182 to 180 Conversion

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182 to 180 Conversion

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Sills Aviation Services

In January 2006 we started converting this 182 to a tail wheel 180 or technically a 182TW.

We used this 1959 182 fuselage to build the fixture. It was a straight fuselage with no damage we could find other than age and neglect. At least the hard points were in good shape. The following pics are of a 1957 fuselage that had been drilled apart and had several skins with dents and holes and some just missing. When we bolted the '57 up in the fixture, it all fell into place , a perfect fit.

Started with this in January

We used this fuselage to build the fixture.

We drilled the cabin roof off to gain access to the spar carry thru's. They were bead blasted, chemically treated and epoxy primed, then top coated with a white urethane. A new top skin was fabricated and installed. Now we have a blank canvas for installing the new antennas for the gps and coms and a really clean cabin.

Drilling the forward (clip) from the fuselage gave good access to install the bulkheads needed to mount the 185 gear legs we bought for this project. Flipping the front mount locator around was an added bonus that came in real handy to do the work needed on the instrument panel and rudder pedals.

All replacement parts have been readily available from Cessna thru Yingling Aircraft and other sources. The STC we used basicly tells you to make it look like a 180. We opted to install the P.Ponk gear attach beef up now while it is an easy task. We have installed this mod in flying aircraft in the past and I can tell ya it is alot easier to do like this.

Installing Cessna 180 bulkheads for gear installation

This poor airplane lived a lot of its life as a jump plane. The right side skins were beat up from the static lines slapping the side of the fuselage. We replaced the damaged skins with new. We also replaced one top skin to get rid of a large ugly "patch" from an old ADF antenna. All aluminum skins were treated and primmed using an epoxy primer.

The fuselage back in one piece. I will link this page to another showing the tail cone modification soon. I kept the fuselage in the fixture while installing the control cables and pulleys, the basic wiring and then the floor boards because it made it easier to do fixed in the jig level and not moving around.

Out of the fixture and on its mains. It's now May and I feel we are a month behind schedule. Now to the paint booth for final prep, prime and a base coat of Jet Glow Matterhorn White. We have a pair of wings with the Horton Stol kit that will get installed soon. The engine will be P.Ponk Aviations O470-50 "Silver Eagle" and will spin a three bladed McCauley. I will also show the "custom" instrument panel we designed .

More 182 to 180 pictures