What heater is this?

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

That looks like a keeper. You may find, depending on where your located, that you want to reinstall this. Looks to be well made my someone who knew there way around a sheet metal shop. Also looks like it went through some development with first tabs open, then closed and tubes added and then even them closed off.

BTW I'd consider this a minor alteration easily documented in a log entry what you found.

[nippaero]

There was a single screw behind each tab attached to the firewall. Aluminum foil tape covered each tab.

[bagarre]

How did you get that out in one piece? I needed to make mine with a removable section to get it behind the control column.
But, yeah. It's just a log book entry to keep that in.

Pretty slick how they made the bend around the parking brake but, you may want to read up on that parking brake.
Consensus is to remove all components to include the tabs on the master cylinders to prevent inadvertent lockups.

[nippaero]

We removed the parking brake hardware from the brake cylinders while we were in there.

I was able to slide it right out by pulling the control column backwards.

[hilltop170]

If you need the original heat valve, I still have mine from when the C180 heater was installed.

[blueldr]

In reference to the above mention of parking brake hardware removal:
Is it "Legal" to remove the parking brake hardware or is it just sort of a bootleg job? Is there some sort of authorization other than it being a good "safety" idea?
Not that bootlegging is against my purity, but I'm just curious. There seems to be many of our members who have considerable concern when it comes to authorization for that sort of thing, but I'm not one of them.

[nippaero]

Not sure on the legality. Mine was just left disconnected by the previous owner. The IA I am working with said it either needed to be reconnected or removed completely. By that I mean disconnect the parts from the cable and remove the little tabs on the master cylinders. So I opted to remove everything based on the feedback of this forum. I kept all the parts in case I ever want to put them back in.

I'll ask him about the legal/logbook part when I see him next week.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

The parking brake is not a required piece of equipment so minor alteration to remove in my opinion. I don't buy the IA's opinion the parts had to be removed, just disabled which would include a way to hold the tabs flat else removed. The activation nob should also be labeled as being disabled, a small but important step missed my about every 170 I've seen with the cables disconnected.

[cessna170bdriver]

Merely disconnecting the cable doesn't do anything to make the system any safer. The tabs can still lock the brake unless they are removed or immobilized somehow. If I were doing it, I'd remove the tabs.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Merely disconnecting the cable doesn't do anything to make the system any safer. The tabs can still lock the brake unless they are removed or immobilized somehow. If I were doing it, I'd remove the tabs.

Removing them is the best solution, but safety wiring them down so they can not jam the rod would also work.

Many are disconnected, a bit fewer actually have the tabs removed or disabled because many don't understand the tabs are the problem and removal requires disassembly of the cylinder.

[blueldr]

I cannot but agree with Bruces opinion that the removal is a minor item, but in view of the wide variety of opinions available on many isuch "minor" items,
has anyone ever had an opinion on this "parking brake system" removal from our friendly helpers in the FAA?