Cardiff Kook
FRIEND
Sisters, OR

Dry to the touch- not sure if its old. Bottom side of wet wing on 1979 Skywagon
How big of a deal to fix?
Isn’t it the same “fuel system” as any wet wing cessna? Aren’t virtually all single piston
Cessna’s since 1979 wet wing? If so- wouldn’t basically any GA mx shop be familiar with this fuel system?
The pic looks like the neighbor rivet might be getting some color as well. You would likely find there is fuel under the paint around the rivet head, until the paint cracks it doesn't leak much. Like anything else on a plane, wet wings can give trouble but it isn't a regular sort of event here in the shop.
Just more free advice that may be not worth the price.
Ken
I’d bet what can be cleaned off already has been. Some stains are permanent.
The "halo" stain circling the rivets may be permanent. What does the owner/seller have to say about this issue? Most anything can be fixed for the right price.
Gary
I will call to get more details.
When I mentioned it he said it had appeared “sometime in the last year.” He didnt think it was a big deal to address so the conversation moved on.
Reasonable to ask seller to fix it? I told him anything having to do with airworthiness i want fixed. Seems gray as to whether its airworthiness issue per cessna manual if its not actually dripping.
I've not worked on a wet wing 185. Is there an access panel above the area of those leaky rivets? If so, it should be relatively easy to open that panel to clean off and apply some sealant to those leaky rivets. I see two leaky rivets which at one time made a big mess which has been cleaned off. Notice there is a large stained area of paint covering most of your photo. Look above that top rivet. See the light stain in the paint.![]()
Dry to the touch- not sure if its old. Bottom side of wet wing on 1979 Skywagon
How big of a deal to fix?
Cardiff, I did some reading about wet wing repair. Here’s an article that may help you understand the tanks better. Scroll down for the tank story.
https://www.tennesseeaircraft.net/2017/11/15/when-more-is-less/
When I bought my 180K with wet wing, the guy said they had to drill and remove the top skin to really do a good job of resealing.
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