Sorry if anyone misconstrued my comments on early C-172 Tailwheel conversion as being "Just like a C-180". The owner didn't claim that; in fact, he was quite modest about the actually decent performance of his conversion; it's just that, from a distance, the visual was similar. And of course once I got up in range, noticed the flat tailspring and other interesting details.....
People who are modest about their aeroplanes usually have something much better than what they let on. If nothing else, I find them much more pleasant to be around than the braggerts one sometimes encounters.
But for HIS type of flying this is a great aeroplane; I respect that. For the money, it might not work for me, but hey, that's just my personal taste. That said, I'm glad there are folks still poking around the edges of the envelope on conversions and STC's no matter the type. And heck, I admire the heck out of Cublite's Cessna conversion, done to his taste and flying style....
And yes, the one I mentioned has CS prop, big spinner, so probably heavy on the nose, and sounds like some further validation on that from other posts.
And if someone were to go out looking for a base to do a conversion, consider the C-175: Same TC as the 172, but a bit more fuel capacity, and battery aft, all of which should help. Plus they tend to be cheaper than equivalent C-172, owing to the geared engine issues.
These are all interesting and useful types, just very different animals. What I tryed to convey was that for the cost of a conversion, you might end up with as good or better original, and have better resale value to boot. And as MTV has noted, C-170 is another different (and very worthwhile) animal. It just depends on what you're interested in, and how you plan to use it.
Also, according to a respected local shop who've done a few LYC 0-360 conversions on C-172's, good reports on the Del-Air version. Reported as more complete, good baffles, less shop-time to install than the other versions. And to be clear, not my actual personal experience in installation (but I've seen some and concur), just what's been reported by reliable sources.
Thanks. cubscout