April 1999 - American Bonanza Society

BonanzaRestorationBY STEVEN W OXMANAnnapolis, MarylandThe restoration of an airplane like a Bonanza K35 can be afun experience. It can be accomplished as a long-termhobby project. With each piece. area, or subsystem completed,you get to enjoy the beautiful results of that part of therestoration project and learn more about your plane.Restoration can be accomp lished by different people withdifferent ideas in mind. For example. one person might considera restoration project to mean you would restore the planeback to its original configuration when it was first manufactured.It will look like new, in its original configuration.Another person might want to have the restored plane sothat it is better than new Gust like the AOPA project a few yearsago). When completed, the plane is like new, but rather thanbeing in its original configuration, it is updated with more modemfeatures like new, modem strobe lights and new. modeminstruments and radios.There is always the compromise between looking originaland being modern. Some modernization really shows-like convertingthe back window in the K35 from the small opera windowto the longer back window used on the V35-and somemodernization efforts are hardly visible, such as when the engineis updated from an 10-470-C to an IO-520-BA. Some modernizationreally makes a valuable difference, such asreconfiguring the panel to the "T' pattern from the original panelconfiguration that Beechcraft used when they made the K35.Other modernization efforts are mostly cosmetic, like installingnew carpeting in the cabin. Some modernization makes your planeoperate more efficiently, like the GAMljectors. Some modernizationmakes the cabin more comfortable (BDS air exhaust kit).I purchased a K35 about three years ago. To an amateur airplanebuyer like me, the plane looked rea lly nice. After learningmore about planes (Bonanzas, in panicular), I now knowjust how unsafe this plane was when I purchased it (e.g., tens ofADs not complied with). After owning and enjoying my Bonanzafor awhile, I decided that I would restore th is plane. Istarted by taking care of all safety related issues (e.g .. ADs andimportant items found at an ABS Service Clinic-the bestmoney you can spend as a Bonanza owner).My second step was to do a firewall forward project (as anassistant to my local, very capable FBO-Chesapeake AviationServices). Every item was replaced, every screw, every hose,every wire, every accessory. While the engine was out. the enginearea was totally cleaned out, prepared, primed and painted.My goal is to someday have a K35 that looks new, operatesefficiently, is comfortable and is effective from the pilot ' perspective.This plane will be someday be a "show plane."I have decided that for me, restoration means that it looksnew and is modernized. I will not constrain the restoration toonly original specifications.As I restore my plane, I would li ke to share with the membershipthe details of how this work is being accomp lished by alarge, capable team. I am the team leader and go-for (pronouncedlike gopher; it means that I go-for this and I go-for that). Folks atChesapeake Aviation Services, Beryl D'Shannon, Aviation ResearchSystems, GAM!, Dan Towery, Piedmont, Raytheon, AmericanAero and Aircraft Spruce are among the team members.Now ha ving defined my restoration project, let me presentone small restoration project. Is it difficult to get your armrestto go up or down? Does the lower armrest assembly look poor?The answers to these two questions for my plane were "yes"and "yes." Therefore, I removed the armrest covers from myplane to investigate why.First, I unscrewed the four upper screws of the lower armrestcover (PIN 35-534372-47 for my plane) and then the onelower screw. This cover then comes off. Then I removed the(only) two front screws for the armrest slide cover (PIN 35-IAt left, the lower armrest cover (bla ck) after being restored. Atright, the upper armrest slide cover which will be replaced.ABS April 1999Lower armrest cover in the "paint booth."Page 5664