1980Mooney

I wish Mooney had never started using MPH in order to “pump the numbers“ for marketing purposes. Now I am confused and have probably misspoken.

If you put every speed mod on your F that Lasar sells or previously sold you would would effectively clone a 1977 J. And @jetdriven routinely posts 180 kts IAS in his 1977 J which last time I looked is “207”. So it is not outrageously out of the realm of possibility. Just saying…

Here is another excellent article from KNR with more detail regarding how the mod is actually done. “you need to plan for one full week on your back under the airplane to complete this job; even more time if this is your first conversion. The retrofit of a one-piece belly on your pre-1984 Mooney is no easy task and it covers all types of work from welding to fabrication to avionics and electrical work.” ”A bit of a warning here: if you are not a sheet-metal-savvy mechanic, do not attempt this job without qualified help, including an experienced gas welder. All bare aluminum surfaces should be zinc chromate primered before riveting.” https://www.knr-inc.com/shop-talk-articles.html?view=article&id=27&catid=25

I think a lot of the claimed speed gain comes from relocating antennas inside the belly so that the exterior is completely smooth. Lasar historically was a credible source- not a “BS” marketing promoter.

The ad says that the prop was just Overhauled. - it’s not “brand new”. They take it off, send to propellor shop that tears it down, replaces seals, grease, reshapes/replaces blades as appropriate, paints, etc. It will look like brand new. “Propeller HC-C2YR-1BF ZERO TIME SINCE OVERHAUL”

There are 2 Mooney’s that crashed on Block Island, KBID. A J botched a landing and pushed the gear through the wings in 2020. And a K with a Rocket 305 conversion botched a takeoff going through a fence. Per FlightAware neither have flown again. A report last year by someone on Block Island said they are both sitting there rotting in the salt air.

This provides more evidence that the number of Mooney’s that are actually flyable or will ever fly again is far less than the number registered.

It used to be sold on Aircraft Spruce and other places but the links don't work anymore. Ripley Quinby may not be in business anymore but could have some parts. Try this ACK EMMA LLC / Ripley Quinby III The creator of the biggest Navion link of all; the page you're on (and those that follow). In addition to being the proud owner of N5186K, I'm an A&P mechanic, IA, and instrument rated commercial pilot located at DXR in Danbury, Connecticut. Folks in the New England area in need of an annual, a pre-buy inspection, assistance with ferry permits or ferry flights, or just general help with parts or questions should feel free to get in touch with me at my shop, Ack Emma LLC, where you will also find a link to our manufacturing division, General Technics. We make the CYA-100, a simple and inexpensive TRUE angle of attack indicator. The best way to contact me is to click here to send me an e-mail, or phone me at (203) 798-6622 or (203) 431-9056. I'm always happy to meet with Navion owners, or potential owners, at Danbury airport in western Connecticut. "Ack Emma" is World War I British phonetic for "Air Mechanic".

Aero Mods made a one piece belly with skid pads molded into the panel. They are comprised of 2 V-shaped ribs longitudinally protruding below the belly. I cant find a picture any more. They probably where also heavy.

In 2005 I had the Mooney Factory install a one piece smooth belly on my J in place of the aluminum panels and screws. The factory log entry stated "Weight and Balance Change Negligible" KNR, historically one of the most reputable sources of Mooney maintenance information, says that the Factory one piece belly, developed in 1984, can save 3-4 lbs. over the aluminum panels and screws. "In 1984, Mooney developed a one-piece composite belly panel that when removed, exposes all the equipment from the flap motor to the aileron control links. This panel attaches with approximately 36 cam locks so it came off in a few minutes instead of spending a half an hour removing striped-out screws and pulling panels off. Once completed, this conversion amounts to a weight savings of 3 to 4 pounds. Mooney never provided this in kit form so this article includes a complete parts list, as you have to purchase each part. Because the F and G models never came with the one-piece belly from the factory, this modification requires a 337 field approval. The J and K models only require a return-to-service logbook entry." 200710 Smooth Out Your Belly (knr-inc.com)

Also the later F's had the more modern and standard instrument panel layout. However many earlier panels have been modified https://www.knr-inc.com/products-list.html?view=article&id=55:1ip-mooney-pre1969&catid=20:manufacturing

Been discussed many times.... Model chronology: https://www.mooneyevents.com/chrono.htm https://mooneyspace.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=111107&key=52c2c56371dd70275fb2b25f9e2a3cf6 You have to be careful with some of the statements above. The last J models (S/N24-3201, 3218+) came from Kerrville with 2900 lb GW, and the others -1686 thru -3200, -3202 thru -3217 can be modified per "paper" STC to get the 2900 lb. GW. Pre ‘88 are stuck at 2740 lbs. Wingtips were added to J's in ‘81 and one piece composite belly in ‘84. But some earlier models were subsequently modified to add these features. Also only the last J models came with fiberglass interiors. The vast majority came with the "Royalite" ABS that is flimsy and gets brittle with age, sun and heat. With highly modified F's, be aware that it may be harder to find parts if it ever needs repair to the mods (i.e. rare cowling mods, etc). @M20F-1968 has a highly modified F and may answer specific questions that you might have. So you have to look carefully at each particular plane that is for sale.

In Texas, especially Gulf Coast/Houston we have had a lot less rain than normal - actually none in the last month and none forecast during this coming 100+ heat. As much as I hate the humidity in Houston we could sure use some of this supposed extra water vapor in the atmosphere. Everything is dying. Only good thing is that the mosquitoes died too....

For the next 10 days the forecast highs in the Houston area are 101-104. There is very little GA out flying. ADSBExchange surprisingly shows no activity at KDWH, KIWS, or KAXH. Looks like one flight school plane at KSGR and one at KTME flying touch and goes.

Like many things on MS, this has been discussed before.

BTW - I see that @Kirch56H purchased the plane in 2022. Notice that the "Prebuy Checklist" from Lasar suggests to check "Muffler System for cracks or flame tubes and/or Turbo Cracked" https://lasar.com/prebuy-check-list Also the OP would have had at least one Annual since purchase. Both the MOONEY INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION 50-Hour/100-Hour/Annual Maintenance Inspection Guide and the 100 Hour-Annual Inspection Guide say: "EXHAUST SYSTEM: 1. Remove heater jacket & inspect exhaust system for leaks & cracks; remove exhaust cavities, inspect area." https://www.mooney.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/100-HOURANNUAL-Inspection-Guide.pdf https://themooneyflyer.com/pdf/Mooney100HourAnnualGuide.pdf Someone should have put their eyes on the muffler/heat exchanger internals in the last year. I wonder when anyone actually looked at it. When was your last Annual? I suppose that it might have looked perfect last Annual and completely disintegrated in the last few months but it seems unlikely. Perhaps you should talk to your A&P/IA in order to confirm whether they actually did a proper Annual.

Perhaps before “flaming” about flame tubes maybe we should first find out how old and how many hours were on this muffler. Was it a previous rebuild or installed new?

You just made the case why you need to pick your shop based upon their expertise, experience and reputation with big bore Continentals. It is directly related to the skill and care of the installer. Yes, the quality of the parts can be an issue but a good installer knows what to look for (see comments in last Aviation Consumer article). Through bolts need to be torqued from both ends. That may require quite a bit of disassembly of accessories to gain access. The horror stories that you hear from Mike Busch (you must have been watching his YouTube "Cylinder Work: Be Afraid - Risky Business") are generally because a mechanic reused parts or cut corners and did not properly torque everything.- esp. through bolts because the couldn't or didn't want to take the time to get proper access. That is one reason Busch advocates removing the engine and putting on a stand to do cylinder replacement. Over more than 2 decades I have had a couple cylinders replaced on a big bore Continental with the engine in place. There has been absolutely not problem what so ever. Everything in aviation is time and money. There is no reason why the Top O/H can't be done with the engine in plane on the plane. You can be cautious and follow Mike Busch's recommendation to pull the engine but if you go that far, especially with a Rocket, you are more than halfway in cost to an complete Overhaul. Here are some sane articles from Aviation Consumer on Top O/H. Notice in the picture that they have a Mooney with 6 cylinder Continental getting a Top. Sadly the link to "Top O/H Checklist" no longer works - perhaps cost cutting/atrophy setting in with the new owner of Aviation Consumer.... https://www.aviationconsumer.com/maintenance/top-overhaul-survivor-guide/ https://www.aviationconsumer.com/maintenance/you-gotta-top-it/ https://www.aviationconsumer.com/maintenance/good-jugs-bad-jugs/

My point was that I suspect that when contemplating an Overhaul or what will likely be a $20,000 +/- Top Overhaul, many would consider the big-bore Continental experience/reputation of the shop first and knowledge of Mooney idiosyncrasies second. As @exM20K highlights above, how they reassemble the engine, retorque thru bolts etc is absolutely critical. The best Continental engine shop in your region may or may not be an MSC. It’s just a consideration - one of many that an owner will grapple with.

I am curious why you recommend an MSC for engine work on a Rocket 305. Firewall forward, it had almost nothing in common with a factory Mooney. The turbocharged 305 hp Continental TSIO-520-NB and McCauley three-blade propeller combination had long been used as standard on the twin-engined Cessna 340 and 414. The engine mount is proprietary to Rocket Engineering and is much more complex and costly than the factory 550 mounts (and way more labor intensive to work on/remove/replace.) Also the oil filled tubulars on the mount get progressively thinner with 3 thicknesses - the smallest amount of corrosion can render them non-airworthy. As you said Rocket still repairs them - at considerable cost and time for shipping and refurb. @goodyFAB might be better served asking the Top O/H and cylinder questions on a Cessna Twin Owners site or talking to RAM who are specialists in these particular engines.

Per the local Williamsport- Sun Gazette, on Monday “Lycoming Engines management in Williamsport has presented a “final and best offer of a five-year” contract with about 370 members of the United Auto Workers Local 787, as the union prepared to walk the picket lines if the talks fall apart.” It has been radio silence since then. They must be close and haggling over little things. Of course many negotiations fall apart over little things…. https://www.sungazette.com/news/top-news/2023/07/lycoming-engines-gives-final-offer-contract-to-uaw-members/

N4056H, a 1980 M20J, experienced engine issues and the pilot made a successful emergency landing on the Consumer Reports Test Track. Appears to be owned for about a year by a MS member. https://mooneyspace.com/profile/51209-kirch56h/ https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N4056H https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/article/plane-lands-consumer-reports-auto-test-center-ct-18269462.php#photo-24091643 ttps://www.asias.faa.gov/apex/f?p=100:96:8815491557572::::P96_ENTRY_DATE,P96_MAKE_NAME,P96_FATAL_FLG:31-JUL-23,MOONEY

That’s the classic General Aviation solution…. A $12-$15,000 solution for a $100 problem.

Only if you have the first one off the assembly line... https://www.si.edu/object/mooney-mite%3Anasm_A19830054000 https://mooneymite.org/articles-individualmites/N3199K/N3199Khistory.htm

Mooney drivers flying behind a Lycoming may get really F***ed (aka "frustrated") - well at least more so than they already are now. In November Skip @PT20J said "When I was at the Lycoming plant recently, they told me they have a year backlog." I wonder if Textron is contemplating moving the plant. Regardless how this plays out I suspect price increases will be coming..... Impending strike at Lycoming Engines possible on Monday | News | northcentralpa.com Willliamsport, Pa. — Lycoming Engines employees may strike on Monday if the company and the union are unable to come to an agreement. Union members within the company have reported apprehension regarding the contract negotiations. “Lycoming engines gave the UAW committee their final offer which is the worst offer that has ever been given to the union in history,” one worker told NorthcentralPa. “They’re taking money from our pockets and will not budge at all. The contract has never in history been extended. It’s been extended three times this year,” they added. With a 21-year average employment rate, Lycoming Engines employees are among the highest paid manufacturing employees in the region, the company said. "Lycoming Engines operates in a competitive market. The company presented a comprehensive offer that balanced various competing interests. The proposed agreement would constitute a private contract between Lycoming Engines and employees represented by UAW 787," Shannon Massey, Senior Vice President of Lycoming Engines, said. "Lycoming Engines does not disclose that information to the public; however, Lycoming believes that the offer is comprehensive, fair, and responsible," she added. On July 19, more than 300 individuals participated in a Strike Preparation Training. The training was facilitated by the UAW Region 9 Servicing Representative, and the International UAW Education Department. The last contract extension given to the employees ends this weekend, meaning the union could go on strike Monday morning if they do not reach an agreement.