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185 Instument Panel Layout

Tanker277

Registered User
Hey Guys,

I've had my 1974 A185F for a couple of years, and my Attitude Indicator finally packed it in. I decided to go with a Garmin G5 replacement. Since the G5 won't really work with the Cessna plastic panel covers, I thought I'd replace the panel at the same time to clean up the instrument layout. The instruments on the pre-1977 panels look like they were designed by a blindfolded man throwing darts at a blank panel.

My question is... Do the post-1976 panels fit into the 1974 185s, or is there something different going on behind the panel on the older 185s that would prevent their use (clearance issues/size, etc.)?

Here's a pic of my panel right now:

IMG_3111.jpg

This is the layout for the post-1996 panels that I'd like to use:

C-185F 1977-83.jpg

Keith
 

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Here is mine going into my 67 180H. Made the panel myself.
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I've seen some G5's mounted flush, instead of surface mounted.
I believe Garmin might have an optional kit to do this.
Looks really good, and just might work under your existing plastic panel cover and save you from having to rework your entire panel.
Unless you really want to do that anyways.
 
I have always thought the plastic overlays looked dated. As far as a new instrument panel - Larry at Saircorp.
 
Its just a flat piece of aluminum. Fab the layout as you want it. Just be aware of edge distances and that piece that supports the yoke shaft. Your old panel is your pattern for the outside shape and mounting hole locations. One tip: before you remove the old panel from the aircraft, trace the edge of the mounting structure onto the old panel. This will show you how close you can mount items to the edge of the new panel.

Web
 
Helpful pics, guys!

Stewartb - What year is that 185? If my '74 looks like that under the panel, I should have enough room to put things where I want them, with a nice standard 6-pack layout in the middle.

Eddie - Glad to see that you can get two G5s above the control column. I wasn't sure if there'd be enough space.

I really like the look of this layout:

dual-g5-certificated.jpg

I think it's from a 172, but I'm sure that I could make it work in a 185.

Keith
 

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My pic is a ‘75 180J. It should be the same as your ‘74 185.

The nice standard 6 pack was my plan but I had an unexpected clearance issue, so non standard it is. Always figured I’d fix it eventually. That was 8 years ago. Maybe someday, but the day Garmin clears the way to install a G3X Touch the whole panel’s getting changed again.


CESSNA INTERIOR APRIL 18, 2010 001.jpg
 

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Dont forget to check for clearance from the hand-holds atop the panel, also defrost vents.
Both affected instrument location when someone redid the panel in my 1953 model years ago.

You
 
I did this dual install flushmount with my C195. Love those G5's. Been flying the PFD for 2 yrs and added the HSI last spring. It's working great, I love them. I used the Garmin mount described in the install manual and made their rear mount with CNC cutter. Then, I laid out what I wanted for the instrument panel in plexiglass so I could mount it and look and it and make small adjustments. Finally, I cut the panel and worked with small 5/8 spacers and lathed them down to get a perfect flush for my panel. This will all make sense if you read it against the install manual.
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That’s the nicest panel I have ever seen in a 195. Nice job Cal!


Sent from my iPad using SuperCub.Org
 
To answer your question about pre '77 panels, the yoke control shaft is higher in the pre '77 skywagons so they couldn't stack the DG and AI in the center, above the control shaft.
So you need to clear the control yoke support bracket behind the panel when you design your panel. You can't use a late model panel. Use the old panel as a template.
This is my '76 180 with "owner fabricated parts":
IMG_3490.JPG
 

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the yoke control shaft is higher in the pre '77 skywagons so they couldn't stack the DG and AI in the center, above the control shaft.

This is right. You can measure both the pre '77 versus '77 and later yoke positions. Glare shield is not changed but the post '77 birds have lower yokes (measure from the floor for reference).

Mudwagon points out the first part of the issue but perhaps with the G5 (vs. the longer, older vacuum instruments) you might get both above the control yoke? I believe that there also interference behind the panel with the Airspeed indicator that doesn't allow it to also line up horizontally with the AI & DG? You see several panels that get "close" to a perfect alignment but the ASI and VSI tend to run a bit lower on the panel.

Thus, even if you could stack 2 G5s on top of a pre-77 control system, you may still not get a perfectly aligned 6-pack because of the placement limitations on the Airspeed indicator.

I'm in the same boat with my '74. One way around this...is do a G500 TXi! (not sure I'm ready to lose the "traditional" look & behavior). Aerotronics has this mock-up at Oshkosh this year. Note it is a pre-77 panel.

Aerotronics 185 G500Txi.jpg
 

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If you have two stacked G5s, you don't need a perfectly aligned conventional six pack! All you need is on those two displays. Technically the A/S, Altimeter in the G5s are secondary but not in my world.
 
Lots of good tips and suggestions, guys! All are much appreciated!

Iflylower - Beautiful panel on the 195. I love the flush mount on the dual G5's. I priced some custom panels and the sticker shock is incredibly high on those things. I'll probably end up making my own. No CNC quite yet, but I do have a manual Bridgeport with ballscrews and a DRO, that I could probably make my own panels without too much effort. I love the plexiglass idea. I might have to copy that one to ease the the placement/clearance process.

Rmercil - I like your panel, too. Couple questions... Is that a pre-1977 by chance? What mounting method did you use for the dual G5's? I don't see the 6 side-mounting screws that you would see with the flush mount that Grant posted.

Keith
 
The G5’s are flush mounted done by a shop in KPKD. This is a 1974 F model. My Mechanical HSI went out and based on replacement cost I felt an upgrade would be money well spent down the road.


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org
 
Lots of good tips and suggestions, guys! All are much appreciated!

Iflylower - Beautiful panel on the 195. I love the flush mount on the dual G5's. I priced some custom panels and the sticker shock is incredibly high on those things. I'll probably end up making my own. No CNC quite yet, but I do have a manual Bridgeport with ballscrews and a DRO, that I could probably make my own panels without too much effort. I love the plexiglass idea. I might have to copy that one to ease the the placement/clearance process.

Keith

Tanker - that's the point on making your own. I'm not the autocad guy, but I mostly knew how I wanted the panel. Did the same thing with my exp supercub panel. The 195 is mostly free space behind the panel, the cub, not so much, plenty of structure bars to get along with. So, make your own panel. BTW, I think its great to lose the plastic and make your own and you have a free space to create your masterpiece. If you're capable with the bridgeport, you should have no issues. I have about $200ish into making my panel with aluminum and cutting and paint.

Get a piece of 2024 aluminum sheet in the thickness that your plane uses. I like .90, but maybe too much for you. Use your panel outline and trace and cut it out. Jig saw if you have to and smooth edges. Match drill your mounting holes.

I recommend making simple circle and square cutouts of your instruments and future instruments to lay out in a practice panel and figure your scan and where you want instruments located that make sense and that fit old harnesses and wiring and cables and such. Don't go too far off the reservation if you want a faster project. I recommend doing a panel in plexi so you can just fit, spacing, alignment and look though to see if adequate spacing to structure or controls behind. See if it looks good, you'll be staring at this panel for hours. Make sure your happy with it. Not so much on this panel, but the cub I put the most used in the center, with cascadeing important scan moving farther out on center line.... And you won't have this, but in the cub, I made sure that radio was on the left for freehand freq switching and xponder on the right that is seldom manipulated. Same with mixture and carb heat left.....

Use a fly cutter for the circles. If you want to do the flush g5's, use the bridegport with moving table and cutter along a layout line. Work your radius corners with a proper cutter bit or file. Spruce sells 2 1/4 and 3 1/8 jigs for instrument cutting and proper square holes for mounting if you like. U can even use a routter with jig to make a shaped cutout.

All is doable, just work your layout, cut your plan. Paint or powdercoat your panel, mount up and go fly.

I've included the fixture that I made to mount the g5's behind the panel and how they mount. There are a few ways to do these, but none mount as flush as I like. But, so many ways to skin a cat - you can even leave it on top of the panel mounted into a regular 3 1/8 instrument hole. Best of luck.

I did not end up using the exact behind panel fixture pictured, I moved all my mounting screws to the side for cleaner look and not over the top and under the bottom to panel mount, but you get the idea i hope.... You can see from my behind the panel shot that clearance for mounting screws on the bottom was an issue - thus, I should have tried harder with my plexi mounting. Recut whole panel.

IMG_2614.JPGIMG_2656.JPGIMG_2653.JPG

Rick Mercil, nice panel!
 

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Those holes on our recessed mount are intended to be riveted in with flush rivets, so if they are done nicely you would not see the rivets
 
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1979 A185F Custom aluminum panel we made from 3/32” with black anodize finish. For the most part... the warnings and placards have been engraved and filled for good contrast.
Just for reference.
 

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This is all well and good. I fly G3X Touch in my RV-8 and am in the middle of a makeover of a J model Cessna 180. I have my panel in CAD and have been trying to figure out how to fit the G3X Touch 10" screen, the portrait 7" (or even dual stacked G5's) between the top of the glareshiled and the pilot's yoke shaft. Even a TXi which is slightly shorter than the G3X can't fit within the vertical room Cessna put in the panel. Unfortunately Garmin does not offer the landscape 7" configuration as this could be a viable option.


Here is the picture from Wagonmaster's post above showing the Cessna 185 panel mockup from Aerotronics with TXi:


attachment.php



I have been told that starting around 1977 or so Cessna made the panels taller with a commensurate change of the glareshield. That must the version Aerotronics chose for this mockup. I also read in this thread that Cessna actually dropped the control yokes down for 1977+ panels. I am unclear which one it is.


Has anybody been able to make modifications to either the panel, glareshield or control column to add between 1.5 to 2" of additional vertical space between the top of the panel and the control yoke for pre 1977 Cessna 180/185 panels?

Jim
 
I have been told that starting around 1977 or so Cessna made the panels taller with a commensurate change of the glareshield. That must the version Aerotronics chose for this mockup. I also read in this thread that Cessna actually dropped the control yokes down for 1977+ panels. I am unclear which one it is.


Has anybody been able to make modifications to either the panel, glareshield or control column to add between 1.5 to 2" of additional vertical space between the top of the panel and the control yoke for pre 1977 Cessna 180/185 panels?

Jim
This is a modified 1976 185 panel.
attachment.php
Just a little moving around along with cutting a new panel.

Cessna did change the panel in 1977. The glareshield was not changed.
 
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I have been told that starting around 1977 or so Cessna made the panels taller with a commensurate change of the glareshield. That must the version Aerotronics chose for this mockup. I also read in this thread that Cessna actually dropped the control yokes down for 1977+ panels. I am unclear which one it is.


Has anybody been able to make modifications to either the panel, glareshield or control column to add between 1.5 to 2" of additional vertical space between the top of the panel and the control yoke for pre 1977 Cessna 180/185 panels?

Jim
I thought Cessna lowered the yokes, not raised the glareshield.
 
A pile of questions for this thread:

... were all pre 77 (higher yoke) panels the same? I have a 64 (185C).
... Is there any way to get a g3x centered above the yolk in my 64 panel?
... anyone have photos of "behind the panel" for that year or comparable ??
... Stewart, would it look the same as your "behind the panel" photo?

Thanks.. Ralph
185 panel full N23RG.jpg
 

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Look in your parts manual for the layouts by year. You'll have to measure the layout to verify room in your particular setup.

Web
 
A pile of questions for this thread:

... were all pre 77 (higher yoke) panels the same? I have a 64 (185C).
... Is there any way to get a g3x centered above the yolk in my 64 panel?
... anyone have photos of "behind the panel" for that year or comparable ??
... Stewart, would it look the same as your "behind the panel" photo?

Thanks.. Ralph

Ralph. Near as I can tell you will have to put two 7" portrait units, one on each side of the yoke. That will leave a nice space above the yoke for the G5 backup. There doesn't seem to be a feasible or legal way to drop the yoke structure and mechanisms without a crazy-assed field approval with DER costs. Here is an example of what I am considering for my 1975 180J:

n333bt.jpg
 

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From a 1975 185, aspen efd fits … barely.
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