The International Cessna^® 170 Association

MIke,

Glad you found your part. Cessnaparts.com is Hill Aircraft in Atlanta, and they have direct access into Cessna's parts database. In the area of airframe parts, if they don't have what you're looking for, it's likely not available new.

One nice thing about Hill is that if you only need a few of a part that is listed in minimum quanities of more than you need (say, some obsure fastener), they will sell you a few as one. You can even do that when ordering online by using the comments box during checkout. You order the mimimum quanitiy, then put in a note of how many you really want, and they will make the adjustment. I didn't know that when I first started ordering, and got a personal call from Hill to let me know. They give good service if you can swallow some of the prices.

Miles

I have the H-W mufflers on the airplane and I have the "crossbrace". What I don't have is a way to hook the crossbrace to the exhaust assembly. I'm assuming there should be another clamp to go around the tailpipe which then bolts onto the crossbrace. Is this something I can find locally?

The cross brace attaches to the same clamp that contains the locking pin and attasches the tail pipe to the muffler. There is an outboard and an inboard bolt in each clamp, and the cross brace is attached to the inboard bolt on each side and one carburetor mounting stud.

OK, thanks for the explaination. Maybe I'll see ya up at Johnson Creek again this summer ... once I finally finish this annual!

And (to finish an earlier open-thought)... Miles, the crossbrace you apparently have is the later version for the HW muffs, also used on early 172's. It also bolts directly to the front, left mount-bolt of the carb as you indicated. I'm being told a service letter addresses this issue....apparently there was some cracking of the mounting tab (where it bolts to the carb) in the early, straight piece, and the later crossbrace, with it's curved sections, was intended to eliminate that problem. (It did...sorta. They sometimes still crack at the tab.) I have the early straight one, and it did crack and has been repaired by welding the tab back on. Seems to be doing OK for the last two years.

No cracks in either of my curved ones, about 2700 hours on my 1955 original. If the originals on 1952 models were straight, then my other one (the one in the picture I posted) was a replacement somewere along the way. The next time I have a few minutes to be alone with the logbook, I'll browse through and see if I can determine when it was replaced.

Miles

Gotta love the search feature. I mostly deal with rag wing Pipers and am doing an annual on a 170A for an older gentleman who frequents my airport from time to time. Got some serious problems with the pancake mufflers and thought I would research my options. Thanks for all the information. He doesn't fly much any more and I can imagine his expression when I tell him his alternatives. These things have been welded on so much they look like a mud dauber nest. Thanks again.