jwilkins

My '62 C leaked despite all attempts to seal the panel until we taped a heavy plastic sheet down with the 200MPH duct tape, THEN put the 3M caulk tape on top of the duct tape. In case you live in a cooler area as we did back then, the 3M caulking squishes (technical term) down much better when it is warm. The diversion panel underneath is a really good idea. Your radio stack doesn't get wet and the water on your feet lets you know the panel is leaking again. It is possible to get these panels sealed up, it just takes time. Even with the plastic sheet, diversion panel, and 3M I still ran a very small bead of silicone sealer around the outside. The sheet and duct tape, plus 3M sealant was working but I liked the idea of reducing the amount of water they would need to deal with. The 3M sealant can be worked under the screw heads to seal without bonding, too. I put a G430 in the C back in the dark ages when the avionics guys said it was a waste of money to put that much radio in a 62 C. There was even a magazine article that said something like "Well, if you put a G430 in, for instance, a 1962 Mooney of course you will never get your money back" The old stack we tore out had rusty trays and water stains so I was paranoid about leaking on the radios. After doing the plastic sheet, 3M and diversion panel, every subsequent annual looked dry underneath.

All the advice provided is good and lists many probable areas to check. 1. On my prior plane, a 67 F, the nose wheel was fine when I got the plane and slowly started showing an ocassional shimmy on roll out. I had the tire replaced and balanced, no difference. It got worse but teh nose gear assembly seemed tight to the AP. I was about ready to have the nose gear assembly R&R when I went to one of the MAPA Safety seminars. Bruce Jaeger (former owner of Wilmar) said the nose gear shimmy damper should be checked. You can see it above your nose gear. It's a horizontal rubber bushing. Mooney sells shims in a couple different thicknesses to shim the rubber bushing tight. My local AP shimmed the damper in less than an hour and the shimmy was fixed. Not trying to say this is your issue, but it is a good thing to check as it is easy to correct and made a dramatic instant 'fix' on my F. 2. re: Lasar: Good people. All aircraft parts are expensive. Lasar not only sells factory parts (usually at a discount), but they have an extensive inventory of used parts, and have over the years invested a huge amount of time and money into getting approvals to refurbish and improve a lot of our required parts. I always go to Dan (parts department) first whe I need any Mooney parts. Nothing in aviation is inexpensive, but it sure is nice to know we have companies like Lasar we can count on to help us keep these planes flying. Jim

Quote: M20F

It sure would be nice if everything in life had black-and-white hard specifications, but it doesn't. Some of these answers sound like you can open a handbok and find the one and only answer to your question. As GB said it is location and maintenance for this particular engine that matters to you, not some generality or rule of thumb. Hanging around my former mechanic's shop I saw the inside of a 1930's Taylorcraft engine which had not flown in 60 years that looked perfect when they did an overhaul. I also saw a Lycoming engine with 400 hours SMO that had corossion and spalling after sitting in an open hanger for 4 or 5 years even though it had been used periodically during the summer months. Basically, it all comes down to the condition of this particular engine; there is no one answer about engines in general which will help you; you need to know about this specific engine. You can find factory fresh engines with major problems, and also 30 year old engines that will run fine for many more years and hours. A 29 year old engine that passes a thorough inspection (including the cam inspection) doesn't have as much value as a similar engine with 5 years SFO , but it certainly has value. It also carries some risk, just as every engine and system in our planes. If you like the plane and the price seems reasonable get a GOOD inspection. When I bought my first plane ( a '62 C ) I planned to do a lot of upgrades and improvements. It was a lot of fun, I learned a LOT about Mooneys, and I ended up with a great plane that was safe and fun to fly. The next time around I told Jimmy Garrison at All American that I wanted to find a plane that someone else had put the time and money into upgrading. The cost to buy an upgraded plane was much less than doing the upgrades myself. My humble advice: Ask yourself if you want to buy a project, are looking for a bargain that you may or may not need to spend a lot on, or if you should be buying a plane that has a better probability of not requiring a major investment. 1. If you ABSOLUTELY INTEND to do all the replacements and upgrades, think about finding one that already has the equipment and is in the condition you want. It will be the most cost effective way to get there. 2. If you want to hedge your bet and have the reserve cash to do repairs as required when necessary, go ahead and buy a bargain plane after a very thorough inspection, find a good mechanic to become frineds with, and do thorough condition inspections of everything you identify as an item to watch. Sometimes this will work if you can pay for the upgrades as you go along out of cash flow instead of from a reserve fund, but you still need that reserve to pay for repairs that are not planned and cannot be safely put off. 3. If you won't have the reserve cash to do repairs and upgrades, then think very serioulsy about whether this is a good budget or good time for you to buy a plane by yourself. I don't like the idea of plane partners, but if I were in thsi category I would try to find one to split the expenses. I'd rather deal with a partner than to be without a plane. I really enjoyed working on the 62 C with my mechanic, and learned a lot. If I had to do it over agian I would not change a thing. It was great experience. It was not a good investment in terms of money in / money recouped, but it was an experience that I never regretted. Best of luck. Jim

A paper towell and rubber band can keep it from dripping on your glareshield, but it still smells. Before compass repairs required an instrument repair shop our old AP would put in a seal kit, refill, and then re-swing the compass in about an hour total time. The comment about submerging the compas in the fluid is exactly what he would do; he used White Kerosene (not gas station kero; Lowes and Home depot still sell White Kero by the gallon) and fill a coffee can. After installing the new seal kit he would submerge the whole compass and tap and jiggle it to get all the air bubbles out. Of course he can't do this anymore now that you need to be an instrument repair shop, so he was just showing us how it used to be done. Sort of like I used to show guys how they could repair the Cessna electric clocks themselves if they were no longer going to be used in an aircraft. Usually takes about ten minutes and can fix about half of the dead Cessna electric clocks. The other half are just paperweights. Jim

My shared hanger has an air compressor but I use an airtank which I fill at home. I can top off all three tires and still have air left over. The air tank is light and I use a small diameter hose so it is really easy to move around wherever I need it. If you going to keep your compressor in the hanger where power is available and not carry it around with you, there are some 120 volt compressors available at reasonable prices. I bought one for my son on sale at Lowes with a short hose and a nail gun kit for $60. It works great and then you'd have an airgun to blow dirt out of parts and crevices, too. I have a couple 12 Volt compressors but find them slow, noisy, cords are typically too short for aircraft use, and I don't want to run the A/C battery down. We also have a small Black & Decker Air Station that runs on both 12 V and 120 V. Also a little slow, but it works fine. It would be a good choice for something you want to carry in both the plane and your car trunk for ocassional use. It has an automatic shut off when you reach a preset pressure. I set the pressure shut off point a little high then deflate to spec when I use it. It's small and only weighs a few pounds. My bicycle pump is a floor pump and would be a little difficult to position under the wing to pump it up. In an emergency a hand pump would work but I sure would not want to do it if I had a compressor available. I'm having a new tube put in the nose wheel today as I don't like the slow leak down. The mains are fine with the AirStop tubes. The nose wheel needs air every week or two. Not a big problem but I feel better getting it changed out. Jim

Came home last night after dark and was squinting due to the not very good landing / taxi lights on my 80 M20K. When I pulled towards the hanger I saw the aiming point of the lights is high. Rather than just trial and error the aiming I checked the Maintenance manual but it only has instructions ( nose wheel 7 ft six inches from the wall, put X marks in these locations, etc.) for the wing mounted landing and taxi lights. Does anyone have the setup instructions for aiming the cowl mounted lights on my 80 M20K? Thanks, Jim

Snip<There is a guy who flies out of my home airport, who was new to Mooneys. He took off in the morning, in night conditions, with the nav lights on. Flew about six or seven hundred miles while the sun came up, and had the tower at his destination send out the emergency trucks because the gear down annunciator looked like it was off. It was actually working fine but was very dim and the sun was bright in the cockpit.> This would be really easy to do. When I was doing my 231 check out with Dav McGee he repeatedly said the 'gear down light is nice, but I want you to look at the mechanical indicator in the floor'. It only took maybe 5 or 6 times (OK, so I'm a slow learner) of his firm reproaches until I could memory train myself to look at both. I know if the light were not on I'd test the lights, but not be overly concerned. Microswitches, wires, and electricity are nice but a flag welded on the gear is pretty bulletproof. (provided gear preload is Ok, etc). Jim

Can you back up just a bit and give a little background on why you are trouble shooting the generator? Is it low voltage, no voltage, or no amperage output? Have you checked the regulator? My 62 C had a generator which was really pretty bullet proof; much more so than most alternators I've had, but not much output at low RPM / idle. The only difficulties I had with the generator were 1) the braided wire from one brush broke, and 2) points on the old mechanical regulator got carboned up. BTW when the brush's braided wire broke the shop AP couldn't get one for a week from the MSC so he put in a 'temporary' Delco brush from NAPA. It looked identical (except the wire was not broken) and we never did get around to replacing it with a certified part. It's too bad the generators are such a pain to R&R or you could get it bench checked at your local auto parts store (I'm not suggesting a repair or OH, just a bench check). If you have a full service generator / motor repair shop in town they may be able to check the regulator for you, and it R&Rs a lot easier than the generator. I'd visually check for electric issues (good ground connections, loose wires, burned points in the regulator, brushes OK, etc) as a first step. I learned about aircraft maintenance from a grouchy old AP/IA who took great delight in abusing me while he taught me about aircraft repairs, let me work as his shop boy / technician for free, showed me how to do an annual inspection, let me buy some rigging tools for him that he didn't have, and checked and signed off work I did on my plane under his supervision. Eventually he let me work for free doing electrical and radio work in his shop. I also put in several of the Mooney upper door pin SB retro fit kits under his supervision. Never touched an engine or flight control, but got to watch and hold wrenches. I paid him the normal shop rate for work he did for me (except for one year when I traded a Mercury Station Wagon for an annual inspection), and always considered it a bargain. If you can possibly find someone to work with you'll hopefully be as amazed as I was how some of these guys can frequently diagnose problems from 10 feet away. Apparently if you spend 50 years working on planes you eventualy see some of the same issues more than once. I could spend hours fussing with issues that he could (sometimes) diagnose in a few minutes I still have the service manual for 62 - 67 if you need any particular pages scanned let me know by PM. Jim

Mike, I don't 'tip' as such but I will frequently give the guy at the desk $5 or $10 "For your coffee and donut fund" at the smaller airports when I use a crew car. One time a lady in NM gave me her personal truck to go for lunch. I put $20 gas in the truck. A few weeks ago I dropped off a friend at Deer Valley, North of Phoenix. The FBO has a landing or handling fee (waived with very expensive fuel purchase) PLUS a $20 'passenger drop off fee'. I didn't use a crew car, get coffee, or even use the rest room. I thanked them when I left and was happy to be leaving. Some airports and FBOs I happily buy the expensive fuel to thank them for the service we receive even when they do not have a minimum fuel purchase. Other times the total fees seem really excessive and I don't see the service worth the expense. $20 bucks to drop off a passenger is enough to keep me away from that FBO and probably away from the airport. The day before Deer Valley I paid handling and parking at SNA, bought expensive fuel, got dropped off at a hotel where they had a corporate discount, used the FBO for briefing in the morning, and had a cup of coffee and a free cookie. I felt the costs were very much in line with the service provided, especially considering the location. I was very satisfied with the service and costs. However, I did not tip them. Big FBO, sufficient although fair charges, and excellent service. It's the smaller airports with low fuel costs and no extra charges where I like to leave 'coffee and donut' money. Jim

Mike, Thanks. Where was your bad contact? How did you find it? I have a placard for the meter, and thanks for the rundown on legalities. I did check the FAA M20 type certificate and did not find a fuel flow meter listed. Jim

From what I have read the early M20K's had a pressure transducer for fuel flow. Most of these were converted to the turbine type fuel flow indicators under a Mooney SB. Planes newer than mine had a digital totalizer as OE. According to the s/n in the SB mine should have a turbine sender. The indicator is the analog combined MP / Fuel flow. I do not have a MEL list for the plane. It used to be possible to get an MEL approved by your local FSDO. We looked into doing this for the flying club once and decided it was less work to keep all the instruments working. The shop IA said the fuel flow is listed on the original installed equipment list. The JPI is not an approved replacement. The only trouble shooting hint I've seen is to take the turbine out of the fuel line and make sure it is moving freely. I was hoping there was a trouble shooting process such as checking the turbine output with a VOM or scope before we start disconnecting fuel lines. If there aren't, I'll ask them to pull the transducer the next time we have the cowl off. Thanks, Jim

1980 M20K s/n 25-0313. The factory fuel flow gauge is inop. (analog type with the MP gauge) The EDM-800 works fine. The shop AP/IA said this is a required factory gauge and should be fixed. I searched for fuel flow trouble shooting but am a tad confused about the different factory systems. Any suggestions on a logical approach to troubleshooting? The factory service manual is not helpfull. Thanks, Jim

1. Another comment about All American: I've bought two planes from them and will buy my next one from them, too. Both times I talked to Jimmy Garrison, told him what I thought I wanted and what my budget was. Jimmy was ultra patient working through the pros and cons of my far-flung options to help me focus down to a realistic and appropriate choice. I took a little time but Dave and Jimmy let me know when they had a plane that was a good fit. When I bought the M20K I spent a lot of time with Dave Mcgee and found him to be just as competent and honest as I already knew Jimmy to be. I know it seems like an odd approach to partner with them to find a good fit instead of shopping what they have that month, but, with a little patience, it worked for me. I don't think of either Jimmy or Dave as 'salesmen'; they are professionals who are principals in their business, and experts in Mooneys. Their business may be to sell airplanes, but they are NOT salesmen. Both of them are more consultants than sales guys. When I first saw 1MS in person I was pleased how good it looked. Jimmy kept describing it as 'Not nearly as nice as your plane' so I was expecting something pretty ratty. His description was very conservative and the cosmetics are actually better than I expected. Just what you want from a consultant. Not what you'd expect from a salesman. 2. Maxwell and All American: Although Jimmy and All American handled the discussions with Don Maxwell, what I heard was All American asking advice on the RIGHT way to handle issues; there was no collusion to try to cut corners. The fact that AAA and Maxwell work together shows mutual respect for two industry experts. Jim

Rats. Forgot to paste the 337 link. Sorry http://www.beechcraft.org/vtail/337p2.gif Jim

Here is a link to a 337 approved and filed for fabricating and installng a ski tube for a Bonanza. It always seemed like it would be a great way to carry fishing poles without damage, too. I'm fairly certain Lasar has done some Mooney Ski Tubes, but I may be mis-remembering who did them. Jim

I'm just over 100 for 2011. It's down this year for a number of reasons; one is that I did not do my annual coast-to-coast XC this year. Business forecast for 2012 looks good; so more business flying and hopefully more $ for personal flying, too. Jim

A few years ago I bought a Bendix AV80R with the WX receiver. The bluetooth link was not robust and the notification that the WX was off line was not really obvious. Bendix and WX replaced the bluetooth module which made a lot of improvement, but they were never able to fully eliminate an intermittent COM squelch issue which was found on several Mooneys (my F included; never happened with the K). Something in the AV80R / WX combination was generating enough EMI to open the squelch on the G430 Com. It was very annoying, and I spent over $500 having ground and power wires checked from the battery to the alternator and back to the circuit breaker bus bar. and installing noise filters. We even had the alternator pulled and bench checked for noise. So, I bought a Flight Cheetah 190 with the USB hard wire module to the same WX receiver. The link was fine; the Flight Cheetah display was a bit sunlight challenged and the user interface was not a smooth transition from the G430 and AV80R. It was very capable once I got used to navigating the functions. The disply was narrow enough so that I could mount it vertically on my yoke and still have full use of the yoke for flying the plane. For weather only I was using the Bendix AV80R because of the brighter screen. When my son was flying with me and wanted to have his 'own' full featured GPS he used the Flight Cheetah. He got tired of me telling him not to mess with the G430 "That is MINE when we are flying; leave it alone". The Flight Cheetah did more than the G430, and he could monitor weather so life was good. I just bought a SkyRadar and use it on an iPad 2 with WingX 7. The ADS-B coverage in CA and AZ has been wonderful and I really like the WingX 7 navigating and utility. As others have noted the iPad is also a little sunlight challenged but, as I have not yet figured out how to mount the iPad it is not a problem to move it around in the sun. I would like a certified installed system but, as I plan on about a three to four year replacement cycle on the plane, I can't justify the installed cost. Maybe next plane purchase I'll find a good deal on a plane with a system already installed. If I had an installed WX system I would probably keep the SkyRadar also. Meanwhile, I cut the WX subscription and have a system I like better. Perhaps the standards will change or the Govt will start charging for data, but I fully expect / hope that I will get the SkyRadar cost back (about two years) before any major changes get implemented. Meanwhile, I really like this combination and the only dedicated hardware is the Sky Radar receiver. If the standards change I can probably find something ese to use the iPad for. I understand some people have found applications for the iPad in addition to in-cockpit moving maps and flight planning software.

If you have a hard time peeling off the Kool Scoop you can try an old sign installers trick; use piece of piano wire (thin safety wire might work, too) to 'saw' through the foam tape. Be really careful using chemicals such as Goo-be-Gone on the acrylic windows. With patience I've used hand lotion to soften the adhesive and eventaly rub it off by hand without window damage. I really like my Kool Scoop. One of the first things I did for the K as to add it. I don't understand why there are any planes without one; reasonably priced, works great, not in the way when folded back. I have no relationship with the manufacturer; just really like the Scoop. The best price I found on the Kool Scoop was at www.pilotjunk.com. Jim

Jose, Thanks! This is a great idea, and I apprecaite you posting the photos and notes about changes. We do a lot of prototyping in our business and understand it sometimes take a few trials to get exactly what you need. Fantastic first cut, and looks much better than my usual card-board and duct tape first trials! Jim

You did a nice job on the arm. A lot of thought and engineering went into the strap. Just to anyone else thinking about doing the same or similar, you should understand going into this that this does NOT meet the FAA criteria for owner supplied or owner fabricated parts, and, even when you do meet the criteria for owner fabricated parts, they are supposed to be installed by a licensed mechanic. If you have any questions read this article: http://150cessna.tripod.com/parts.html If you put a new OEM arm or a used serviceabe arm on as a replacement, done properly, no one would ever know that the part was replaced, so there would be no reason for anyone to look for a logbook entry. With a non standard part, it's pretty easy to see and might raise a question. Great job, nice looking part, but I'd put the OEM factory part back on if you ever decide to sell the plane. Most of us who care for our aircraft and take care of them tend to drift into some grey areas of owner maintainence. I'm really not tryng to pick on a very well done job, but this is posted where other people reading it might not completly understand the regulations behind 'owner fabricated parts'. Flame away if you choose, but let's provide the 'rest of the story' to people who might otherwise not know the regulations. Jim

Could you post some photos of the armrest to show construction details? Maybe some basic dimensions, too? I really like the idea of an armrest but couldn't figure out how to make one that would fold out of the way and not be a major modification to the seat. Since yours drops in place and is not installed it shoudn't need any approvals (IMO). It's really no different than a hard flight bag that has an arm rest on top. Great idea. Jim

One of my previous Mooneys had an FS-450 fuel flow meter. At one time it showed significantly reduced fuel flow, then went to '0'. My mechanic said 'sometimes the turbine in the sending unit gets jammed with debris but it usually clears itself'. I just couldn't let it go and asked him to check it out. He took the transducer out of the fuel line and carefully back-washed it with fuel. There was a very small flake of fuel tank sealer which was just enough to slow down and then stop the turbine in the transducer. The turbine in the FS 450 (and probably all others) is built to allow full fuel flow even if the turbine fails or gets stuck. I suggest you get it checked (it may be something completely different) and hope it is something as simple as what we found. Happy Holidays! Jim

Here are some comments I made under another thread about turbo charged engines: My comments about a turbo: 1. It will probably cost more. How much more depends on the particular engine and your engine management techniques. Jimmy Garrison at All American said there are some 'good' engines that just seem to run great even beyond recommended TBO. Even a great engine can be screwed up by poor pilot technique. 2. I doubt if there are many left in the field but the original TSIO-360-GB engine ran hot and is typically converted to a TSIO-360-LB on MOH. I'd probably pass on a GB unless you are planning to do a MOH soon. 3. If the 231 has an intercooler installed the original MP pressure setting need to be adjusted or you may damage the engine from over boosting. If you have an intercooler doesn’t use the original POH settings. 4. The 231 is a little slower than the 201 down low, and MUCH faster up high. If you don't like to fly high, don't want to use OX, or most of your trips are too short to justify a climb to altitude, or don't fly out of high DA airports, then the turbo is a little more difficult to justify. 5. The turbo needs to be cooled down before shut down. It really takes some discipline to idle for a full five minutes (including taxi time) before shut down. I have a sign that says 'turbo cool down 5 min' that I can show the line guys so they don't stand there wondering if I forgot how to shut the engine down (Dave McGee’s suggestion). 6. I REALLY like my 231. I don't expect to every go back to a non-turbo engine. Even with 8K DA I can climb up out of KPRC's airspace instead of out of it laterally. I like being able to climb above a lot of the weather and turbulence that I used to slog through. I enjoy flying the 231 between AZ and CA on the same routes that occasionally made me anxious about weather and turbulence. The 231 is a little faster. Trips that used to take 4 hours are now 3.5 or 3.6. I like the faster but didn't buy it for that. 7. I like the LR tanks. Since we are almost always only two on board the weight is not an issue. I like having a couple hours + reserve on board when the weather is marginal. The 80 gallon original tanks in my '80 have only 72 useable. Although the LR tanks hold 17 each I often put ten in each side which gives me 92 useable. I like that. I like reducing the number of items which could be potential concerns. 8. I don't NEED the 231, but it made long trips more fun again. I don't need the turbo most of the time, but having it available is absolutely priceless. Some day I'd like to trade up to a 252 but the incremental difference between the 231 and 252 is nothing like the step up I made from a non-turbo to the 231. If you are not already a member please consider joining MAPA (www.mooneypilots.com) and read the articles about pre-purchase inspections, flight test reports, and flight operations to compare the J and K. The incremental cost difference shown for the K above the J is really much higher than most owners see, but the articles are interesting. The comment about turbo cool down generated a lot of responses. Many people feel it is not necessary. I read much more about this when the comments were made. I'll continue to do it as Continental recommends it to allow engine components and turbo temps to stabilize. Obviously other opinions vary. The wastegate controller on my 231 is not a fully automatic wastegate as the 252's have. I do need to watch my manifold pressure, but it is not as big a workload issue as I thought it might be, just another pilot task to watch. If I had the money I would have preferred a 252, but I am very happy with my 231. My F with the 201 mods was a very capable aircraft and I never had to cancel any flights due to high DA take offs. I did keep my weights light and did check RW lengths before takeoff. I still do when the temps and DA are high. I was always able to take off and eventually climb to cruise altitude. There were times when I would have enjoyed being able to climb higher quicker to get out of the desert turbulence. My cruise altitudes now tend to be higher just because I can get up there in a reasonable time and the 231 likes higher altitudes. In the mid-teen altitudes and running LOP (GAMI injectors on a Continental) my speed is a little higher and fuel burn just slightly higher than the F. The F was a really good clean and fast plane. I'm not pushing for maximum cruise speed; I just like climbing up quicker and easier. When I was back East (KSDC) I would never have justified a turbo except it may be easier to find TKS on a turbo aircraft, and I would have liked TKS, not for purposeful flights into FIKI, but as mitigation for when you do run into ice. Back East my biggest concerns were low IFR and Ice. In AZ it tends to be high DA, high terrain, and desert turbulence. After I moved to Arizona I waited a year to make a change. The DA at Prescott is frequently 8500+ in the summer. The actual decision was that I did not NEED a turbo but having one made flying fun again. Some guys like circling and hunting for thermals to climb when it is 100F outside. They see it as a confirmation of their superior flying skills and technique. For me, I like the performance of the turbo. We both get up to our cruise altitude and we're both happy when we get there. For my use this just came down to a personal decision, it was not a hard black-and-white performance and cost analysis. If I was really concerned about possible maintenance, repair, and operating costs, I would have kept the F. Oh, regarding insurance: The K insurance is within about $50 of the F (about same hull value, again, 477T is a really nice F), but to get that, Cliff at Falcon had to shop around a bit. The company that had the insurance on 477T apparently doesn't like turbos. My summary: 1. Turbos cost more for operating and maintenance. How much more seems to depend in part on how you treat them. 2. The pilot workload is a little higher. 3. If you do high altitude cruising, high DA airports, if you sometimes find yourself bouncing up and down in your seat, trying to will the plane to climb faster, if you have to circle to gain altitude before crossing mountains and you wish you didn't have to, you'll like the turbo. 4. If you are happy with a non-turbo plane do NOT buy a turbo just because they cost about the same as a non-turbo. There are reasons why. 5. If the thought of a $40,000 plus engine OH will keep you up at night, don't buy a turbo. Jim

I forgot about the radio stack cooling vent... On the '62 C the co-pilot vent had a control that would open the vent to originally provide air to the radio stack. Sometime over the years the 1 inch hose to the radio stack had been relocated to make an additional vent for the co-pilot. There was a lever up under the panel (just inside from the vent) that could be used to close off the vent for the winter. It was not easy to get to, and not marked for open / closed, but you sure knew if it was open in the winter. One time after cleaning up the seals and boots I left Bedford MA in -15F. We plugged in the sump heater, had the FBO preheat the engine, and put a quart of oil in boiling water to heat it up before adding it to the engine, as well as heating the cabin with a small electric heater to get the instruments warmed up. I followed the very cold start instructions in the POH, including flipping the prop over by hand. The engine started immediately, ran great, and the heater kept the cabin cozy warm back to KSDC. I don't remember the OAT at cruise, but I do remember the cabin was nice and warm. Jim