Propeller issues

New prop from Ebay as Jack pointed out is on the plane. It came with all the right paper work and pedigree. Flew it for first time today. It behaves kind of like the best of both worlds. Slightly lower rpm's suggesting a cruise prop but with at least 100 fpm more climb too. All vibrations are gone and my ipad suction mount on the windscreen that used to fall off from vibration no longer ends up in my lap when it falls off. Very pleased. The dude who sold it to me on ebay turns out to be the son of a deceased Ercoupe owner and was very forthright and honest about the exchange. A rare thing these days.

Back up and flying!

Chris

Actually Jack, I found that one just before you replied. Always wary about Ebay but this one appears to have the right paperwork from the right shop and a friend of mine does his prop work there and says it's good. So......I went ahead and bought it. Fingers crossed. I'll let you know.

There is a round tip prop on ebay. I think it is a 71-50. Might be worth looking at.

Thanks Larry. I've already sent some emails to other prop shops. The 1A90 is round tip and the 1B is square. Mine is 1B. Will keep you informed.

Thanks

This poor plane was so abused before I got it! If it were a puppy I'd have turned the previous owner in to the SPCA or something. I've chronicled many prior examples and now that I've owned it for a little over 2 years, thought I had it to the point that it was safe for me, my kids (3 of whom are pilots), and grandkids.

Sadly not though. It's always had kind of a harmonic vibration when reducing power through about 1800 rpm and since the prop log says it hasn't been overhauled for 20 years, I finally found the time to take it off and drive over to Minneapolis where the prop shop (Maxwell Aircraft Svcs) is. The technician put it up on his test mandrel and it didn't take him 5 minutes to declare it junk. Then, while driving home to Sioux Falls licking my wounds, and because there had been multiple prior examples of falsified log entries discovered after I bought it, I checked the log again. Sure enough, the prop on the plane has a different serial #. I think the original one is out there somewhere happily pulling someone else around while this one was acquired on Ebay labeled, "Not Serviceable. For Display Only".

So, here are a few questions as I contemplate my options:
1) Might go wooden (Sensenich) but can't find a reliable recommendation for which model would work best on my C-85. I've had experience with wooden props and if they sleep inside and the bolts are torqued fairly frequently, they do fine. I'm leaning toward one that is pitched for better climb.
2) The technician said the original McCauley 1B90 7148 is hard to find in good used condition. Anybody know a source? They're nearly $5k new.
3) Anyone else's prop experience would be welcome in the interest of getting the most information before committing.

Thanks,
Chris Carlisle
415C, Ser #508, C85
Sioux Falls, SD