Replace vintage pioneer turn & slip with a vario??

[JackC]

Hey all

So I’m going to have to repaint the boot cowl on the champ because the guy who restored it didn’t prep it properly, oddly he did prep the rest of the metal… anywho

We have a pioneer polished small Venturi and matching pioneer turn & slip mounted low and center.

Thought is to remove the Venturi and plug the 3 holes (while we are painting anyways) and install a winters variometer, seeing the speed boosts we can get from riding thermals.

Cons,
less original

we’d have 3 random painted domed screw heads or something on the side of a otherwise perfect champ.

Pros

Much more useful to have the vario
(I obviously don’t fly this thing IMC or night, and even if I did be better of trusting my phone or iPad full sensors and glass screen display over a single Venturi needle and ball.)


Thoughts?

 

[Bob Turner]

Use flathead screws - or even better, rivets. Polish smooth with a sanding block, put some JB Weld in the imperfections - might even put some in the holes before tightening.
then refinish - you will see no evidence of holes.

I kept my ancient turn and bank, but disabled the needle. And left the venturi, even though it now does nothing. I put it on in 1962 to do the required instrument stuff for PP. It is now nostalgia.