The official 170 search has started, float kit question

[jaime72]

Hello all;

For the past year I have lurked, questioned, responded and drooled over your forum. I am a newer pilot (80 or so hours since March) that is flying a Citabria 7GCBC for fun. I have been pondering what the right aircraft would be for me for some time (8 months?) and I am pretty set on a 170. I have the good fortune of working with many current/former 170 owners here in Anchorage, all of whom have been a great asset. But now I want to begin my more "formal" active search for the right 170. I am sure I will have lots and lots of questions. Already this forum has been too awesome of a resource. So here is what I "think" I want.

I am looking for a mid-'53 or later B model with a 180hp conversion. I don't really want a project, and I don't want to undertake a C-145 to O-360 conversion. I once thought no big deal, until I found this forum!

So here is my first formal question. I didn't find much information through searching, so posing the question myself. I may at some point want to explore floats. How difficult / expensive (general guide) would a "after market" float kit installation be? I have heard of people going that route, understanding that it will never be a FFK. Has anyone here done it? Cost prohibitive? Limitations? I cannot ever imagine running on salt water.

Thanks in advance. Should I ask questions as they pop into my head or compile a list over time?

Look forward to learning from you all.

Jaime Andersen
Anchorage AK

[Jr.CubBuilder]

My mechanic is working on a 170 and installed a float kit in it. It's a project for his boss and is strictly a spare time refurbishment that will eventually get a Cont. IO360.

Anyway the kit involves putting some mounting points on the bulkhead behind the door. There are some other attachments etc, but I don't think it was that big of a deal, it's not like swapping engines. However if you can find one that already has the float kit installed and/or floats it will probably be cheaper to buy that than upgrade something else. On the other hand if you find a really nice plane, upgrading it isn't such a bad thing if you do your homework before hand. Make damm sure you know all about the work reputation of the mechanic you have involved and spend plenty of time talking to people about the quality of their work. That's what I didn't do for my engine swap and it turned what should have been a simple bolt on STC into an 18 month fiasco.

That also goes for whoever is looking at the condition of the planes you are looking at to purchase. I used the same mechanic for a pre-purchase as I did for the engine swap, I was naive and thought I was saving money, I got stung there to and have since learned a LOT about how to inspect 170s and things to look for.

[mit]

The Cessna parts for floats on a 170 are all in the parts book. Pretty easy compared to a late mod 185.

[GAHorn]

While I am certain there must be some fine examples of 170's with float-kits .... they usually suffer greater corrosion hazards than land-planes. While searching for my Cessna 170 for purchase back in the late 90's, I looked at three advertised as having "factory" float kits.... and NONE of them were either "factory" ... or airworthy, due to extensive corrosion, despite ALL of them having recent annuals.

I paid for a "pre-buy" inspection in McAllen TX on a 170 that had a "float kit".... I had instructed the facility to open her up, take a look for corrosion, and if it looked "clean" to continue with an annual inspection, with a planned sign-off if the purchase "went through". (I had seen this airplane in the hangar on a business trip (it had fresh paint and looked very nice externally), talked to the seller, and talked to the competing shop across the field who had JUST signed off a fresh annual on this airplane. I was hiring a different shop for my pre-buy/annual.)

I flew down and found the airplane up on jacks, wheels removed, and all the fairings removed, and the spark plugs out, and the crew on lunch-break. The shop foreman told me the annual was almost "complete" with only that morning's work accomplished. I thought, "Wow, must be pretty clean".

I walked out into the hangar and took a look inside the wings, tail, wing-attach fittings, etc........ and there was so much rust/corrosion I was afraid to stand beneath it! The inside of the wings had been "bombed" with silver paint in an effort to cover up/disguise the extensive filiform corrosion throughout. The wing attach bolts had huge flakes of rust peeling off the bolt-heads. It was such an obvious show-stopper I couldn't believe they were not only proceeding with an annual, but they were apparently prepared to sign it off!

I chewed them out for not following my instructions, overpaid them for a mornings work for two mechanics ($300) and fired them. I told the seller and the competing shop across the field who'd already signed off the annual only two weeks previously my opinions of their work and representations and went on down the road.

To my horror, about two years later we gained a new member who was very proud of the "new to him" 170B that had a "factory float kit", and he wanted to let me know he had gotten it home and wanted to know if I'd make some recommended mods and instructors for him. He no longer is with us.

Be extra wary of aircraft that have been on floats. Give them extra-carefull attention during "pre-buy" inspections. They are especially vulnerable to corrosion, which explains why really good ones bring really good prices! Be prepared to pay a premium price for a good example. Be prepared to pay for plenty of repairs for most of the rest, and see low offers at re-sale. (See discussions held in these forums previously regarding "pre-buy" inspections. Hint: Get an "annual" inspection from a knowlegeable and competent shop you trust, and check on their work, before buying an airplane.)

Oft-repeated aircraft salesman's slogan......"You do not make money on an airplane when you sell it. You make your money on an airplane when you buy it!"