panel hole

How to keep the Cessna 170 flying and airworthy.

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Buckeyejim
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2018 9:41 pm

panel hole

Post by Buckeyejim »

My instrument panel in the 170B has a hole about 3/4" in diameter
below the center instrument. Can somebody tell me what that
hole was originally for? Thanks!
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n2582d
Posts: 2808
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 4:58 am

Re: panel hole

Post by n2582d »

Jim,
Your first post said that you had a 1950 170A. Did you trade that in for a newer 170B? I'm guessing what you are looking at is the hole for the knob on the horizontal directional gyro. See figure 76.
Gyro Panel.jpg
Gary
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gfeher
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Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2014 9:19 pm

Re: panel hole

Post by gfeher »

What year is your plane? There are differences in the panels by year. If it's slightly below a 3" instrument right in the center of the panel below the glare shield, it's probably the hole for the adjustment knob of an AN DG that was originally in the 3" hole above it. I still have the AN DG in my plane, and that's where the knob is (in a separate hole).

Edit: I see Gary beat me to it. We must have been posting at the same time.
Gene Feher
Argyle (1C3), NY
'52 170B N2315D s/n 20467 C-145-2
Experimental J3 Cub Copy N7GW O-200
Buckeyejim
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2018 9:41 pm

Re: panel hole

Post by Buckeyejim »

I've got a '50A and a '52B. Getting ready to sell the A. I think they both have that hole.
Apparently it was for an adjustment knob for the DG - thanks.
hilltop170
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Joined: Sat May 06, 2006 6:05 pm

Re: panel hole

Post by hilltop170 »

I have a 1958 C-180A with that same hole. Still have the AN DG that came out of it from the factory that still worked, although it sounded like a coffee grinder.
Richard Pulley
2014-2016 TIC170A Past President
1951 170A, N1715D, s/n 20158, O-300D
Owned from 1973 to 1984.
Bought again in 2006 after 22 years.
It's not for sale!
Buckeyejim
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2018 9:41 pm

Re: panel hole

Post by Buckeyejim »

I've found a use for that empty hole. I'm going to fill it
with a picture of Lauren Graham, star of The Gilmore Girls.
hilltop170
Posts: 3481
Joined: Sat May 06, 2006 6:05 pm

Re: panel hole

Post by hilltop170 »

Possibly a 1" dia vac gauge could be installed in the hole, or an iPad USB power source.
Last edited by hilltop170 on Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Richard Pulley
2014-2016 TIC170A Past President
1951 170A, N1715D, s/n 20158, O-300D
Owned from 1973 to 1984.
Bought again in 2006 after 22 years.
It's not for sale!
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GAHorn
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Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2002 8:45 pm

Re: panel hole

Post by GAHorn »

Or a button plug:
Attachments
ButtonPlugs.jpg
ButtonPlugs.jpg (2.89 KiB) Viewed 15685 times
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
hilltop170
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Joined: Sat May 06, 2006 6:05 pm

Re: panel hole

Post by hilltop170 »

George- I remember you used to call them Wilkie buttons.
Richard Pulley
2014-2016 TIC170A Past President
1951 170A, N1715D, s/n 20158, O-300D
Owned from 1973 to 1984.
Bought again in 2006 after 22 years.
It's not for sale!
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GAHorn
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Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2002 8:45 pm

Re: panel hole

Post by GAHorn »

hilltop170 wrote:George- I remember you used to call them Wilkie buttons.
Yep...that's what the old timers called them and the term became synonymous. You've got a scary memory. :lol:
wilkiebutton.jpg
wilkiebutton.jpg (6.42 KiB) Viewed 15409 times
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
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Ryan Smith
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Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 4:26 am

Re: panel hole

Post by Ryan Smith »

gahorn wrote:
hilltop170 wrote:George- I remember you used to call them Wilkie buttons.
Yep...that's what the old timers called them and the term became synonymous. You've got a scary memory. :lol:
wilkiebutton.jpg
I never knew them by any other name! I used to tell my students that's what they were called, too.
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