I have not read this chain carefully, but anyone considering a 310 that does not have or needs the side brace kit better be cautious - I think I read an article recently showing those running $30k + at this stage!

See? It just keeps on going.....

I paid ~$2k in parts and 80 hours of labor, which is 1/3 of the figure you quoted. However, my knowledge and ownership experience of a 310 is purely limited to the R model. I have no clue what parts and labor would cost for the earlier 310 models.

30k? That sounds like a fleet killer.

I've been told that the older models are historically less prone to gear issues, thoughts?

[quote="Willis Robison"]See? It just keeps on going.....

Willis,
Please tell us the real deal. Looking at. These older 310s and hearing all kinds of negative info regarding the landing gear.
Thanks,
Lee

There are already several threads discussing the C310 landing gear issues. The bottom line is proper gear rigging and maintenance. A simple gear swing at annual is not enough. The rigging needs to be checked from the gearbox to all three gear legs according to the Cessna maintenance manual. All of the rod ends, pivots and roller bearings need to be checked and lubricated. The torque tubes need to be inspected for cracks.

Proper nose strut inflation is important. On the early models with 3 hinges on the nose gear doors, if the strut doesn't fully extend, the nose fork will hang up during retract on the center hinge, overload the linkage and break the nose gear idler arm under the pilot's floor. Once this happens you are landing on the nose and most likely totaling the plane. Later model 310's did away with the 3 hinges and use a piano hinge instead, thus eliminating this mode of failure.

If the down lock tension on the MLG outer bell cranks is too low and hard braking occur, which can cause the MLG to toe in if toe out is not set correctly, it can cause a fold up, should a hard bump unseat the side brace from its over-center position. Down lock tension is what keeps it positively over center. The mechanical disadvantage of the MLG linkage cannot support the weight of the plane once the gear begins to fold up. This needs to be checked religiously and any discrepancy corrected. If it changed from one year to the next something either wore, bent or cracked. Its a good idea to record the tensions in a log file for reference.

There are a lot of tales regarding the C310 gear issues, citing the lack of the side brace kit or the inaccessibility of the nose gear idler. But there is usually a maintenance issue or lack there of which is responsible.

Here’s an “I” model that just came on the market....has VGs, old radios, current annual, and listed for only $38k.
https://www.controller.com/listings/air ... essna-310i

Arlen, you and I could go in together on this one. Its either a great project or a great source of usable parts.

B

That's a nice find.

This plane appears to have the light switches and the heater over temp indicator on an overhead panel. Never seen one like this before.

Someone in the past spent a grip of money to relocate those switches. Definitely did not leave the factory like that.

All of that and no autopilot, or did I miss it?

I think that's the glitch. It would take $20k to add one.

I always thought that the '65 J model was the sweet spot in the 310 line. It has the clean lines of the early models, three row seating, fuel injection, underwing exhaust. I guess Jack Riley did as well...since he offered an update known as the Riley 65 which brought many of the features of the 1965 model to earlier 310s. I believe that one of the marketing lines was that it is faster on one engine than an Apache is on two...

Hi John, the 64 I & the 65 J are virtually identical. I don’t know the reason Jack Riley chose the 65 model, but he had some great STC’s for sure, VW.