The Restoration of 1968 Cessna C

The Restoration of 1968 Cessna C-150H N22507
By Mark van Wyk
(Updated June 28, 2010)
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On the cover of this article, there is a before and after comparison of my airplane: a 1968 Cessna C-150H
tail number N22507. Maybe it looks pretty much the same now is it did before, but a lot of work was
done and a lot of money was spent to upgrade and restore the airplane. Fortunately, it’s been a “flying
work in progress,” meaning I was able to fly the plane pretty much the whole time that I was working on
it.
What inspired me to spend so much time and money fixing up the plane? The first clue that I needed to
start thinking about some major re-working happened in November, 2007, when my old engine conked
out in Death Valley National Monument, CA on my way to a C-150/152 Club fly-in, about nine miles
south of Furnace Creek Airport. The exhaust valve in the #2 cylinder had disintegrated. The vibration
and noise was bad, but the propeller continued to turn, and my altitude loss was not too severe.
Fortunately, I landed safely, and miraculously, A&P mechanic Mr. Dick Tremaine, who is based in Dyer,
Nevada, flew out his C-150, with tools and a spare used cylinder, and he managed to fix the plane, with
me assisting, and make it flyable so that I could get home.
Mr. Dick Tremain (right) and I (left) Repairing the Old Engine in Death Valley, CA
About 100 hours of flying time later, the oil pressure began to drop noticeably, and metal particles were
observed in the oil – definite signs that it was time for an engine overhaul – something every airplane
owner should be prepared to do when the time comes. So, I had some choices:
1. I could hire a local A&P mechanic to disassemble and overhaul the existing engine, which had about
6200 hours on it, and had been overhauled numerous times in the past, by God-Knows-Who using GodKnows-What quality control; or
2. I could have a local mechanic remove the engine, and send it to a reputable overhaul shop, where
they would overhaul it and send it back for reinstallation; or
3. I could purchase an off-the-shelf zero-time overhauled engine, and swap mine as a core; or
4. I could purchase a brand new O200-A engine – which is still being manufactured and is available –
from Teledyne Continental Motors (http://www.genuinecontinental.aero/).
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I chose a combination of 3. and 4. A company named Teledyne-Mattituck (http://www.mattituck.com/),
a wholly owned subsidiary of Continental, has a special deal where they build an all new parts 0200-A
engine to the same specs as the factory, for about 2/3 the price. Also, the engine comes with a lot of
new stuff, like brand new carburetor, alternator, magnetos, wiring harness, and starter. It was not
cheap -- $20,000 – but I liked the idea of a virtually new engine. So, in July of 2008, I purchased the all
new parts Teledyne Mattituck 0200-A.
New Continental 0200-A, Still in the Crate
Of course, when you get started with an overhaul, you find out that a lot of other things need to be fixed
and replaced while you are at it. For example, I needed to either restore my existing engine cooling
baffles, or purchase new ones. This task can be performed by a non-mechanic, so I took on the job of
cleaning up and restoring the old ones, which was the cheaper alternative. They came out quite nice.
Notice the black engine enamel and new rubber seals riveted on the outer edges.
Before and After of Engine Baffles and Seals
Another item that needed to be replaced was the McCauley 1A101, DCM 6948 propeller, because my
existing propeller could not be overhauled. I got lucky and found a still new-in-the box prop from a guy
in Santa Paula, CA, who bought it but never used it, for about $2,000 – about half the price of a brand
new one.
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New McCauley 1A101, DCM 6948 Propeller
The spinner bulkhead had also seen better days – that had to be replaced.
Cracked Spinner Bulkhead
A lot of other stuff needed to be fixed or replaced, as well. For example, the three engine control cables
– throttle, mixture, and carburetor heat, were replaced with new cables.
Three New Control Cables. From Bottom Left: Carburetor Heat, Throttle, and Fuel Mixture
During the time that the new engine was being shipped from New York, I cleaned, treated, and painted
the acid-damaged battery box, and had the Gill acid-type battery replaced with a new STC-approved
Concorde sealed, maintenance-free battery.
Battery Box, Zinc-Chromate Primer (Left), Painted (Right)
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The photos below show the old engine, the old engine removed, cleanup and painting of the firewall,
the new Kasola engine mounts, and the new engine installed. An A&P mechanic at Magnum Aviation
(www.magnumaviation.com) in San Martin, CA did the engine work. I did the firewall cleanup and
painting.
Old Engine, Firewall Cleanup and Painting, New Motor Mounts, and New Engine and Propeller
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Of course, a new engine and prop was only the beginning. Removing and reinstalling the engine was
hard on the 40-year-old oil temperature gauge and the oil pressure lines. Therefore, I had those
antiquated, analog gauges replaced with a high-quality, custom-calibrated Electronics International OPT1 oil pressure/oil temperature gauge, shown at lower right. Note the two original gauges, upper left, are
now marked as “Gauge Inop” per FAA regulations.
Electronics International OPT-1 Oil Pressure/Oil Temperature Gauge
There was a lot more to do, as well. I replaced the dried out, cracked side window seals.
Side Window Seal Replacement
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I treated and painted the rust-spotted landing gear.
Landing Gear, Before and After
I repaired the wheel pants, and replaced a missing front wheel fairing access door.
Wheel Pants Repairs. Top Before, Bottom After
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I replaced the disintegrated carpet with a new custom airplane carpet from TNWings
(http://www.tnwings.com) of Tennessee. The two photos below show the process of gluing the carpet
to the kick panels, and the installation of the carpet on the floor of the aircraft.
Re-carpet Kick Panels
New Carpet Installed
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I replaced the worn-out cabin speaker with a new one. I mounted the new aircraft-approved speaker in
the existing frame of the old speaker.
New Speaker Installed in Old Speaker Mount
The headliner was shot, so that had to be replaced, as well. Below are before/after photos of the
surface corrosion on the interior ceiling, the cleaned surface with new insulation installed, and finally,
the new headliner installed. Not a fun job, but it came out OK.
Old Headliner Removed with Corrosion on Ceiling, New Insulation, and New Headliner
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Next to be replaced or repaired were the cracked and soiled interior plastic panels. Shown below are
the repaired/repainted plastic trim, along with the new panels from both Vantage Plane Plastics
(http://www.planeplastics.com) and Texas Aero Plastics (http://www.buyplaneparts.com).
New and Repaired Interior Plastic Panels, Painted Cessna Off-White
The avionics were pretty good when I bought the plane. I upgraded with marker beacons and DME,
making the plane certified for many instrument flight rules (IFR) operations throughout the U.S. The
avionics were installed by a certified technician at Peninsula Avionics in Palo Alto, CA
(http://www.peninsula-avionics.com), but I helped.
Art Vartanian of Peninsula Avionics in Palo Alto, CA -- Installing Avionics
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Below is the upgraded radio stack. Each radio has a corresponding external antenna. I also use a VFRonly handheld Garmin GPS receiver, which is not physically installed in the aircraft, and is not certified
for IFR operations.
Upgraded Avionics Stack
The seat pan, seat rails, and seat assemblies are in "serviceable" condition.
As for the seat pan, cracking is common in older Cessna aircraft. These must be repaired early on by
installing doublers. Some small cracks were observed near the forward end of both pilot and passenger
side seat rails. A repair was done -- stop drilling and doubler riveted onto the seat pan -- and hopefully,
that will halt any further deterioration and avoid the need for a costly seat pan replacement. This
condition will need to be closely inspected at each annual.
From Left: Seat Pan, Pilot-Side Repair, Passenger-Side Repair
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As for the seat assemblies themselves, there have been "issues." The pilot side seat back bracket broke
(a potentially dangerous situation if it happens at climb out). Fortunately, this happened while on the
ground.
Broken Seat Back Bracket
Seat assemblies for C-150 cannot be purchased new. The existing seats must be repaired or replaced
with salvage parts. I purchased a used seat from a salvage yard and swapped seat backs. The
upholstery and cushioning on my existing seats -- while somewhat soiled --are actually in pretty good
shape, so I removed my pilot-side seat back upholstery/cushion and installed it on the salvaged seat
back, and then reassembled the pilot seat assembly.
Installing Existing Upholstery/Cushioning on Spare Frame
I covered the seats with new sheepskin slip covers from a local company -- Rocky Mountain Sheepskin
(www.rmsheepskin.com). I've got my eye out to find some salvaged seats in top-notch condition that
might be for sale somewhere.
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Repaired Seats, Sheepskin Seat Covers
The final, major work that was done on the airplane was a complete strip, corrosion treatment, and
repaint.
(Left and Middle) Granular Corrosion in Vertical Stabilizer; (Right): Replacement Vertical Stabilizer
(Left) Plane Stripped of Old Paint; (Right) Masking and First Coat of New Paint
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Finished Airplane!
Background Information
I got into flying in my early-40s, more or less on a whim, with no previous experience whatsoever, and I
became hooked on General Aviation (GA). I became fascinated with the mechanics and physics of the
airplanes themselves, and I was amazed at the freedom and privileges that are afforded those who
obtain their United States private pilot certificate.
I obtained my private pilot certificate (single engine, land) in 1997, at Tradewinds Aviation in San Jose,
CA. Such a certificate allows you to fly small airplanes day and night under visual flight rules (VFR); carry
passengers; use the air traffic control system free of charge; and allows you virtually free use of almost
every airport in the United States.
This privilege is precious, as the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, taught us.
The U.S government shut down the skies for nearly a month after that attack when the nation was
under siege. It made me realize that the privilege of flying can be taken away in an instant in a time of
war.
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Another threat to the privilege of flying, and to GA in general, is the continual pressure by the
government to start charging pilots money -- in the form of taxes, user fees, etc. -- for use of the air
traffic control system and airports. Thus far, this has not happened in the U.S, but it could happen some
day.
Training and Renting Airplanes
I trained almost exclusively in rented Cessna C-172 "Skyhawks" -- flying whichever rental plane was
available on any given day out of a fleet of eight airplanes. C-172s are high wing, fixed landing gear,
fixed-pitch propeller, four seat airplanes, typically powered by a 160-horsepower Lycoming engine that
consumes about nine gallons of fuel per hour (GPH). These are extremely common GA aircraft, and
have an excellent reputation. Almost every U.S. pilot -- private or commercial, and even military pilots
and astronauts -- have started out and trained in C-172s.
As any renter of airplanes can attest, renting has some positives, and a lot of negatives.
Positives of renting:
•
You don't need to deal with the hassle of owning and maintaining and airplane. You can rent the
plane, go flying, and then drop the key off when you are done, and forget about it.
Negatives of renting:
•
•
•
•
•
•
You compete with students and pilots who also want to rent the planes. At peak times -- like
weekends, holidays, and special events -- planes are often unavailable. When they are available,
you can only use them for a certain number of hours. Another renter is usually waiting for the
plane to be returned at a specific time.
You pay extra for overnight trips.
Available airplanes come and go in the rental fleet. A plane that you like to fly may become
permanently unavailable when the owner removes it from the rental line. Every time you rent a
plane you have not flown before, you need to be "checked out" in that airplane.
Renting has become increasingly expensive as fuel and the price of airplanes continues to rise.
The idea of obtaining an advanced rating such as an instrument rating was cost-prohibitive for
me. For example, when I started my training, a Cessna 172 (usually 1970s to 1980s vintage) cost
$50 per hour (flying time only) "wet" -- meaning fuel is included in the price. Today, Cessna 172
rental is at least $100 per hour wet, and depending on the airplane, much higher than that.
The quality of the planes vary greatly. All rental airplanes must be maintained to certain
minimum standards. Most airplanes I have rented from various Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) in
Northern California have been in excellent condition. However, others seemed so dilapidated
that I didn't feel particularly safe.
Rental airplanes take a beating. There are often several non-essential items that are out-oforder (a faulty transceiver, a inoperative gauge, a broken knob, a faulty seat, etc., etc.). The
plane is still flyable, but the fun is diminished.
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After about eight years of being a private pilot flying rental airplanes, the novelty of flying was starting
to wear off. And, dealing with FBOs and rental airplanes was becoming a hassle. After about 400 hours
of flying time, I was barely keeping up with the sport. There were some years that I was so busy with
other things in life, and I barely flew 12 hours in an entire year.
Not only does that make flying not worth it -- that can be unsafe. At times, I considered giving up the
sport altogether.
Things to Consider in Airplane Ownership
In my flying career, I have been checked out and have flown numerous types of single engine airplanes
in addition to Cessna 172 Skyhawks: Piper PA-28 160 "Warrior," Piper PA-38 "Tomahawk", and Cessna
C-152 "Sparrowhawk."
Like most pilots, the thought of owning an airplane had crossed my mind many times. Naturally, my first
wish would be to own a brand new aircraft, fresh out of the factory. The costs have always been high,
and they are skyrocketing. (I've never been interested in homebuilding from scratch an airplane from a
kit or from blueprints.)
Today, a basic, 160 horsepower 2010 Cessna 172 (www.cessna.com) retails for well over a quarter of a
million dollars. Starting price is $269,000, and it goes up from there. And, that's just the purchase price.
That does not include taxes, storage, and maintenance. These are beautiful, well equipped airplanes
with state-of-the-art glass-panel avionics, but the cost for me is out of the question.
My Introduction to the Smaller Cessnas
The first time I flew a Cessna 152 (the follow-on to the popular Cessna C-150) was shortly after I
obtained my private pilot certificate. A C-152 is a smaller, two seat, 110 horsepower, 7 GPH version of
the C-172. The price of renting a C-152 was lower than a C-172. Although the performance wasn't the
same as a C-172 (a C-152 has less speed and useful load), I liked the plane -- particularly since I did a lot
of flying alone, and did not need three empty seats.
Almost immediately, the idea of owning a smaller, used airplane seemed within my price range. I also
like the idea of owning one that was fully equipped for Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). Such small, well
equipped airplane would make an excellent, cost-efficient IFR trainer.
Still, the idea of owning, repairing, and maintaining a C-152 was low on my list of priorities. In fact, I was
seriously considering getting out of aviation altogether, because I wanted to go further (such as
obtaining an instrument rating, and possibly getting a commercial license for such purposes as becoming
a flight instructor), but the costs far outweighed the benefits.
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Purchasing a Cessna 150
In late 2004, a friend and spiritual advisor contacted me about the sport of flying. This gentleman, like
many people, was intrigued with the idea of obtaining his pilot certificate. He was so interested, in fact,
that he took the step of purchasing a used Cessna 150 in which to train in.
Actually, that can be an excellent idea. Not only do you avoid the hassle of renting, but you can train
and get checked out in your own airplane, and you can then fly your own airplane when you finish your
training. I know of at least one other student who bought the plane he trained it.
The friend who purchased the C-150 found out that I was a pilot, so he invited me to fly his plane, and
later to take him up as a passenger.
I remember the first day I flew N22507. Although I had never specifically flown a C-150, I had many
dozens of hours in C-152s and literally hundreds of hours in C-172s. Therefore, I felt I was perfectly safe,
and absolutely legal, to fly the C-150.
I met the friend on the ramp at Santa Clara County's South County Airport (E16) in San Martin, CA,
where the airplane was tied down. The airplane did not have a transceiver installed, meaning I could
not communicate with other pilots or with air traffic control. Nor did the plane have a Mode C
transponder, which allows air traffic control to identify the aircraft's altitude, speed, and position on
radar.
However, in Class E and less restricted airspace, transceiver and Mode-C transponder -- while highly
recommended -- are not legally required. So, I agreed to fly the airplane in the uncontrolled pattern at
E16. Uncontrolled means that there is no tower. On that day, there were few other airplanes in the
vicinity.
After a thorough pre-flight inspection, I was satisfied that the plane was legal and safe to fly. I got in the
airplane and started it. During the startup, I noticed that the starter slipped and made a "grinding" noise
-- not a good thing -- but I surmised that this condition would not adversely affect aircraft safety once
the engine started, because the starter disengages once the engine starts. So, I continued.
I also noticed immediately that the attitude indicator gauge was defective. It showed the horizon at a
45 degree angle. This gage is not legally required equipment in daytime VFR operations, so again I
concluded that I could safely continue with the flight.
I taxied over to the Runway 32 runup area, and did a pre-flight "run-up" procedure. The engine sounded
good, and all of the flight controls worked OK, so I took the runway and advanced the throttle. The
airplane's engine sounded perfectly normal as I accelerated, and I easily climbed to 1,300 feet mean sea
level (MSL), which is traffic pattern altitude at E16. I did a right-traffic pattern, lowered the flaps (which
worked fine), descended, and touched down on the runway.
I decided to do a "touch-and-go" and pushed in the throttle, and again climbed to 1,300 feet MSL with
no problem. I flew in the pattern again, returned to the runway, and I did another touch-and-go. I
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concluded the flight by flying in the pattern one more time, and then coming to a full-stop landing. I
then taxied back to where my friend was standing and shut down the engine.
The plane had issues, to be sure, but it was airworthy. I flew the airplane several times after that, using
a handheld transceiver to communicate with other airplanes. In the weeks that followed, my friend
equipped the airplane with a used Bendix King KX155 navcom, a KI209 Course Deflection Indicator (CDI),
and a Bendix King 77a Mode C-transponder. N22507 was pre-wired for these radios. A previous owner
had removed all of the avionics from the airplane when he sold it, but the trays, cabling, and antennas
were still in place, so re-installing radios merely required that the replacement unit be slipped into the
existing tray. So, now the plane had a radio transceiver, navigation aid, and Mode C capability, meaning
it could legally be flown in more restrictive Class D, Class C, and Class B airspace.
On one weekend day, I flew with my friend (who was a passenger) round-trip, about 175 miles each
way, to Chico, California, and back. We talked along the way using headsets plugged into the airplane's
Sigronics portable intercom, which worked fine. The plane flew well, without incident.
Like a lot of students -- probably the majority of students -- my friend came to the conclusion that the
investment of time, effort, and money to obtain a private pilot certificate was not do-able for him at
that time. So, he informed me that he was selling the airplane, and he gave me first crack at buying it.
I thought it over for a few days and paid to have a pre-purchase inspection performed by an
independent mechanic. The airplane had about 6,000 hours on the airframe and engine. Generally, the
plane was in decent enough shape -- considering that it was nearly 40 years old.
In December, 2004, I decided to buy the airplane. After a little haggling, we agreed upon a price of
$14,250. While that may seem cheap in comparison to a new plane, the airplane had many owners
through the years; had been used as a trainer all over the U.S.; had experienced periods of tender loving
care; and experienced other periods of neglect.
Positives and Negatives of N22507
Positives:
•
•
N22507 had an expensive Horton (http://www.hortonstolcraft.com/stolcraft_description.htm)
Slow Take Off/Landing (STOL) conversion done to the wings, including flap gap seals and stall
fences. Somebody, some time ago, thought the plane was valuable enough to invest a lot of
money in it.
N22507 was pre-wired for fairly decent avionics. In addition to the aforementioned KX155,
KI109, and KT76A, there were trays/wiring/antennas for additional radios that I later purchased
and installed: including a Bendix King KY97 Transceiver and Northstar M1A LORAN.
(Unfortunately, LORAN, which was a very reliable ground-based navigation system, similar to
GPS, was shut down by the U.S. government in February of 2010 after nearly 40 years of
service.)
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•
•
•
Cessna 150s are exceptionally sturdy little airplanes. As long as the airframe has not been
abused, there is virtually no limit (within reason) why they cannot be kept flying. Some 150s are
actually rated for acrobatics, and even my airplane can withstand many, many G-force loads
greater than I will ever put on it.
New and used parts -- while sometimes expensive -- are readily available.
*Complete documentation (parts manuals, service manuals, pilot operating handbook) are
available for free because Cessna never copyrighted these older documents. This is an oversight
that Cessna has since corrected -- similar documents for new airplanes are copyrighted and cost
hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
Negatives:
•
•
A lot of stuff on N22507 was worn out. There is a reason why a 40-year-old+plus airplane with
6,200 hours on the airframe/engine sells for a fraction of the cost of a brand new airplane with
zero hours on the airframe/engine.
No matter how much money you pour into an old airplane, like other expensive toys (sports
cars, swimming pools, etc.), you will never get the money back out if you decide to sell. The
plane, even in its current condition, could fetch MAYBE $25,000 to $30,000 on the open market
($30,000 seems high). That's less than half of what I have in it.
This year, Cessna is introducing a small, two seat Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) called the Cessna 162
Skycatcher is being introduced that retails for $112,250 -- plus tax, delivery, etc.. The C-162 is in many
ways a direct descendant of the C-150. The C-162 has an almost identical 100 horsepower 0200
Continental engine as my plane. The C-162 has two seats, aluminum construction, and many other
similar features. The great thing about the new C-162 is that it is -- well -- NEW. However, the C-162 is
rated for VFR only. It cannot, and never will be, legal to fly in IFR. So, in some ways, my airplane has an
edge over it's younger cousin.
I plan to keep and fly my airplane for as long as I can...for the rest of my flying career...a decade, at least.
I am totally satisfied with a good, safe, Cessna 150. I have no further upgrades planned. If I do manage
to fly the plane safely and often with hopefully a minimum of additional costs (aside from normal
maintenance and repairs), the money I have put into it will have been well worth it.
More Information
If you want to learn more about the Cessna 150 and it's close cousin, the Cessna 152, the absolute best
resource in the world is the website of the Cessna C-150/152 Club. Large portions of this website are
available for free to the public at: http://www.cessna150-152.com/.
For a nominal fee, you can join the club and get additional access to a treasure trove or expertise,
documentation, and resources. Because of the good people on this website, I have been able to stay so
informed about my airplane, that often I can provide information, hints, and tips to my mechanic that
even he did not know about. There isn't a question that has come up that I have not been able to find
the answer to by consulting the C-150/152 Club website.
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