220C it is sort of bullet shaped. blunt not pointy. I gave my local prop shop guy the part numbers I could use and he came up with this spinner at half price for new I could not pass it up.
Jim

David Ross,
I'm curious about the spinner from the C-337 that you mentioned as being "not approved". By who? Is there some spinner approval authority? I guess that I'm getting more feeble than I realized, but I don't remember anything about spinners for either FP or CS props in the STC that I got from Tail Wheel Tom Anderson.

The STC calls out three spinners to use with the CS prop

Getting a different one approved might not be that hard but, who knows in today's world.

I have finally gotten back around to working on my own airplane after completing three annuals and other repairs on customer airplanes. Attached are pictures of the header brackets I manufactured and the header tank I manufactured. Also a picture of the electric fuel pump installed in the owner produced fuel pump bracket. Tom of Landing Gear Works tells me these are hard to come by.
The header tank was just fitted it still needs to have the padding installed between the bracket and tank and have the fittings installed. I ran out of time on father’s day to do any more work on it. Next I will install the tank permanently and then I can complete the plumbing.
One thing I discovered in Toms installation drawing for the fuel system is that the fittings and O-rings for the Fuel pump are not called off. The fittings used in the R172E and R172K are the wrong fittings because they are 90 degree bulkhead fittings and for the fire wall installation of the pump in the 170 installation they need to be straight Bulkhead fittings. Parts required are 2 each AN832-6D Bulkhead fittings, 2each AN924-6D Bulkhead nuts and 2 each MS29512-06 O-rings

Nice. Thanks for the clarifications and pics for those who dream of this mod.

Interesting info.
Glad to see your discussion.
Thanks for posting.

(No matter how much/long I mentally work on a project it always seems after I finish ... I see some small way I could improve it, so don't take this as criticism, but as addt'l consideration if anyone plans this sort of thing again)... I'm thinking about the lowest point of the header tank and wondering if it wouldn't be best to have the exit at the lower/aft end of the tank so as to avoid any little pockets of water/debris from settling in the tank. It appears this tank has it's exit at the fwd/bottom, which in the 3-point stance might entrap water? I dunno...just thinkin'.....

gahorn wrote:(No matter how much/long I mentally work on a project it always seems after I finish ... I see some small way I could improve it, so don't take this as criticism, but as addt'l consideration if anyone plans this sort of thing again)... I'm thinking about the lowest point of the header tank and wondering if it wouldn't be best to have the exit at the lower/aft end of the tank so as to avoid any little pockets of water/debris from settling in the tank. It appears this tank has it's exit at the fwd/bottom, which in the 3-point stance might entrap water? I dunno...just thinkin'.....

Actually I had thought of this as well. I installed and routed most of the fuel lines at the header tank this last Friday and Saturday. Before I installed it I was thinking about the same thing. There is actually a list of things I would do differently and I plan to talk to Tom at Landing Gear Works. One is that I think the fuel return line from the engine driven fuel pump and the vent return to the wing tanks should be reversed. One is a -4 1/4 in line return from the engine driven pump and the other is a -6 vent return to the wing tanks so the bungs would need to be welded in each others position. As it stands the two lines pass each other above the header tank and is an awkward installation. Tom has this tank currently being approved for FAA PMA approval so a change would be difficult at this time. The other is that the fuel shut of valve has -8 1/2 inch fittings and the feed line at the bottom forward Header tank has a bung for -8 fitting. The inlet at the electric fuel pump is a -6 fitting as are all of the lines going to the engine driven fuel pump. No where in the STC is this issue addressed. This will require an AN919-12D reducer in the line between the firewall fitting and the Electric fuel pump or a AN894D8-6 -8 to -6 be installed at the fuel pump. I am planning to stop by and talk to Tom about these issues. The R172E uses a fuel shut off valve with -6 fittings on it and so does not have this issue, all of the lines from the R172E header tank through the electric fuel pump and to the engine driven fuel pump are -6 fittings.
The header tank is after the fuel strainer in this system and before the electric fuel pump so should no get water to it. However most of the header tanks in Cessna aircraft which are before the fuel strainer do have a drain. I think this one should too. If I were designing it it would get one. I also think there should be a fuel strainer before the electric fuel pump.
I know all of this is hard to follow without pictures are drawings. I had hoped to take pictures of all of this but when I got my camera out I discovered I had left the SD card at home in my laptop.

Wish I thought of cutting the header tank in half vertically. Reversing the two top fuel line connections would simplify the plumbing.

johneeb wrote:

170 progress 2004-02-14 001.jpg

Wish I thought of cutting the header tank in half vertically. Reversing the two top fuel line connections would simplify the plumbing.

Have you got your electric fuel pump installed yet?