RLCarter

When I was in the motorcycle biz, I always used tech or technician over mechanic, starting to use Maintainer on the aircraft stuff more and more

How many hours on the mag (Bendix)? Worn points will show up as non consistent timing, and as PT20 said, backing up prop introduces all the gear backlash which I would guess is several degrees when all added up

Agreed, jam nut is run all the way to the bearing, all the hardware (nuts, bolts & washers) looks like it’s been there a while

Isn’t it a solid wire vs a twisted strand?

this is the stuff I’ve used (was recommended here on MS along with several A&P IA’s) with good results, it’s messy but works. What ever you use look closely at the flange on the airframe, there is a channel for water and there is weep hole on the panels for drainage, these should be free so any water that gets in can drain out

lol, just stretch the numbers like everyone else

I would just leave it down, but that me

I’ve seen several of his videos, AirTractors are workhorses. Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley (southern tip of Texas) Crop Dusters were everywhere. As a kid the products sprayed were powder, hence the term Crop Duster. Now most all are liquid (water based) and it’s amazing how very little chemical is used per acre on most crops. Like all small aircraft it’s a shuttle between fuel or what you want to haul, the aircraft in the video is an AT502, which has a 500 gallon hopper for product. Leland Snow started here in Harlingen building Snow Aircraft (Spray Planes) the moved the operation to Onely Tx and eventually became Air Tractor.

Like @M20Doc says, easy project. You’ll spend way less time making a new one vs getting the existing one back in shape, especially if the old one has any creases. Chances are if it’s bent up real bad it will end up cracking working the ugly out

Remove the top cowl and side panels before you run it, but unless it’s a dead miss it won’t be too easy with out something to read temp change between cylinders

If it’s the one centered just in front of the windscreen… just make a new one, the edges have a slight bend so it fits tight against the other panels, running it through a roller would flatten the edges

Spruce has the Champions in stock

Doors get tweaked over time, close a dollar bill (fully closed and latched) in multiple places, tug on the bill and see where it’s not snug. If it’s the top half it probably can be adjusted with the top latch

Not sure I’d remove them, as mentioned above they are tweaked for each aircraft….. clean and paint in place

Like @carusoam my 65 E has the vacuum step

Continental spells it out, 6-4.11.2 of the Standard Practice Manual... easy to Google and download a copy. Conti’s can get really low and still pass,

Next few Saturdays I’ll be tied up trying to finish up my commercial, Sunday’s are really tough for me. PM has been sent with my cel #

There are 4 of us based in Weslaco, my E and 2 F’s and an Ovation that winters down here

Tri-Flow rocks, personally I like the smell, I’ve used it since the late 70’s as cutting lubricant when boring cylinders. Silicone spray is a better choice around fabrics or anything that might stain, the Cessna has a fabric headliner with a zipper than runs from one side to the other to access the control cables in the cabin ceiling, I spray it every time we open it up (once a year at annual), also use the Silicone spray on seat rollers…

It ensures air doesn’t get it the system

Use a syringe to bring the level down or bleed it out (2 person job) by applying slight pressure to one of the brakes and opening that bleeder, close the bleeder before the pedal hits the bottom of the stroke (while there is still flow)

Lycomings don’t do well sitting, pulling 2 cylinders (same side) allows you to see the cam & lifters which is what generally goes south when sitting dormant. Pre-oiling any engine that has sat that long is a must before starting. A full disassemble and inspection would be best. Keep us posted on your progress, we like seeing Mooneys coming back to life.

Not sure if it’s standard practice to have a ground and a clamp on the same stud (bolt) but I would think the clamp should go on first followed by the ground ring terminal then a star washer and nut.

Polished spinners aren’t hard to take care of with the products @Hank mentioned above (California Customs Purple Polish), the hard part is keeping folks from leaning or touching them

At one point mine was glued down with contact cement, it was a pain to clean off the old glue. Personally I would NOT glue it down, even though there are no inspection panels under it, I still like the idea of it being able to be easily removed and reinstalled. I used heavy duty snaps which allows for easy removal if needed, Velcro would have served the same purpose. If you go Velcro, use 3M industrial grade.