The restoration on N3218S - Mooney M20E

N3218S was built in 1965. There were 336 M20E/Super 21’s produced that year starting with Serial number 470.

I purchased her in April 2004 and began renovations.

This is the chronicle of that restoration (still in progress)

This is what she looked like at the pre-buy:

The pre-buy inspection went pretty well. The engine tested good with compression. The mechanic warned me, “Did I know what I was getting into, as far as the interior”. The shock discs needed to be replaced. More on the gotcha of that one later.

The plane was delivered on time in April, the owner flew her down on his way to SUN & FUN 2004. Unfortunately, the transponder certification could not be found in the log books. (Again more on this later). Since the plane was within weeks of annual, I took her over to Al Crim’s shop at Berry Hill Aviation for her annual.

During this annual, I learned over $3200.00 in Mooney lessons. The shock discs didn’t just need replacing. There was an AD from the ‘70s on modifying the gear mechanisms. I learned that it was $945 a side including the shock discs I had already purchased. Luckily, my mechanic was able to make the modifications locally and save me about $900.00. The spark plugs were a bit overdue for replacement. 7 of 8 need replacement. A crack on the intake and exhaust manifold as well as a new altimeter and vertical speed indicator. The intake and exhaust manifold repairs were $65.00 for the welding and $400.00 for labor to remove and reinstall. After watching the progress, I am glad it was not more. There is little room in the engine compartment for hands and tools.

last update on 28 Apr, 2005