Club Homepage Forums Thread Like Summary - McCauley wheels and Brakes

I just finished the annual on my 1980 Aerobat and decided to put the Cleveland wheels and brakes on it. I have the entire McCauley wheel and brake system which includes both left and right wheels with bearings (both outboard races were replaced last annual and 35 hrs ago). Both torque plates with new Cleveland brake pads ($80) I just put on, Both brake cylinders (PN# C30018-5) which are pretty hard to find. I found one used at Texas Air Salvage for $425. One of them has the typical crack at the fitting on the top for parts only but the other one was just fine when I took it off. I have the original brake discs which are pretty grooved and worn. $800 for the lot. I think that is a fair price. I also posted previously that I have two new brake discs that I will include for an additional $200. They have 3 full stop landings on them. I paid $286.08 for the pair a couple weeks ago before I decided to go the Cleveland route. I will be happy to send pictures if interested.
FWIW, the airplane has 2293 TT since new and this is original equipment as far as I know.

Thanks,
Grant Metsger
Granbury, TX
gmetsger@gmail.com

Ron,

In June 2016 I replaced the McCauley main wheels on my plane because of one cracked wheel (see photos). I installed the Cleveland Wheel and Brake conversion kit #199-08400 (aka 199-84) purchased from Aircraft Spruce. The price has gone up considerably since 2016. Then, the price was $1827, which I thought was reasonable for what you get. Now the price is $2675. (In 1967 I bought a new Mustang for $2795.)

With the kit you get two wheels with bearings already packed with grease, brake cylinders (not the master cylinders), brake discs, and brake linings.

The installation was straight-forward; no new plumbing was required. No actual installation instructions were included. Just have your mechanic follow the procedures in the Cessna 150 service manual. Cleveland did include the procedure to follow to properly “break-in” the brake linings.

About a month later, I also replaced the nose wheel (Cleveland p/n 40-77) because the magnesium was corroded enough that I could break off pieces with my fingers.