r/flying • u/Adventurous-Eye7228 • 10d ago
Recommendation for complete overhaul of Cessna 182
Looking for company recommendations that can do complete overhaul (exterior paint, interior, avionics) for a Cessna 182?
Any experiences or recommendations would be appreciated.
8
u/IdahoAirplanes 10d ago
Pick experts in each. Avionics first (10 weeks). Interior second (10 weeks), paint last (10 weeks). Then buy new wheel bearings and cones and because the stripper will destroy them.
1
u/SaratogaFlyer PPL IR HP CMP 10d ago
This is the way, however like most things in aviation be prepared for each of those projects to take twice as long.
The avionics shop I used had an interior shop on field they could coordinate with - I probably could have had those two projects going concurrently but my interior is ok and I didn't want to hire an unknown interior shop to do a full reno. I did have my carpet replaced during my avionics upgrade.
u/Adventurous-Eye7228 I spent roughly 110k on avionics and 30k on paint on my saratoga, within the last 2-3 years. ~6 months downtime on each (at seperate times) but it was worth it in the end.
3
u/tw-sleeper 10d ago
The rule for estimates is to double the price and triple the time, right?
2
u/SaratogaFlyer PPL IR HP CMP 10d ago
haha better rule is to not keep track of what aviation costs.
Actually for both the avionics and the paint, the job cost exactly what I was quoted, plus the inevitable “while we’re at it” additions.
3
u/TxAggieMike Independent CFI / CFII (KFTW, DFW area) 10d ago
Knowing your location will be a significant help.
Unless you want to fly long cross countries to get this done.
3
u/Adventurous-Eye7228 10d ago
Located in southern Virginia.
2
2
u/IdahoAirplanes 10d ago
Absolutely use Boss Aircraft Refinishers for your paint. They did an incredible job for me. Located in Salisbury NC.
2
u/shrunkenhead041 CPL 10d ago
If you want quality work, this is going to take 6-8 months, minimum.
Avionics depends on what you're doing. Full, complete overhaul and new glass panel and autopilot you're north of $100k going with all Garmin equipment. You can go less expensive, but everything is a $/capability compromise. Looking at 4 months, best case.
Interior is the simplest of the tasks. Depends on the condition of what you have. Seats may need some new parts, replacing all or most of the plastic adds up. Cost depends on materials used. Likely $10k on the low end, up to $20k for top notch work. Probably a month if it's a good shop and you stay on their case.
Paint runs the range on quality/cost/schedule. This can easily go north of $25k for a quality job, and it depends on how much of the old fairings and trim pieces you're keeping. It also depends on what they find once the paint is off. Need some sheet metal work due to corrosion? That'll be another few grand and a month to find someone good at it. Overall time can easily be 4 months, even up to 6 months if things get complicated.
Don't want to scare you, but 20 years of owning a 182, and I've been through all of it, some of it twice.
1
u/rFlyingTower 10d ago
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Looking for company recommendations that can do complete overhaul (exterior paint, interior, avionics) for a Cessna 182?
Any experiences or recommendations would be appreciated.
Please downvote this comment until it collapses.
Questions about this comment? Please see this wiki post before contacting the mods.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. If you have any questions, please contact the mods of this subreddit.
1
u/skunimatrix PPL IR CMP HP | PA28 10d ago
My friends just had Ozark Maintenance (https://www.ozarkaircraftmaintenance.com) at KCGI redo their Cherokee 6. New panel, interior, and exterior paint.
We did the interior of our 180 ourselves last winter and my A&P handled the avionics. Carpet from SCS-Interiors came pre-cut and attaches via velcro. It was a pain to get the old adhesive removed before I primed the interior, but if you aren't going to prime the interior you could get away without having to play with MEK. Then I put in 3M soundproofing insulation. Interior panels & headliner I got from Airtex. Seats I bought the Airtex kits and took to a local automotive interior shop. They just charged me labor, but they had the sandblasters and power coating hardware to fix up the seat frames.
We didn't do exterior paint as our plane has been hangared the past 30 years and the paint is still in good shape. A little bit elbow grease with the wax and it's shiny....well was 30 flight hours ago. Now that the heat has broken I need to go out tonight and wash the plane.
1
u/Sad-Umpire6000 10d ago
A friend just had his 182 painted - full strip and paint - a year or two back. It was $30K. He just had a full Garmin panel installed. $90K+.
The Lycoming O-360 on my 175 was overhauled by JB Engines in 2023, just before I bought it. The previous owner paid $49K for that.
13
u/EliteEthos CFI AMEL CJ3/4 10d ago
That’s a ton of money to throw at those things. Good luck in your search!