I thought I'd grown numb to aviation part's prices..

SoCalPlaneDoc

SoCalPlaneDoc

New member
But 88 bux for a nutcracker bolt???
$28 each for a wiper seal??
$80 each for taxi springs?

I mean, I know you cant get them at Home Depot but sheesh....
Oh well, I'll never have to buy another one :)
 
I made friends with the owners of a couple of older Bonanzas. Makes Bellanca prices look good :). But yeah, those nutcracker bolts are killer. I figure the springs will last forever. Still not sure what the previous owner did to break both of the main gear springs. It's just not that hard to land softly...

Brian
 
gads. broken taxi springs? Mine are just .4" short, other than that they look like new.
I've not done the math yet but the new ones should raise the tail a noticeable amount.
 
Springs can be broken by repeated abusive landings with a dry strut.
Years ago, I found my 14-13's tailwheel spring broken in three pieces.
I had a new one made. I've had some 14-13 MLG. springs made at about $50/ea.
They seem to be the same dimension as the 14-19 series spring.
Dan
 
I can't find the pictures of the broken springs, but one was cracked in two places and the other was only cracked in one place. I was not a happy camper when I discovered that little gem. The tail came up and the landing / taxiing rides were a lot better after new springs, wipers, o-rings, and actually putting some oil in the struts. Not sure how we missed the inside of the gear during pre-buy. Even less sure how those gear got out of annual a month earlier. But it was a good early lesson in airplane ownership. I don't think the check had even cleared before she was up on jacks with her gear torn apart. sigh.
 
Are those the nutcracker bolts that are drilled and have a grease fitting on them? Dan Torrey, Bellanca Guru, said that they may have come that way, but putting solid bolts and removing, and greasing once a year is safer than the drilled bolts. I tend to trust the advice of a man that works every day on OLD Bellancas, over what an engineer in the 40s or 50s thought were a good idea. Just my 2 cents worth. _____Grant.
 
yes, they're the ones.

With respect for Mr Torrey's experience....
  • - FEA analysis shows the bolt(s) have a safety factor that's off the charts.
    - New, original equipment bolts are still available - at least for the 14-19-3.
    - I put all 6 of them through a cleaning and NDT inspection. None showed any signs of age-related degredation. I chose to replace only one due to obvious past abuse from a previous disassembly.
I would understand replacing them if they showed signs of corrosion, damage, or proved to have defects but, if they're in good condition, they're WAY strong enough for the job.. putting in stronger ones gains nothing.
I'm very lucky to have access to state-of-the-art testing resources.

The nutcrackers did have worn bushings - the bushings were made from SAE 841 bronze which has too low compression strength for this application, and are 7/16" OD - hard to find nowadays. so....
Got my hands on some SAE 863 and made some new ones... (careful, I have a lathe and I know how to use it) :)

http://youtu.be/fj-CDnfPPRw
http://s1061.photobucket.com/user/socalplanedoc/library/
 
We were discussing Cruisairs when Dan suggested the change, and the 14-19-3 may be a different size? (Do you have a concealed carry permit for that lathe?) Always something to learn on this forum. Got to love it. _____Grant.
 
Any decent shop should have a lathe, especially ones working on obsolete/vintage airplanes. It doesn't have to be big or complicated. My little 70 year old 8" Atlas benchtop has made many bushings, valve guides and small miscellaneous parts over the years.
Dan
 
Dan Cullman said:
My little 70 year old 8" Atlas benchtop
Click to expand...

<Hi-5>

Mine is an early 80s Graziano sag 12s. Way overkill for a home shop but I got it free when it was still new - the company I was working for at the time couldn't make it run without the breakers tripping. Turns out they had it connected to 220 instead of 208 and the Italian overloads couldn't handle it. Came with all the accessories. Weighs a ton and is a bugger to move but I'll never need another lathe.



My landlord and the local airport "experts" still haven't figured out how I can run a 3hp 3phase motor in my hanger.
 
prices, oh gee.

I once ordered one gear compression cable from Alexandria.
I think the freight was $ 400.

well south of a hundred fab'd by A/C spruce.

I liked the one I swaged from hardware store parts for .99 cents
swaging done with two small sledge hammers, on the airplane !

worked for year and a half

I didn't write this I was hacked by N.Koreans. :wink:
 
blimpy said:
I once ordered one gear compression cable from Alexandria.
I think the freight was $ 400.
Click to expand...

I just bought one... $137.

must have had that stored in the same part of your brain that has the weight of the last fish you caught, the mileage your truck gets, and what speed you true out at.. :)
 
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