>>A good friend of mine recently bought an unstarted 235 kit. He has now
    been offered a fairly good deal on a 180 hp engine, but is uncertain if
   180 hp is a healthy decision for a 235.

   Q: Has anyone put 180 hp in a 235 and been able to walk away from it???

 

I concur with Jim N. regarding a 360 in a 235 airframe.  Lots of issues to tackle.  

 

The engine mount is probably the same as a 320, so no problem there.  But physical size of the engine fitting in the cowl would require major surgery to both top and bottom cowls.

 

The extra weight would be difficult to overcome, especially with a CS prop.  It would probably require the battery to be located way back in the tailcone.  Then there would be the structural issue of heavy weight at both extreme ends of the fuselage.

 

A short prop would have to be used which may negate the whole idea of installing the big engine.  I have a 64 inch prop on the 320, and with the nose strut pumped up slightly, I have about 8 inches of ground clearance.  So, maybe a 66 inch might be the max length, which isn't very long in CS prop terms.  Pump the strut up more and then there is angle of attack issues with the wing.  So then longer main legs might be required.  The dominos could just keep going.

 

Gary Edwards

LNC2 N21SN

235/320