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I went and looked at that one a few months back before settling on my bird, nice guy that owned it, showed us some other projects he was working on. Congrats!!

Thanks for the input. Having a heck of a time with avionics shop currently. This will help me assess my next move.

Clarence what level of effort in man hours have you experienced on this type of job? Just for pulling dorsal and installing new antenna. Seems like a bit of rivet work.

Clarence thanks for the input! What type of antenna would be needed for this ? I had provided the SI to the shop but was told it would be installed next to the plastic fin because the a 406 antenna wouldn't fit in old antenna location. I guess I didn't realize there were multiple options for this and assumed it to be a straight forward install.

Having an Artex ELT 1000 installed on my J model. I would much prefer the blade style antenna for aesthetics consistent to what is currently on the plane. The shop advised they are going to install a whip antenna adjacent to the old 121.5 dorsal antenna. I would much prefer pulling the old off and putting in a 121.5/406 antenna. Any performance difference feedback and/or pictures of a comparison would be great. Thanks!

Thanks for the info. I am going to hold off on the voltage regulator for now, from what I gathered they have a long life-span. Will address that if it becomes an issue. Got the Plane Power unit installed only to realize the belt will not fit. The Prestolite unit that is being replaced is PN ALY8420R. Is this normal? Planning to put on two belts since the prop will have to come off but would like to identify root cause of the difference.

Another couple of question I just thought of - what is best way to test voltage regulator? Would a bad alternator potentially damage the voltage regulator? What is the typical lifespan of a voltage reg ?

Headphone jacks are good, don't have too much to compare it to, though. The plane has a stereo input for the pilot and co-pilot through the audio panel. Somewhat unusable due to muting during any audio transmission. I have found the Bose headset 3.5mm input to be much better in that regard but each person has to have a source, not a big deal I guess. Where would you envision adding the stereo jacks and fed from where? Definitely going to do the USB charger ports. Also planning on a gdl39 hard wire kit, new elt, and adsb antenna for gtx330es replacement.

Thanks for the info! Shortly after posting the thread I came across similar recommendations for the Plane Power Alternator. So, I will have one here tomorrow. [emoji1] After the current alternator failed testing at the local auto shop, looks like the culprit was identified.

Few quick questions re: alternator upgrade on a M20J - 1. Any advice on higher performing aftermarket/OEM replacement of the stock 60A alternator on my J model? 2. Should there be a cooling duct run to the alternator? It appears there is a location for a duct to be mounted on the one being removed (obviously wasn't being utilized) 3. Has anyone added a spacer between the alternator and the baffle? Seems to be rubbing heavily to the point of requiring some baffle patching. 4. Is it typical of an older alternator to emit large amounts of dust/oil from the brushes? 5. Should all the wiring be proactively replaced? Thanks in advance.

Happy Tax Day. Bringing the bird (M20J, '85) for a new interior later this month. Anything that should be considered while the plane is opened up? Here are a few shots in the dark that perhaps others have done for feedback- Prewire adsb antennas? Replace air vents? Replace placards? Add cigarette lighter in rear seat area? Fire extinguisher mounted in center of rear seat area? Add center folding armrest for pilot with potential storage? Any other ideas? Got the thicker glass put about 10 years ago. Should this be considered for replacement? Having sound deadening put in by interior shop. Thanks in advance!

3 blade engine out is a much different experience than with a 2 blade... I would put that in the cons column for the 3 blade.

Looking for some feedback on how others would approach the following. Just hit 505 SMOH, 78 hours since annual in October 2014. Mag drops are consistent and about 30 hours ago security of mags verified. I'd expect 1-2 calendar months before hitting 100 hour inspection. Based on above info, which of the following would you do - a. Get mags overhauled now as the only service item (~week downtime sending out mags, remote A&P requiring chase plane etc) b. Wait for the mag overhaul to be done with 100 hour inspection upon hitting 100 hours c. Get mags and the 100 hour inspection done now d. Split the two and schedule both for 10 hours from now Also, any plug and play recommendations for replacement of GEM610 engine monitor? Nothing wrong with it, just want to upgrade to latest technology and have easier data log retrieval.

Gotta love the efficiency! If you don't mind me asking, where did you procure the attachment for altitude "bug" setting? I vaguely remember my buddy using something similar and it seems to be a big help making sure to stay above minimums on instrument approaches or just generally acting to remind altitude assignments.

OP - Have you tried a phone call to Hector after not hearing back via email?

Also, the prior owner had his nickname painted just under pilot window. Any thoughts on how to remove? Or will I need to paint over it in white?

Thanks for the input. Glad to hear it will be acceptable to wet sand/polish. I had read some various things related to jetglo on Beech forums. In short, it seemed like people were saying jetglo express was acceptable to be polished whereas the standard jetglo it was ill advised due to color shift. Rick - I will take your advice and will borrow a mill gauge prior to doing anything. My game plan is to wash with diluted dawn, clay bar, 3M 1500 wet sand, 3M finesse it ii, klasse aio, klasse sg, p21s carnauba x2. Will use a random orbital for the Polish and klasse stages. Any tips to protect rivets? Is electrical tape sufficient?

Happy Holidays! Does anyone know the safety of wet sanding single stage paint? The M20J in question has JetGlo paint from about 15 years ago. Overall, the paint is in decent shape so I would like to bring it back to life and hold off a year or two before doing a new, more modern, paint job. My plan is to wash with diluted dawn dish soap, clay bar, polish, and wax. I have experience with wet/color sanding boats but wanted to get feedback on the experiences of others on the board related to treating lightly oxidizing/dull aircraft paint. Thanks!

So I have searched and read the threads on EIS and the now available STC options. However, the actual number of folks purchasing either the Electroair or LASER EIS seems to be limited. I have read the reports from CAFE Foundation but my interest in this system are not aligned with the fuel savings marketing strategy. The short and skinny - the single point of mag failure on the -A3B6D has me a bit on edge. I understand the mag drive is not under load and 500 HR inspections of mags should suffice. Will an EIS system offer the extra level of reliability/peace of mind I am looking for short of replacing with a A3B6? Any extra measures or alternatives to addressing these concerns?

Thanks for all the feedback and comments - responses below. Is the consensus that an engine with such low time would not be worth just doing a top-end? I would not imagine the engine to make TBO based on its history, but would you guys try to squeeze any life out of it or just immediately replace? I was planning on paying to have the an engine boroscope done in the PPI and base it off of that. Okay, good advice. BTW - your plane came up numerous times when looking at examples for final product of this project. Such a beaut! I am going to reach out to Aero Comfort per your experience and feedback. Noted.. Thanks for the input. Not looking forward to receiving the quotes from the avionics shops in that case and may need to scale back. Quotes I have received are all about 22,000 with an unlike core (A3B6D) for a Lycoming approved engine shop reman. Add 4.8k for new cylinders vs overhauled, and then 2.5k for install. When looking at all the numbers coming in for non-budgeted items, you are spot on with your comments. It is starting to get into that range of "you gotta pay me to buy your plane" in this example. There are some great examples available on the market with the depreciated costs already realized that may be a better overall value. Noted re: avionics and interior (I was planning on the Aero Comfort package and handle uninstall/install), will need to revise budget and eliminate the speed mods. That allocation was for speed brakes. Matt - Great info and thanks for pointing out the pop-up items and landing gear OH! Thanks!

Thanks for the feedback and welcome! I concur regarding PPI and intend to have it performed at a MSC. Engine, prop, interior, and exterior quotes have been received. I didn't want to publicly post these figures but they are encompassed in the budget incl. install. I have spoken to several avionics shops and awaiting their quotes. I have 9k in the budget for tanks from what I have seen on the boards for tank re-seal. Good point re: phraseology. I only referred to it as being reminiscent to a barn find in that the plane had such little time for its age. Based on log review, it seems that more often than not was only run to satisfy the annual and all maintenance was preventative or in response to ADs. The plane was washed regularly and kept in a private hangar for it's life. I am a pilot, and my intended objective is to utilize the aircraft for personal and business travel for ~400nm IFR trips. My guess is I would keep the plane at least 3-4 years before considering something bigger/faster. At this stage, I am just trying to weigh the option of buying a plane that is ready to go (mid-time engine, older avionics, etc) at 100k vs. buying this one on the cheap (40-50k) and pouring in 100k (zero time engine, new interior, new paint, new avionics, etc). I can see the 40k-50k extra in value having fresh equipment and a known baseline. Further, since I have yet to see a plane on the market that I wouldn't need to spend some money upgrading avionics, overhauling engine, etc. I figure it makes sense to start out spending less on essentially the airframe and just do everything. I am, however, not trying to be reckless with my decision making process and relate everything back to market value. vRef shows a 1984 fully loaded would price 140k retail. I have a hard time believing a 1984 M20J would sell at that price point, let alone quickly. Perhaps I am wrong?

Having been working a local broker to come up with a shortlist of aircraft to acquire, an unexpected wrench got thrown into the mix. I heard from a buddy about this local M20J hangar queen. Regretfully, I too a look at it this weekend on my own and now can't stop thinking about the possibilities.... The plane is a '84 low time (read: <800TTSN, same SMOH), 2 owner (current owner since '85), NDH, hangar stored. Original avionics, no AP, not IFR certified, last ten years only 10 hours (probably just annual runups), original interior and paint, etc. The engine fired right up and it shows decent compression on prior year annuals, but with a recent cylinder replacement and probability for rust inside the engine, I would want to assume the worst and plan to follow the Lycoming 12 year recommended TBO. Go with either the 360-A3B6 or 390 STC. Additionally, it does not show to have significant signs of corrosion, sans some light discoloration at the top inside of the fuel tanks. Obviously needs a ton of love. But reminiscent of some of those incredible barn finds I have seen. Here is a budget, round figures, that I put together - Reman engine overhaul~30k Prop ~10k Interior ~10k Paint ~10k Speed Mods ~ 7k Avionics ~30k (S-Tec 30 Alt hold, GTN-750, GTN-650, 340, 330) My expectations after spending the above listed 97k would be to have a like new aircraft that can handle my typical mission (400nm IFR cross country). Paint and speed mods would probably get deferred. Am I missing anything here in the budget? What would an aircraft like that be worth in today's market? The intrinsic value to me is knowing the whole plane has been gone through, but with the available options on the market today, it is still hard to justify 3-4 months downtime and then potentially be completely upside down value wise. Thus, I defer to those more knowledgeable than I for insight....