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Working on getting my cherokee annualed. The #4 jug was reading 60/80 compression and howling out the exhaust valve. We borescoped it and came to the conclusion that the valve was burnt, so off came the cylinder. I brought it by Graham to see about getting it repaired, and they told me $500 to do new guides and servicable valves and springs, and reground seats. However, the next day they called and said they found cracks and it wasn't worth repairing, so I ordered this ECI steel-bore cylinder. I would have liked to have gotten a nickel cylinder, but apparently this here is the very last O-320 cylinder for sale in all the country.

The engine has 1875hr on it, all the other cylinders are making >78/80, and we scoped the cam and it looks good. I figure if this cyl gets me by for 150 hours, I'm doing fine. Likely, this engine will go 500 without a hiccup... everything else on it looks great.

They look so nice when they're new! Glad to hear it's about time to go flying again!

So what did that cylinder cost, if ya don't mind me askin...?

$884. Nickel would have been $1050, but there were none to be had.

Free shipping, fedex ground, and I ordered it Tuesday and had it Thursday. Awesome!

That's great service! Well since you're close to a major anyway, the steel cylinder was a better choice I think.

Good deal!

I probably would have gone with a nickel if I could have, simply because when I major it I can reuse that nickel cyl, and just have one cyl with 100-200 more hours on it than the others.

HOWEVER, this probably works out better, because I'd like to do the 160hp stc at major, and trying to reuse a cyl would mean honing it and breaking in new rings and piston in it.

Exactly! Good idea on the STC!

I need to make a new fuel line for the cherokee, and you need a goofy tool to install fittings on the fuel hose. They're remarkably expensive tools as usual, so I opted to make my own:




That's for a -4 fitting, which has a teeeeny little .170 bore. Tough to turn that much stickout with that small a diameter, and it got a bit hot. The next part I'll make will be for a -6 fitting, and it oughta come out nicer.

and now it has a big brother in -6 size!

Very nicely done Ian!

Airplane is back together and test run. Tomorrow morn we'll cowl 'er back up and test fly!

Sweet! Let us know how it goes!

Nice tools Ian, and welcome back!

Test flight went well. Only squawk is that the engine seems to pop and backfire a bit on the ground at 1000rpm and below... we'll have to investigate that one.

What a boring flight though... had to keep it at high power with no power changes for an hour for breakin purposes, but also keep it close to the airport incase of forced landing. I was at Tara Field, 4A7, which is adjacent to Atlanta Motor Speedway, our NASCAR track. I commented over the radio to my mechanic on the ground that my hour of circling overhead was "Airplane NASCAR... go fast and turn left"

Good deal Ian...have fun, and fly it up to OSH!

I'll be there with bells on!

Renewed my medical today, second class this time! Slowly but surely getting all the pieces in place.

Looking better!





For reference, here's Aeroquip's $125 mandrel:



they look slightly different because the one I made is a -4 mandrel, and the commercial one is a -5. Other than that, the aeroquip one has a longer thread relief and a shorter shaft. I intend to shorten that shaft, it's actually a separate piece of drill rod, and I need to radius the end and cut it to length, and then setscrew it in place.

That looks great Ian. I get a great deal of satisfaction out of making my own little tools as well, nice job.