KSMooniac

I wish I had thought of this! Less drag.

Physically, yes. Your IA will determine the compliance/approval path in terms of it being a minor mod or not. I would color it as a minor mod going from the interpretation of the published AC's other documents. You're not affecting controls, systems, structure, etc. so it should be an easy determination IMO. My IA agreed and we did it with a simple logbook entry and new W&B (we were weighing it anyway), but my stuff came from another J and went into a J. Taking J (or later) parts and installing into an E is still minor IMO, but I'm not an IA and especially not someone else's. Having said all of that, you would need to source the seats and all of the related brackets, mechanisms, etc. from a salvage plane. Retrofitting into a vintage plane is difficult due to the (lack of) access to install the outboard brackets that hold the seat back frames. You'll have to cut slots in the top of the "seat pan" portion of the wing and the shear web of the spar for the recline control rods to come through to handles and bellcranks, but that is easy enough. Having a pattern from the donor plane makes it trivial to locate those holes and slots. The brackets are riveted in place and must be drilled-out to remove everything. Scrounging the seats and all of the related parts is likely the hardest part. I bought an entire salvage plane many years ago to get these parts plus many others to improve my vintage J. It was very worthwhile for me, but I'm weirder than most other owners. Prior to that purchase, I only saw one "kit" advertised around 2009 or 2010 for $2500 for those parts. Nowadays, I believe BAS/Beegles has parted a few newer models and sold these parts. Your best bet is to contact them or keep an eye on their site and social media feeds. You should also get the M20J Illustrated Parts Catalog (IPC) and make your shopping list from there. That will also give you a better idea of the amount of effort required. Those seats really improve the utility and usability of any Mooney, and thus they're a very desirable upgrade.

It's worth it to put it in an optimal location... several feet out from the fuselage under the wing. Extending the wire harness is easy and not a good excuse to put it in a bad location IMO. I expect your factory OAT gage is already out there, and if your JPI is a primary replacement you can replace the factory probe and potentially use it to pull the wires into the cabin if you're careful, and it's not secured in many places. Otherwise, it is pretty straight forward to route wires through the front of the wing. I've routed many wires and some tubes and it isn't awful. Putting it on top of the fuselage is asking for direct sun impingement and perhaps still some radiated engine heat getting blown over it. You correctly surmised that accuracy is vital, especially for your high-flying plane in an icy part of the country.

You won't be able to legally install a used STEC and I don't believe any of the available models new are certified for a C. The old TruTrak now Aerocruz might be an option and a frugal choice. I have no experience but have read many times that the Brittain/PC system is simple and reliable when the components are working and there are no leaks. Troubleshooting the vacuum lines is straightforward. There is no support that I'm aware of to rebuild or overhaul components, but I have seen steady availability of take-out parts since owners are upgrading. A working PC system, especially with a working Brittain autopilot, would be way better than nothing IMO. If you're able to scrounge parts and install/troubleshoot yourself versus paying for that labor, it might be a good option. Or you could get dozens of hours into it and find you're missing something, or can't get a component fixed. The Aerocruz can be installed by an A&P/IA and potentially by an owner with supervision if so inclined. All of the parts will be in a box with instructions and support. It will work, and it will make the plane easier to sell in the future too. If the plan is not to fly long trips anywhere, then I would skip all of the options, but Mooneys are meant to travel and IMO should have at least a basic AP for those long days. Sent from my motorola edge plus 2023 using Tapatalk

Would one of you Acclaim owners be willing to share some pics of the flap hinges, gap seals, internal cowl vanes and nose gear doors please? This efficiency nerd is very curious! When my J was repainted in '23, the inboard flap hinge fairings were omitted on reassembly. That didn't make me happy and some warranty updates (including those fairings) are getting corrected right now. I'm curious to see if the Acclaim flap hinges are the same as the older versions, or if they were updates to be less draggy without the fairings. Sidebar, when I was at Lancair, our aero guy designed the flap hinges (similar offset hinge line like ours vs. a track system) and he made the cross-section of the hinge castings into symmetric airfoil shapes for drag reduction as well as avoiding extra parts.

I've got some J senders as well from my upgrade. Sent from my motorola edge plus 2023 using Tapatalk

Anyone here participating in the upcoming clinics and Caravan to OSH? My plane is in the shop and hopefully ready in time to participate in the Flying Monkeys clinic in Wichita (24-26 April) and the Texas clinic (1-3 May). I missed last year and hope to make up for it this year.

You might check with Beegles/BAS in CO... they have parted out one or more long bodies with TKS in the past and might have them. Make sure to be sitting down if you find one and get the price.

Midwest Aircraft Services Inc. - Aircraft Repairs Newton KS has done great work for me and many others I know around the Wichita, KS area. They are experts with some of the big & complicated Lycoming engines and get those in from all over the country. Barret Precision Engines in Tulsa is also good... I used them for my overhaul but more as a subcontractor. I intended to assemble my engine under supervision to gain that experience, but my plan got derailed and I was left in a pickle after getting everything back from Barret, Divco, Aircraft Specialties, Firewall Forward, etc. Midwest was willing to take all of my parts (with tags/records) and assemble them into a functioning engine and sign it off, fortunately. I chose to spec my own overhaul so I could get the "extras" done such as the Centrilube Cam mod from Firewall Forward, along with precision balancing from Barrett for the rotating components AND flow-matched cylinders. Those were my first-run jugs that they overhauled. After a break-in and dynamic prop balance, we got it down to 0.01 IPS and it feels like a sewing machine instead of a lumpy 4-banger. I was also confident my crank, case, jugs, etc. were good, otherwise I might have considered a factory option. Powermasters in Tulsa has a stellar reputation on Beechtalk, and I know of some Mooney owners that have used them as well. They're experts with the big Continental engines, but I think they can work their magic with Lycomings as well.

It looks intriguing, but looking through the Q&A, it seems it powers up in G-meter mode instead of clock. Not the best option for us vs. a Pitts or similar. Minor nuisance to change it every start...

Double-check the Mid Continent clock & charger... i was checking out at OSH in 2023 to buy their latest one with the USB-C/high power option, and was told at the last second that it is only for 28V airplanes. The other variants with USB-A ports will work with our 14V birds.

I switched to Parker this year finally after moving away from my local broker that got absorbed into a bigger entity and I lost my previous personal connection. I hung around for a couple years past resolution of a hail claim, then switched. I'm looking at a hangar purchase and got a rough idea from Parker already, but the seller said he was able to bundle it with his home & auto policy from State Farm for a very good rate. That surprised me, but it is worth checking into. I left State Farm many years ago after they did not in fact stand behind a shoddy repair on a car of mine, despite their lifetime guarantee. I'll check with other insurers as I'm due to shop everything again soon.

Alpha Systems Eagle AOA kit is a great addition

I concur with Rich. With ~1000 hours since new, there is a good chance your valves will need attention as Continental has been doing a poor job of valve installation for a long time, and they typically need help around 800-1000 hours. It is highly UNlikely that your cylinders are worn out, and since you cannot get new ones easily, you ought to strongly consider getting a good shop to overhaul your current cylinders. It should not take a ton of time if they order the parts ahead of time and schedule the work for you. Getting the valves reworked, honing the cylinders, and using new rings and pistons will likely let you run to TBO and beyond easily. My J came with a 1991 factory overhaul IO-360, and I did an IRAN at 1650 SMOH due to oil consumption and ran it to ~2150 SMOH when my cam failed. I overhauled those cylinders with the engine and don't regret either of those decisions. I may or may not overhaul them a 2nd time in the future depending on how they measure the next time.

I don't think you'll wear out any tires unless you do nothing but touch n goes. Seems my tubes fail long before I run out of tread, or the tires will age and crack between the treads. I stopped buying the premium versions long ago. Sent from my motorola edge plus 2023 using Tapatalk