The International Cessna^® 170 Association

I sure had a good day today! On taxi I thought I smelled gas. (When you think something isn't right it usually aint!) Well I ignored it.
Flew to Ozark with my Saratoga buddy, he thought the 170 short landings were cool! At Ozark we had this most interesting Flight Controller. Believe he said something about landing "Across from something and down from somewhere?" Ozark Joe brought us in on rnwy 04. After we landed, my Saratago Buddy put my gas cap back on. Good thing I done it myself or I'd been plum miffed at that gas station fellar. FYI the gas tanks had great cross flow and the tanks were empting at a balanced rate. Moral to the story: make sure you have a chain hooked to your gas cap I'll donate that 10 gals to enhancing the education of this board.
Went in to Don Grays' paint shop. They do excellent work, I'm impressed at all the planes I've been seeing come out of there. $5800 to repaint with Jet Glo. Add $1150 for Imron with Clear Coat. Then there's a couple of $75 & $60 items. But later I talked with a friend who said he was setting up in Dover, AR. and he and his buddy (Billy Bob) could do it for 1/2 that price. I could be there firstest customer.
The rpm's maxed at 2750, at 2700 she flew 110 mph (can't believe it), but there was wind from everywhere so nothing was true.
Showed off the 170's shortfield abilities on a lil grass strip in Dover (Billy Bob's), then flew home. With a 20 mph head wind the 170 is an awesome shortfield performer.
Oh Joe, my mechanic looked that engine mount over and said it's not powder coated. I was just afraid after dumpin that gas on all them people on the way over, that one of em might get hit by the engine fallin off the front on the way back.
Just another Hillbilly Day in Paradise!

I spent some time in the hangar today doing little stuff. Replaced my gas cap seals with new. The old ones were over 5 years old and looked fine, but I've lately had some gas blow back onto the wing inflight. When I stretched the rubber gaskets the outside circumference showed they were really thoroughly dried out and heavily cracked. Without stretching them you'd never know.
I also happened to notice lately that my firewall always has a mist of oil on it after a flight. I'm tired of trying to stop it, but replacing the gas cap seals got me to thinking. So I looked under my oil filler cap, and sure enough, the rubber gasket had a problem. It looked OK. But the trouble is that the outside circumference of the gasket had no impression-evidence of the oil filler neck circumference. I decided the gasket was simply too small.
But guess what? The gas cap seals are the exact correct size, so I replaced the oil cap gasket with a fuel cap gasket and VIOLA! No more oil mist on my firewall! (I could see the oil would mist by where the gasket met the cut-outs for the cap fingers. With the gasket too small, the outside circumference of the filler neck would allow oil to mist by the cap and hit the firewall. I'd just about given up and decided to simply live with it.)
The gaskets are Spruce PN FC2651 (877-477-7823), $1.50 ea. They fit both the fuel caps and the oil cap.

But George you eliminated the alternate crancase breather system!

Sounds like a good day in the hangAr George. However if you eliminate those oil leaks you also eliminate or reduce the anti rust inhibitor for your tailwheel springs!!!!!!!!!!!! You realize of course those springs (and the belly) require oil on them don't you?

Now, Frank, you know me. You know I'm such a stickler for propriety. I only use clean engine oil (with NO MMO!) from a garden spayer on my belly and tailwheel springs.

Hi Dave,

That was really fun yesterday morning! Have met a few people there that if your powdercoated engine would have fallen on them, they wouldn't have noticed. Did you check with Gray about powder coating the whole airplane?

Sure enjoyed watching pattern work done the right way! O'le Ark Dave came in over midfield, chuckeling over the radio about the warning from unicom about the crosswind. Entered a very nice tight downwind and turned base at or before the end of the runway. Put her down REAL smooth closer to the first turnoff than the approach end and rolled to a stop, all in way less than 300 feet. Took me up and showed what a climb prop is all about - we were climbing at over 1000 fpm as easy as pie.

Had commitments and had to leave the airport way sooner than I wanted to. Mom asked if we had fun, my answer was "could have stayed out there another day or two".

George,
Those rubber O rings for the fuel caps, are the same for the vented and the original? (I have both)

George

I've tried the engine oil trick on my belly but it still sticks out way too far.

Mike Smith wrote:George,
Those rubber O rings for the fuel caps, are the same for the vented and the original? (I have both)

They are not actually an O-ring, but are flat gaskets. Not sure which caps you have, but they fit both vented, unvented caps as well as the oil filler cap.

Joe,

You got my vote for President with that review -
It did take me by suprise when you first mentioned our climb rate.
I'm looking forward to flying in a fast 170 and playing around when we have time. Buzzed that fancy resort on the way out. Wonder if they'd let us have, Oshgosh Arkansas, there?

AR Dave (NE from Tx and down from Canada)