The International Cessna 170 Association

Is there such a thing as a wheel pant installation drawing??. I have fiberglass reproduction pants and I am looking for the correct geometry/angle to ensure I have a factory look. I have the original style metal backing plates and axle attachments. I searched this forum without result.....also I've noted a number of different brake positioning combinations, my brake assemblies are located on the rear side of the leg. I've seen others mounted on the front side.....confused.....

Thanks

Poncho-
I don’t have any info on an installation drawing but there has been considerable conversation about wheel pant orientation in the past. Some argue level with the ground in the three-point attitude, some say level in level flight attitude. I think somewhere in the middle looks best but don’t know what the factory actually designed.

N1715D was delivered from the factory with wheel pants so I can reasonably assume their orientation today is what the factory installed but have no evidence of that other than there they are. In the picture, you can see they are neither level with the ground or level flight attitude.

Thanks, that’s a nice looking 170. OK that makes sense. Perhaps if someone has a measurement in the three point position, as your is in the picture. Measure from the front of the lower lip of the wheel pant to ground and the very rear of the pant trailing edge to the ground. At least that would get me in the range. Thanks.

The plane is in Texas and I just came back to Alaska for the summer so I will not be able to make that measurement until next fall. I’m sure others have original pants that could make the measurement for you.

As a rough measurement, I used my iPhone to measure 7° pitch up on the pants from a different side-on picture.

Ok. 7 degrees angle of attack if the ground is considered 0. Thanks

Poncho,
I think this is as close as we have to installation drawings. Of course you could always ask Cessna for drawing 0441143 but that would be rather expensive.

Wheel pant alignment is discussed here.

Thanks Gary, great info.

My B-model has factory wheel fairings purchased straight from Cessna and the mounting plate was pre-drilled (which fixed the fairing AOA) and the fairing lower edge is level with the ground in the 3-point attitude.

That is a lovely plane, George. I hope my wife doesn't see it and try to convince me to go back to polished chrome.

Thanks, Brian! But just to "tease" a bit... I'd hate to have to keep up with "chrome" or "polished". That photo was taken in 2007 and therefore about 11 years after it's last "polish" job.... done by it's former owner/restorer who I bought it from. Bill Goebel restored the airplane from a wreck and won the "Restoration Award" with it at Oshkosh in '97. It was also the featured cover airplane of Cessna Owner Magazine in May '97. I bought it from him in Nov of 99 and have never polished it and it still appears about as in that photo taken in '07.
I follow Bill's advice: keep it in a dry hangar.
I also never wash it with soap/water... Instead of soap I use a few cups of WD-40 in water/emulsion and then rinse and dry with old towels about twice a year. (My attempt at humor as part of my "originality" nuttiness is that I maintain that Cessna never produced a "polished" airplane... They only produced natural, AlClad airplanes with painted accent-stripes.... and it's my way of allowing a "proper-patina" as Cessna-intended.
If you park it alone or next to painted airplanes it still looks pretty good,.... but park it next to Steve Jacobsens brightly-polished 170-A and you will generally disregard it.
If I were to ever paint it I'd paint the entire airplane Dove Grey (the same color as the landing gear legs) and place the red stripes on top of that. That scheme is attractive to me because it reminds me of the Humble Oil and Refining pipeline patrol airplanes of the '50s that I once flew for another operator, and it was a very easily-maintained airplane being completely painted. I've seen a few attempts at full paint-jobs to mimic polish-jobs and few of them are successful at that mirage. I've also seen a clear-coated airplane that looked good but, like mine, it does not stand-out as a show-plane next to a recently polished version. In summary, if you like giving regular, detailed attention to an airplane... a polished one might be just the ticket... and when examining an airplane, one that's natural or polished is easier to spot flaws or corrosion.
But a full paint job is certainly more protective of the airframe and easier to keep looking good for a long time out on the ramp.

n2582d wrote: Wheel pant alignment is discussed here.

Using my iPhone to measure the angle with the ground on this 1955 B-model with factory-installed pants indicates a 7° angle from level.

My 1951 A-model factory installed pants are pitched up 7°.

George’s 1952 B-model with Cessna supplied pants installed after the fact are level with the ground.

The 1955 B-model in the above picture with factory installed pants are pitched up 7°.

So, if indeed all the pictures that are claimed to be factory original are factory original, it looks like you can choose whatever angle you like better, level with the ground or pitched up.

Sounds like wheel fairing mounting wasn't called out in any drawing, it was left to the line workers as "shop practice". Like seat rail rivet locations.

Thanks all. Gives me a good starting point.

I don't have the plates, guess I have to make something. When fitted with Cleveland's, is the dust plate tossed? Anyone care to post some pic's of the wheel plates on the axle taken from above and one from the side. I know the plates have an offset, but would like an idea as to how much.

Jim-
There is a guy in Wichita that makes one-off custom aircraft parts. I talked to him at the C-195 convention last year. He said he can CNC the plates with the proper Cleveland cut-out and has access to a hydro-press but does not have samples to reverse-engineer. Plus, as everywhere else, he said it would take several sets to make it worthwhile price-wise.

There is indeed an offset to the originals but it's not much. I looked at mine a few weeks ago and wondered just what the pants would look like if a straight plate was used. If you are going to make a set anyway, why not make up a straight set and see how they look?