hammdo

Lol,I ’m trying to find J adverts… -Don

201 -231

lot in here, I added the first post image from here… -Don

From another thread

Nice! -Don

Yes SWTA, all speed mods… -Don

Upper left portion of the pilots side window. With a short arm, it fits and it’s right in my line of site (does cover the steam gauge airspeed a bit). I’ll get some pics next time I’m at the hanger… -Don

I did this: ram suction mount with xnaut cooling… -Don

Night current again -- panel adjusted for night flight -- not bad at all! The fiberlites look great with the LED bulbs AND it really lights the pilot side foot well! I can really see the fuel selector well! Instead of the 'yellow' glow, nice cool white lights around the round gauges.... Six pack shows well and so does the StormScope! Have the red overhead lights using LED flashlights ziptied to the original light housings -- those really light up the panel when needed (not so great for red lettering on the checklist/maps ;o)... -Don

Check with AOPA on financing. I’ve not heard that one before but could be some do that… -Don

I see the tanks resealed too - ask who did it and then have them filled to be sure no leaks. Have a serious look for corrosion too. Pre-buy turned into an annual should look for that. Ask if SB 208 has been completed along with all the original insulation removed/replaced. Check prop for B hub also so no recurring AD inspection every 100 hours. https://www.mooney.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/SBM20-208B.pdf -Don

For sure a pre-buy… ~45 years since OH and why a new prop would be some of the questions. That engine, I’d be wondering about the cam/lifter/follower pitting and if all engine ADs compiled with. Pre buy becoming an annual from a shop I chose would be good… Nice looking plane though… -Don

Agree, my last upgrade is an autopilot. I have most of the upgrades I want done but that. Paint is the very last thing for mine… I like flying too much to wait 2 to 3 months… -Don

Welcome! Mooney is a great plane. Best to define your mission - how many people you want to carry, equipment you want, budget, etc. Expect yearly cost to be $18k-$20k - normal things plus anything you’ll want to do. First year ownership usually will be higher even for a well maintained plane - Check out my thread - I had a B and now own a C. The B: C/E are great - the extra 20 hp of the E helps for sure. Take your time and research, LOTS of great info here. Vintage Mooneys are great. Enjoy the search, price insurance to get an idea of costs and look for a plane that has as much modern equipment as you want… Acquisition cost is only a small part of ownership. -Don

I went out to the plane last night and found about 4 rivets on the right top wing walk seeping. I'll figure out what to do with those. Also, I have fiberlites for the instruments and I installed 2 superbright 135 lumens T3 1/4 Wedge bulbs -- much nicer! I'll get a pic of those tonight. Here is what I purchased: https://www.superbrightleds.com/catalog/product/view/id/202887/s/194-led-bulb-cob-led-t3-25-miniature-wedge-base-135-lumens/category/2/ 5000K cool -- no color. If you want color -- these would be good replacements! I had a silicone pad on the dash to hold my phone and, during the 'baking' of the fuel tank outside -- it melted -- like black licorice. I was able to remove the big blob of melted silicone before flying back from GGG. I cleaned the dash last night with Budda Belly -- that worked perfect. Have 8 hours since oil change and it looks like I have most of the leaks fixed -- Still @ 6 qtrs. so far. StormScope goes in tonight and I'll do a flight test to confirm it and all the lights I updated work well. BTW, the Fuel Selector light housing -- I unscrewed the lens but it would not come off -- Is there any trick to get those off without removing the entire unit -- part # of the light housing is 83B1310-117. Seems like lens would pull off after tuning to the left but, just keeps turning the whole unit. I'm being cautious as I don't want to break it and try and find another one. This one takes a GE-1813 bulb. Let me know the secret handshake to get the bulb out. - Same with the Gear Indicators (I know those are different bulbs). -Don

I could have paid cash or check, but I used the cc for points. I’d prefer the costs were included in the rate like it used to be. Times have changed… I’d do it myself (I’m very capable) but it’s finding an AP willing to oversee the work @ my hanger. Nothing wrong with the service I received from Maxwells at all. I just like to work on my own plane… -Don

I’m guessing shop rate is $100-$120. So… I was a bit surprised- not to mention all the fees now. I guess it’s the cost of doing business- passed to the customer… -Don

Invoice:

I’ll post the invoice here in a bit… -Don

Picked up the plane - nice to see no leaks! Just so folks know, the ‘new’ flat rate per side from Maxwells is $1450 per side… Folks were telling me recently it was $650 - $850 - looks like that has changed. Makes me wonder if doing a full reseal in the long run is better… But for now, she’s topped off and sitting in the hanger to make sure. Flew great from KGGG back to Mesquite…

I’m boring, I like mostly white - I’d do something like this (minus the Eagle): Easier to fix/keep up with…

Yikes… what a mess… -Don

Excellent! 0 issues in the 3 years I’ve owned. The only thing I did was have the lights wired up. Very readable and have been rock solid… I have a G2 so chts are there -Don