The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Hello,

I am new in this forum an I am from germany. Therfore my english is not quit good. Sorry!

Last week I bought a C 170 B from 1952 in sparparts. I will build up the aircraft again, because the C 170 B is a very beautiful aircraft and my dream.

Therfore I have many questions an I do not know, what I should ask first. The aircraft ist complete divided. The body is bare, clean and without oxidation. The biggest problem I think is the engine C145-2, because I think it will be expensive too build it up. And the piston is lost.

What do you think. Will it be better to look for an other engine or to build it up again? What must I know for this decision? The sparparts of the engine have ~ 900 SMOH and no oxidation.

What should I do first in this project? Look for a engine, build up the steering mechanism, ...?
Is in this forum anyone how can help me with good ideas. I have only the building - maps, seven boxes sparparts an I hope there will be complete.


I hope that the C 170 B will be fly again!!!

Hello, Wolfgang!
Let me give you comfort that your English is very good! (If you want to observe poor English, ...read some of FlyGuy's (Ole Gar) messages. He lives in southern U.S (Louisiana) where English is a foreign language for him!)
Welcome to the 170 forum. PLease allow me to offer some advice regarding your restoration work.
1. Do not restore the engine as the first item. Save it for the last item. Engine's do not preserve well when they are re-built and then placed in storage. Also, some engine parts are being newly produced and may be less expensive and more easily located in the near future.
The C-145-2 engine is a good engine (although not over-powered) for this airplane. It has one of the best reliability records of all aircraft engines produced anywhere in the world. Pistons (and most other parts except crankshafts) are not expensive and are easily found in new condition. I would recommend you determine the condition of your crankcase and crankshaft first, and if they are not in good, airworthy condition, ....then locate acceptable ones and store them until ready to restore the engine. The most difficult item to locate is the crankshaft.
You might consider sending your engine parts out to a reliable, certified, aircraft engine shop to have them restore the engine for you if you do not have engine experience.

2. Obtain the Illustrated Parts Catalog and take inventory of your parts. Then begin the restoration of your wings, control surfaces, and fuselage. When it is reassembled, (or when it is complete except for re-attaching the wings) then prepare your engine for installation.

You might consider rebuilding the airplane in sub-sections. Wings first. Then flight controls and flaps. Then tail. Then cabin area. Then landing gear. Next firewall/engine mount. Then pitot/static, fuel and hydraulic systems. Then electrical system. Last engine.

Good luck. I'm certain you will find many helpful friends here.

Hello George.

Thank you first for the good advice regarding. On 17th. June I will rent a trailer to bring the parts of the aircraft to my home airport. At my home base I rented a small hangar to restore the aircraft.

I think too, that the engine is the last thing what I need. Probable it will be much more expensive, if I have not enough time for searching a cheap aircraft engine shop in europe.
And I think too, that the crankcase and crankshaft the most difficult item to locate is, but I hope that this parts are in good airworthy condition.

Therefore the first thing what I will do is a inventory of my parts. Parallel with this I will search for an cheap aircraft engine shop, which can measure and treat with X - rays the crankcase and crankshaft. When these parts are in good condition I have no problem and can restore the engine as the last thing. But if the crankshaft is not okay, I need a lot of time to search another, because probable a new one is very expensive.

What do you think? Is this the right way to make it?

What do you think about the body and the wings. The body is clean and bare and it will be no problem to polish them. But the wings and the other parts have three layers coating. Is it better to laquer this parts or is it better to bite off the parts to polish them? Prettier is a polished C170. Do you have experience with bite off parts and polishing? What is the best way to do it?

Thank you for your help!

I'm not familiar with the phrase "bite off" so I'm not certain what you mean.
If you wish to remove paint, then a good aircraft chemical stripper should be used. Then the airplane may be painted or polished.

A crankcase can usually be repaired or exchanged, and a serviceable, airworthy crankshaft may be found priced at approximately $2500 - $4500 U.S. , if it is necessary to replace yours.

Hello Wolfgang,
I'll be flying between Basel and Paris beginning the 27th. If you're interested I could bring manuals with me to mail from Basel. McCurtain Technology Group has the Cessna 100 series service manual for 1962 and prior and the C-170 parts catalog available for $20 each. See http://www.mccurtaintg.com/cessna1.htm Aircraft Spruce (http://www.aircraftspruce.com) and Univair (http://www.univair.com) both have the Continental C-145 overhaul manual (p/n x30013) and the Continental C-145 parts catalog (p/n x30014). The prices for these have more than doubled from last year. Aircraft Spruce wants $84.50/$62.00 and Univair is asking $75/$55. Lucky for you the Euro is doing great compared to the Dollar! Aircraft Spruce also has the C-170 parts and service manuals listed above if you would rather have them on paper. They are $$37.70/$42.70 respectively.

For other Europeans needing 170 stuff I fly out of Paris monthly. I'd be glad to bring parts (under 25kg.) from the US if this would save you some shipping expense. Send my a PM if interested.

Gary

Hello.

@George

I mean with "bite off" use a "chemical stripper". The first owner of my C170 B said to me, that it will be very difficult to remove the first layer of the paint with a chemical stripper. He said, that the strongest chemical stripper not did his work. Therfore I asked.

$2500 - $4500 U.S. for a crankshaft is a lot of money. I hope that my crankshaft is in good condition. The whole aircraft was only a little expensiver.

@Gary

Thank you for your offer. Next week I will bring the aircraft and two boxes of paper to my home base. Then I will inventory my papers and parts. If I need any paper or part, I will discuss with you to find a way to bring this things to Germany.

At the moment I know, that I need a windshield and windows. The following link can be a way: http://www.glapinc.com/Cessna/170/c-170b.htm But I think, that the windshield from the old C172 is the same as the windshield in the C170 B. Maybe I will find one.

By the way. Yesterday I wrote you a PM. If you fly from Basel to Paris, you see a beautifull alpine surface. I was there many times, because my parents live in Stuttgart. It is only one hour with a C172 or a PA28-181 to fly from Stuttgart to the glaciers. A friend of mine live near Basel and he make glacier - landings with a PA18. A few pictures you can see on his page. The link is: http://www.gletscherflug.ch/glacierlanding.htm

Hello.

The first work is already done!

Last week on thuesday I brought the C170 - B to my homebase. It was realy a adventure, because the police stopped my open trailer seven times on the trip. They could not understand, that we travel with a old aircraft.

Last week and this week I had holidays and I used this time to remove the paint with a chemical stripper. At this time it was not necessary to drink beer to be high. The aceton of the stripper was strong enough.

This dirty work is now already done and this is good, because it is not realy fun. I think next weekend I will make a inventory of the parts. This is much more fun than stripping up the paint.

A fellow 170 Association member I know here in western Washington is restoring an A model. You might want to check out his website:
http://www.birdofprey.us

Eric