Sven

Here's our tie downs. I have a great friend who is a metal guy who helped me with this.. Heavy gauge aluminum and the recommended rope. We didn't like the hammer and so during a rainy winter we spent way too much time making a matching set. We even custom embroidered a bag.

Wow, those shots are amazing, Jolie!

So if Ron's is 10:3:1 with the gear up, what's your guess on a fixed-gear bird? I'll probably take her up to altitude and give it a try but then I'd have to do math. Any bets on the ratio? Nice picture, Ron. I need you to take one of me!

The only reason we stripped it was that we needed to work in the tank and so we had to remove the top panel. I would consider refreshing it once, but I would strip it before doing it a third time. If you look at my original photos you'll see half was stripped and half was refreshed.

Thanks for the props. I've never had an issue with the fuel tank. The stripper does not seep in and did not cause any issues. I neglected to say to drop your flaps and cover well with plastic. The big tricks learned are the aluminum tape and especially putting the can upside down until the grit releases from the bottom. I left mine in the warm hangar and a week seemed to do the trick. It makes mixing it up so much easier. I've painted this onto a few non-aviation surfaces and the mixing has been the most frustrating thing. I even tried using one of those mixer that goes on the end of a drill. Don't try it. Trust me. Make sure the aluminum tape edges stay on the paint and not on the wing walk. You cannot press down a good clean edge if it's on the walk. Get your reading glasses and get in close if you have to. It will pay off. The directions say it's dry after 6 hours but I would not trust walking on it for a few days. Already made that mistake. Let it cure and be patient. Here's another picture of the clean edge that aluminum tape leaves. -Sven

At our last annual we had to do some tank work which means the old wing walk had to come off. I’ve done this a couple of times and have made some handy discoveries I thought I would pass on hoping it will be of some help. I’m going to include pictures, hopefully in the right order. Before you begin this project order the wing walk paint. I’ve always used Randolf but I’ve learned a trick. Don't thin it out. When my can arrives I turn it upside down for a week or two. It will come in a plastic bag so just leave it in the bag in case it leaks, which mine has never done. The grit at the bottom of the can is hard to deal with and this method, though slower, really pays off. Leave it upside down until the grit has shifted to what is now the top of the can. You can feel the change in the can when it does but it takes a while. That’s why you order the wing walk first and do the next part later. Patience will pay off later. I start by using aluminum foil tape I get at Home Depot. Not sure why this works so well for this project but it does. The tape needs to have clean edges, not dented or damaged. I carefully place the tape outside the existing wing walk and make sure I use ample plastic to catch any drips. I’m also careful to press down the edges of the tape making sure there are no wrinkles. You want a good clean seal on the edge of the tape. Now that I have the wing walk area masked off it’s time for the stripper. I use Citristrip. One small bottle is all you will need. Using a disposable brush I apply a thick coat all over the old wing walk. The trick to this step is that you do not want the stripper drying out. After a thick coat is applied I cover it with Saran Wrap and carefully press it down over the goop. Then I double check that none of it is, or will, drip off the boundaries of the aluminum tape onto any paint I want to keep. Now is when you walk away and leave it overnight. The next day use a plastic spatula to scrape it all off being careful to not drip it on any paint you want to keep. You’ll be amazed at how well it works and there’s no fumes. I dump mine into a small box and throw it out. Using damp paper towels I carefully wash off the residue being certain not to create any runoff. Once I know it’s clean I use a solvent on it just to be sure. If you want to use Alodine and AlumaPrep now is the time. I take off the tape and clean it again paying careful attention to the edges of the tape. Hopefully you’ll get a nice clean stripped line like I do every time. I’ve never had any stripper get under the aluminum tape. Now it’s time to re-tape the area just like before and prep it for wing walk. I place the tape just barely over the paint line so I’m sure I get clean coverage. Here’s where turning the can pays off. Open the can and start chopping up the grit blob with the paint stir stick. This process is so much faster when the blob is at the top of the can opposed to all the grit being stuck to the bottom. Keep chopping and stirring. Wearing a work apron and safety glasses would be smart in case some of it jumps out of the can. Chop and stir, chop and stir. I apply the wing walk using a 4” foam roller and a disposable tray. The roller works much better than the brush which is the recommended method. Pour a little less than half of the wing walk into the tray. The trick is to keep it moving and mixed since the grit likes to settle fast. Apply evenly and watch for streaks. I apply two full coats and wait about 30-45 minutes between applications. After the second coat has dried for 30-45 minutes I remove the tape and plastic masking. Now is the time to be patient again. The last time I did this we waited for 3-4 days to be sure it was hardened and then we went flying. In the hot Redding sun a passenger turned his heal on the wing walk and it must not have hardened enough and created a small divot. Your results may vary but this time I am waiting a week to ten days before using it. I do not have pictures of the full process but I have enough it should make sense. -Sven

Forgot to post links to the tools. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dzus-Tool-Wrench-Screwdriver-Quick-Turn-Driver-/270607167554?hash=item3f0171b042:g:tgcAAOSwLEtYmIRk&vxp=mtr https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VS6WQE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Our mechanic strongly suggested we start using a proper Dzus or Snoopy tool to open our access panels. Since I do not like to have a handful of tools on my preflight inspection I thought a tool modification would be useful. We ordered a couple Dzus screwdrivers off of Ebay for $6. I took one of them and put it in a vice near the base of the handle where it meets the blade. I clamped down on it and released it and turned it a couple times and repeated the process. I then placed the blade in the vice and using a large screwdriver and hammer I persuaded the handle to release the Dzus blade. I had recently purchased a new fuel sampler that happened to work perfectly. I just swapped out the reversible screwdriver bit with the newly liberated Dzus blade and it fit perfectly. I've attached a couple of photos so you can see what I did. It works great on the fuel access panels, too. -Sven

Just as a follow-up for those searching this topic in the future. I was able to use a Dremel with a thin cutting wheel and cut the Dzus fitting apart on the back side of the door. For the love of God wear safety glasses when doing this, please. I had a cutting wheel break in two a long time ago and hit me in the face. Always wear protection! Once the fitting was in two it easily popped out. I did not have the special flaring tool and I was impatient so, using the grooves in the Dzus fitting I managed to get the new fitting mostly through the hole. It was a simple matter of pressing hard with my thumb and it popped in. I did not make the hole bigger in this process and the fitting will not come out. I purchased a stainless Dzus fitting at Spruce with the part number FJ4-35SS. I installed two and they fit perfectly. Here is th link to the fittings: https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/hapages/dzus2.php I also did something else. With the advice of our mechanic I purchased a new fuel sampler. Because our old sampler had a standard flat head screw driver fitting on it he urged is to use a Snoopy tool. We bought two off of eBay. I put one in the vice and separated the blade from the handle. I then replaced the flat screwdriver with the Dzus blade and we are in business! I've attached a couple photos of the new tool. I will probably include this tool mod as a new post since it worked out so well. -Sven

Something just wasn't right with this this little trinket and so I fixed it. Now it's a proper flying machine. -Sven

One of these decades I'll actually make it there. We've got the plane down for her annual at the moment and we're fixing a little fuel leak. That airport is a favorite destination of ours but I've never tented it. Some day...

Welcome to Sonoma County, Joe. This is TFR country, especially during political seasons and Petaluma is often on the edge or included in the big TFRs. They pop up at Sonoma Raceway, too. Enjoy the scenery and welcome to the neighborhood.

I don't want to miss the party. Please add me as well. Ain't no party like a Mooney party. Thanks.

We have an ever-so-slight leak on the right brake. We took them off and cleaned them up and put on new o-rings. My question is does anyone use a thread sealant like Loctite 545 on them? Or do they get installed with no thread sealant? Also, the Mooney Spare Parts Manual says the fitting I need is an AN823-4D which has an outside tube diameter of 1/4" The elbow I removed has an OD of 3/8. Am I measuring this wrong or should I suspect these are not the original brakes?

Here's a little before and after shot for you taken when we changed ours out.

Thanks for the replies. The fitting does catch (most of the time) a wire spring. The spring is fairly good shape and is held on by rivets. No problem there. It's just the fitting. I'll check Spruce for the Dzus (kinda sings, doesn't it?) but I was just wondering if anyone had firsthand experience with this fitting.

We have a Dzus fitting that's not behaving and it happens to be the foreword fitting and has caused two unscheduled landings. We'll obviously change both but any idea how this is done? Is there some special tool for this? It's a pressed flare that holds the fitting and keeps it from departing. I'm certain Mooney never thought 54 years later this would be an issue. Any explanation, advice and counsel is welcome. -Sven