The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Another question regarding my -54 170. The battery box is "OK" ... I cleaned it thoroughly, primed it and painted the inside with black float bottom paint, but, I am still not quote satisfied with the way it looks. I am getting ready to clean, prime and paint the drain tube and the thought occurred to me that this might not be necessary. I have a sealed Concorde battery and noticed that Atlee makes a battery support that does not totally enclose the battery ... and for a sealed battery, the idea is appealing. Any thoughts, ideas or suggestions? Note that our 170 is anything but "stock" as it has the Horton STOL kit along with several other STCs. R/Lee (N1967C)

Lee the F. Atlee Dodge battery STC is very good. I use it and I got an approval to use the Odyssey battery with it. Rock solid and 12 lbs lighter. No regrets on the install. Doug

Thanks, Doug ... good info! I am not familiar with the Odyssey battery but, will run that down. I do wan to save weight where possible. (Also, saving weight is one reason why I am installing the Jasco alternator) Regards, Lee

Quick question: which Odyssey battery did you use, Doug? Thanks ... R/Lee

ODYSSEY DRY CELL BATTERY PC680

I thought as much ... wanted to be sure ... thanks! R/Lee

Lee wrote:Quick question: which Odyssey battery did you use, Doug? Thanks ... R/Lee

Lee,

Atlee Dodge STC'd the Odyssey battery, but you have to use their box. The version they used is the SBS J-16, which as far as I can tell is just a TSO'd version of the PC680. This version is also approved for use on Super Cubs. A number of people have gotten Field Approvals for the PC680, but I have a feeling that was before there was a TSO'd version. I went the Field Approval route and used the SBS J-16 on the premise that the TSO would make it easier for the feds to swallow. It's not that much more, however you are paying for paperwork.

DEM

I want to keep things relatively simple ... I may check with our FSDO ( MEM) but the SBS J-16 appears to be the easier way to go. Thanks for the heads up,Dem ... the information is appreciated! R/Lee

Lee wrote:Quick question: which Odyssey battery did you use, Doug? Thanks ... R/Lee

Lee, my apologies. I just saw this question. As other posters stated. I did a number of things to my aircraft which put the aircraft on a diet. That was how I got the battery approved. I am using the Drycell PC-680 model. It fits perfectly in it. Odyssey has since stopped making that model but a suitable alternate is the one that F.Atlee recommends in its STC. It is still available. I like the weight savings and it lasts about 5 yrs in the desert heat. No Regrets. Doug

Funny how we start thinking of how we can save weight for the sake of more gas and/or payload! I think the battery box and dry cell are worth the money ... I will talk to our FSDO as I am doing this in conjunction with the Jasco alternator and a re-do of the electrical system. I am putting in all Klixon CBS and making a bus bar out of copper stock per an article one of our members wrote a while back. This is turning out to be an interesting project though a bit tedious! Worth it though ... thanks again for the information! R/Lee