3434X is finally airborne again! (Video)

[Nukemzzz]

Merry Christmas to me!

Some of you might remember that back in March I detected an oil leak on 34X and on April 10 we confirmed it was a cracked engine case on cyl #2. ‘Twas a sad day indeed. Especially since I had bought and flew it home Jan 1 and only had 15.2hrs in the plane.  

While the engine was out I did a bunch more work to the plane because I wanted to make the best of the down time. It took so long to get the engine back in and buttoned up that we ran into the next annual timing and so now this is all ending up adjacent to this years annual. 

I want to say thank you to the MooneySpace community for all of your guidance and advice.  This forum is invaluable to those like me trying to keep these vintage plane airborne  

The list I’ve been keeping of the work done since that April:  

1. Remove, repair, replace the engine. They did a gear ad. Install Oil filter. Cam. DLC Lifters. New superior case.
2. Added JPI fuel flow transducer 
3. New fuel supply line
4. Install new fuel lines to servo and JPI fuel flow transducer and from electric to manual pump. 
5. New mixture and throttle cable
6. Replace mixture ball end at servo with rod end kit part number 660051-005
7. Replaced ram air cable mount bracket and bushing at mixture mount on engine to support the cable properly. Old bracket was a bent thin steel plate with no bushing and it wore though the cable. 
8. Pilot side sceet tubing installed and old worn out stuff removed. 
9. Instrument panel renovation. 
10. Install transponder and ASDB-IN AHRS box. 
11. Mount GPS antenna and route wires 
12. Install stratus USB. Removed two cigarette lighters
13. Install nulight stc ring lights
14. Install primary gage LED lights
15. Remove mitchel turn and bank and install MidCont turn coordinator 
16. Replace Wing Leveler Aileron servo boots in the wings. 
17. Replace rudder servo boots for brittain accutrak autopilot system. 
18. Replace step retract servo unit with good serviceable.  
19. Overhaul nose gear truss assembly. Sent to Lasar:

 -Exchange truss with unit overhauled by Lasar with turn limit feature STC from Lasar. 

-replace nose lord bushings

-install spacer to preload bushing to improve ground tracking (Mooney SB)

-Realigned nose gear

1. Repair and paint interior window trim
2. Repaired and painted cabin side walls.  Installed new carpet in floor, lower walls, and luggage compartment with carpeted panels, re apolstered arm rests and entry door windlace from Airtex. 
3. Replaced entry door plastic and painted to match. 
4. Install Johnson bar boot
5. Stop drill firewall cracks and seal with permatex. 
6. New spark plugs:  UREM-38E
7. One Mag repair/overhaul
8. Zerk replacement front and main gear 
9. Insect yoke tubes
10. Check fuel filter screen 
11. Replace fuel cap o-rings
12. Connect compass light power
13. Install new front seat belts and shoulder belts 
14. ADs completed on motor mount by Loree air. 
15. Installed JPI fuel flow transducer. 
16. Replaced 2 motor mounts. Moved lower to upper and installed new ones in lower. 

 

 

[carusoam]

Nice work, Nuke!

You may be a builder as much as a pilot!

Who did you bring a long with you?

I like his pre-take-off plan... performance checks and where to go if the performance didn’t meet spec at different points... 

Congrats and Merry Xmas!

Best regards,

-a-

 

[Nukemzzz]

39 minutes ago, carusoam said:

Nice work, Nuke!

You may be a builder as much as a pilot!

Who did you bring a long with you?

I like his pre-take-off plan... performance checks and where to go if the performance didn’t meet spec at different points... 

Congrats and Merry Xmas!

Best regards,

-a-

 

That’s Jeff, a Co-worker, friend and my CFII. He checked out in a Mooney to get insurance with me in this plane so I can train in it. He’s a natural. His first landing in this thing was last Jan 1 after we flew cross country up from Florida, in high gusty winds at night. He landed like a bird. 

[Bob E]

Great video!   Nothing like success at the end of a long project!

The cost will fade into history as you enjoy the aircraft on an ongoing basis in the present.

One thing you might want to add to your list as long as you're bringing everything up to speed:  Check the gascolator and fuel selector for smooth functionality.  (Often overlooked.)

 

[hammdo]

Congrats! Looks like a fine bird! I’m sure your joyous it’s finally in the air!

-Don

[Nukemzzz]

7 hours ago, hammdo said:

Congrats! Looks like a fine bird! I’m sure your joyous it’s finally in the air!

-Don

Not counting my chickens yet. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. Lol

[Nukemzzz]

7 hours ago, Bob E said:

Great video!   Nothing like success at the end of a long project!

The cost will fade into history as you enjoy the aircraft on an ongoing basis in the present.

One thing you might want to add to your list as long as you're bringing everything up to speed:  Check the gascolator and fuel selector for smooth functionality.  (Often overlooked.)

 

We checked the filter in it and it moves well. Hoping it’s got some life in it. Are you thinking rebuilding it?  New o-rings and such? 

[Bob E]

As long as you had a look at it and there's no crud and the selector moves freely it should be fine.

[Guest]

Nice to see it back in the air!

Clarence

[Oscar Avalle]

Nice to know that you are back in the air! Nice video.

[Immelman]

Nice work, I wish you many years of enjoyable flying without that kind of trouble ever again!

[Buckeyechuck]

Congrats. Having just finished a similar project I know how satisfying it is to take a major role in such a project and be flying again.

[Brian E.]

Well done.  Congrats!

[Nukemzzz]

Add this to the list. Was unable to get the whiskey compass to calibrate even close. It doesn’t have enough authority to override the cabin magnetics and maybe the roll cage has some charge. Hoping this gets the job done. 

[Buckeyechuck]

De-Gauss the cage. 

[Nukemzzz]

3 hours ago, Buckeyechuck said:

De-Gauss the cage. 

Easy to say.  Have you read the Mooney procedure?  And these degaussing guns...they don’t rent them at Lowes.  
 

The balance balls for this compass specifically call out addressing Mooney roll cage mag as a reason to use these balls.  Going to give them a try. 

[Nukemzzz]

Update:  I borrowed a friend for an hour. He sighted the plane with the compass on a stick out in the freezing cold and I taxied around and around for an hour following the calibration procedures. The Balance Balls with the vertical card compass are really powerful, it tried really hard to get the job done, but it’s not enough...there is some serious magnetic interference in the cabin.  I’m surprised that it doesn’t make my fillings hurt. The best I can get in the NW direction is 25deg of deviation.  Lol.

The good news is the cardinal directions are good enough to set the DG for now. I also got a cool, easy to read new compass out of the deal. But I still want to swing this thing right soon. 

Where does one find a growler?

[Buckeyechuck]

On 12/30/2020 at 6:37 PM, Nukemzzz said:

Easy to say.  Have you read the Mooney procedure?  And these degaussing guns...they don’t rent them at Lowes.  
 

The balance balls for this compass specifically call out addressing Mooney roll cage mag as a reason to use these balls.  Going to give them a try. 

I had compass issues years ago. My A&P degaussed the cage. Basically used the second method as described in the service bulletin. I was trying to install a vertical card compass due to issues with the original whiskey compass. We gave up on upgrading the compass but we solved the issues with the original compass which I am still using. The second method to degauss in the sb is fairly easy.  

[Nukemzzz]

3 hours ago, Buckeyechuck said:

I had compass issues years ago. My A&P degaussed the cage. Basically used the second method as described in the service bulletin. I was trying to install a vertical card compass due to issues with the original whiskey compass. We gave up on upgrading the compass but we solved the issues with the original compass which I am still using. The second method to degauss in the sb is fairly easy.  

My avionics guy says that he’s never seen a plane this bad in his 20yrs of doing this...and so isn’t familiar with degaussing a Mooney. I’d do it myself if I had that tool. Lol

[MARZ]

next time your in the cabin and not flying check your dome light - looks like it was lit!

[Raptor05121]

On 1/4/2021 at 11:12 PM, Nukemzzz said:

My avionics guy says that he’s never seen a plane this bad in his 20yrs of doing this...and so isn’t familiar with degaussing a Mooney. I’d do it myself if I had that tool. Lol