dfurst

Thanks @carusoam . I have updated the original post. I guess I took "being lazy" a little too far, my fault. I assumed that since we were in the "CiES Fuel Senders" thread it was obvious, but you are right, many tangents have happened so I should have been more clear. Post updated. Thanks for the recommendations of Terry and Byron. I will reach out to them.

I hate to take the lazy way out but can someone recommend a shop on the east coast that has done the CiES Fuel Senders install so I can just take my M20R to them and let them worry about all of this?

Got mine yesterday. Really easy to setup.

Thanks for the warning. Went and looked. Engine Preheat is 50W per cylinder x 6 so 300W and 200W for oil. 500W total. Hornet 45 is 700W. That puts me at 1200W.

I don't leave he doors open once I load. I typically leave the preheat running while I do my preflight so figure I will do the same with the cabin heater. Plus it will get the seats warm and soft. Also the avionics will be room temperature. Should hold heat even with door open for a few minutes.

My Mooney is parked outside. I have a great engine preheat system and I just bought a http://switcheon.com/ so I can turn it on 12 hours ahead of time from home. Great! The new switch has two outlets. I am thinking of using the second outlet to heat the cabin. My question is with what? I want a safe option. I can run a second extension cord through the pilot window. I am not sure what to plug in to it. Not sure I want to just buy any old space heater? Is the Twin Hornet (https://www.sportys.com/aircraft-supplies/heater/twin-hornet-22-engine-heater.html) overkill? Not advised? What are people doing to remotely preheat their cabin? Thanks!

So I ordered from https://switcheon.com/ which says back ordered. I should cancel my order and order from https://www.gallagheraviationllc.com/?

What is the difference between https://www.gallagheraviationllc.com/ and https://switcheon.com/? The later says back ordered. The former does not?

Thinking Ovation. Faster then my 231 below 12K and I hardly ever go over 10K. The rare time I do go over 12K it has O2 and still performs OK. I did fly home from FL a few months ago at 11K, doing 231 MPH, which was really nice but the exception. No turbo so easier maintenance. Newer body and interior. A big jump from 1980 to 1995 or later.

Wow. Forgot I even started this thread. Here is a quick update 6 years later. Found a partner Got my IFR. Wish I had done it a lot sooner! Partner left after 5 years At the point where I need to overhaul or sell. Looking at selling and buying newer, faster instead. Thanks to everyone who told me I would not be happy going slower.

I am in. I have a 1980 M20K 231 with a serial number below your current cutoff. Let me know when and where to send a check.

With regard to price my understanding is $4,480 is for both front seats, not each. $4,480 plus 8 hours installation

Old plane did have shoulder harnesses but that old M20C cabin is so small and you are so close to the panel, especially with an adult in the back seat. I assume they were using them, I know I always do. More details about crash: http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Small-Plane-Crash-Lands-in-Trees-in-Bowie-Md-222084931.html. They used jaws of life to cut top off.

I am ready to do this. I fly a 1980 M20K 231. unfortunately my serial number is below your current cutoff for the M20K line. I am ready to put down a deposit if that will help you get more M20K people ready to go. Reading through the thread people are questioning the value of this. I believe most crashes are controlled crashes due to a problem in the air, meaning an off airport landing that are survivable. In many cases they go wrong and serious injury happens. CFIT? I agree, that typically happens at speed and I doubt anything is going to help. On a more personal note we had a Mooney crash at Freeway in MD on Labor Day. To make it more personal it was my old Mooney. There is nothing more chilling than to be reading a news story about a plane crash and recognizing the paint job on the airplane. We are still waiting on many details but what we do know is that the airplane barely cleared the highway at the end of the runway and crashed in the dirt embankment on the other side of the highway. This was a dead stop at some speed above stall but below climb. The pilot and two passengers are in serious condition. The passenger in the rear was the least hurt but still very serious. The pilot's face and torso were severely injured as well as damage to his legs. I am not sure but I believe the other front seat passenger sustained the same type of injuries. The crash was obviously survivable because all three did survice. In my personal opinion airbags would have reduced some of these injuries. That is good enough for me. Please do what you can to make airbags available for older M20K models. $8,000 (parts and labor) sounds cheap for something I hope I will never need.

I have had my M20K model for 4 years and I had to replace the landing gear shock disks soon after I purchased it. I now have to replace them again. This brings up two questions. 1) It seems there is only one option? Lord J11968-14 Mooney Landing Gear Shock Disk. I am surprised none of the aftermarket Mooney people have come up with a better option. 2) how long should they last? I know a 231 is a "heavier" Mooney so they won't last as long as on a C model. Is 3-4 years normal? I guess hours is a more accurate measure.

Jose, it was a three way deal. The K seller did not end up with the C model. My mistake was jumping from a C to a K.

So I was looking for a partner which is what started this. I talked to a few people, took 2 for a ride. All of them loved the plane but couldn't justify the cost vs the 201s they were looking at. That was sort of the last step for me. I can keep looking for a partner that really wants a 231 while trying to sell it. If someone comes along I can always keep it.

Having read all the posts of people upgrading from a J model to a K model I find myself seriously considering going the other way and trading in my 231 for a 201. I have a 1980 M20K 231 with the LB engine that has about 1400 hours on it. Good avionics including a GNS480, MX20, auto pilot and all the normal things you would assume a 231 has. Paint and interior are less than 9 years old. I have had the plane for 4 years and it is a great example of a 231. I fell in to this plane while trying to sell my M20C. It is a long story but basically I was able to work a deal where it made more sense to trade in the C for the K rather than sell the C outright. It was strange times 4 years ago as the airplane market along with the overall market were tanking, but interest rates were dropping too. After 4 years I really think this is too much plane for the type of flying I do. I have been a pilot for 16 years and I have just over 700 hours. I am flying about 50 hours a year now, most of it local hamburger runs with an occasional weekend trip over 300 miles away. One big factor is that I am not instrument rated. When I got this plane everyone told me it was the perfect platform to get rated. The problem is my professional life and personal life barely allow me enough time to fly 50 hours a year. Every time I start the instrument training it gets sidetracked. I don't see any reason this is going to change in the next 5 to 10 years. So I find myself with a 6 cylinder turbocharged Mooney that never gets above 10,000 feet. Add to that built in Oxygen that I never use and I start to question the need. Maintenance costs more then a J model and I am burning more fuel. I don't look forward to the added expense of overhauling a larger engine or a turbocharger when the time comes. Looking at the J models on the market now I can sell my 1980 K, buy a newer J with less time on the engine and I only give up 10 KTS at the altitudes I fly. I might end up spending more on the J then I get for the K but I am OK with that for a newer plane with less time on the engine and lower maintenance costs. My local shop, who are Mooney experts, and my plane broker think I am crazy. The broker has been dragging his feet getting back to me because he does not want me to sell it. Have you ever heard of a broker who doesn't want to make a commision? So, am I crazy?