Atlee Dodge enlarged, removable instrument panel

[Grizzley]

Has anyone had experience with Atlee Dodge's enlarged removable pane for the PA-12?
I'm about to order extended gear and lower struts and a bunch of other stuff from Atlee Dodge. I do need to change my panel and want one that will accommodate full instruments. I've seen what some of you have done and modified. Problem is I don't have that kind of shop to work with and certainly don't have the talent I have seen on this site.
So, the A.Dodge panel is bigger than the one Clyde Jr sells.

Any advice on the Dodge panel or any other alternatives that would give me a full panel.

Thanks,
JD

 

[StewartB]

When I approached Atlee about my panel he handed me an unfinished/unpainted blank and told me to figure out what I wanted and where I wanted it. I made full-size paper cutouts of the instruments and radios and started the process of making them fit around the tubes that reside behind the panel. In the end I decided I wanted five 3 1/8" instruments in a drop-out panel in the center. I added a VSI to balance the removable sub-panel with six holes. My whiskey compass is small and sits alone to the left, not removable. It works perfectly, by the way. The GPS is mounted to the right using the Garmin mount applied to the panel face. All my electric switches and breakers are in a separate drop-out panel at the lower left. The Becker radio, transponder, and PME intercom sit center and low on the panel. To fit the Beckers and miss the horizontal tube I had Atlee extend my panel 1/4" lower at the bottom edge than his standard. It sounds minor but it's the only way my radios would fit there. Clearance was critically close.

I don't know what you consider a "full" panel. I don't know that Atlee's panel is any bigger then others, either. The thing to do is to make a template and start fitting what you want where you want it. Instrument selection and location is very subjective and what works in my plane may not work in yours. If you'd like a photo of my panel to make more sense of this narrative send me your e-mail address in a PM and I'll send you some pics of what I did. My panel is almost as minimal as it can be, and it's plenty full for me.

Stewart

 

[Grizzley]

Thanks Stewart.
pm sent.
The panel I had in the bird gave an odd scan. I realize I am limited by the tubes in the back of the panel. There has been all kinds of cutouts and plates, a vertical card compass and no DG. I do want to add a DG, possibly go to electric T&B and as good a scan as possible; engine stuff on one side and flight stuff on the other or centered. I bought an ATC GPS and want that in plain view (the 295 is gone). Its easily mounted and thin (1") with great resolution. Have a King flip flop and Garmin transponder.

Although I will be flying out of my back yard, I am a 2,500' climb to terminal airspace and to be "legal" you need a DG to fly at night. I prefer a nice smooth scan over the hunt for the stuff the panel gave me before.

I spoke to Steve a few times at Atlee's and he was going to get around to sending me pictures... I did find a pic of it in the Univair catalogue and it has a removable panel for 6 instruments and seems taller than the standard 12 panel that Clyde Jr manufactures.

I will try and post a pic of my old panel. You'll understand that after all the time, work and $ on this fix and mod to extended PA18 gear, etc, I don't want a ratty looking panel in this baby.

JD
http://s606.photobucket.com/albums/tt145/Grizzley777/?action=view&current=Panel2.jpg&newest=1

 

[arcticairalaska]

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[arcticairalaska]