I found a good used quadrant cover for my lever-style engine controls. It has no lettering on it, but has a recess on the top. What’s the story?
What is the correct quadrant control cover for my 1977 Sundowner?
Search strings: Engine control cover, control trim cover
Technical Editor:
Regarding the control quadrant cover, Beech made a run of quadrant
covers that were intended to be “universal”. The top label insert
differed between the carbureted and fuel injected planes
(“propeller” versus “carb heat”). Not many seem to have been made
like this, and they are seldom found. The part number for the
carbureted insert plate is 169-940021-3 . The PN for the FI insert
plate is 169-940021-1. Neither of the insert plates are available
any more from RAPID. Most folks just make vertical-oriented
laminated labels on a good label-maker, such as a Brother P-touch,
and apply them to the quadrant cover. They can look quite
professional when properly made and applied.
The covers specific to a 1977 Sundowner are as follows:
169-940017-173 Imprinted cover, carbureted models
Or the combination of a cover with insert:
169-940017-177 Recessed-top cover, requires carbureted-model imprinted insert
169-940021-3 Carbureted-model imprinted insert
Or the very latest superseding part:
169-940017-607 Imprinted cover, carbureted models
What follows is all of my hard-won accumulated data on the control covers (as of February 2010). Very few (if any) of these covers can still be had in the new-parts market.
169-940017-159 Quadrant control cover
169-940017-171 Quadrant control cover
169-940017-173 Quadrant control cover (fits 1973 Sport and Sundowner)
169-940017-175 Quadrant control cover assembly, B24R Sierra
169-940021-1 Quadrant control cover insert plate, later Sierra fuel injected models
169-940017-177 Quadrant control cover assembly, B19/C23 carbureted models
169-940021-3 Quadrant control cover insert plate, later carbureted models
169-940017-183 Quadrant control cover plate, through MC470 (possible alternate with -185)
169-940017-185 Quadrant control cover, lever controls, plain top (no lettering, no overlay, front hole for microphone clip mount)
169-940017-187 Quadrant control cover, carbureted, vernier (pre-1973)
169-940017-605 Quadrant imprinted control cover, fuel injected models (final version)
169-940017-607 Quadrant imprinted control cover, carbureted models (final version)
169-940017-111 Quadrant-insert cabin air ID plate
169-940017-3 Quadrant cabin air decal
169-940017-181 Quadrant heat-defrost ID plate
169-940017-105 Quadrant heat-defrost ID – plate only
169-940017-179 Quadrant heat-defrost ID – placard only
169-940017-109 Quadrant heat-defrost ID – trim only
Removing the lever-style quadrant cover isn’t very hard, but does require care. The locking lever on the right side has two setscrews that must be removed; you have to rotate the lever down and aft to see one of them. The three top lever knobs must be removed; and the upper and lower screw fasteners must be removed. Be careful to check for any broken-off pieces during the removal. You don’t want them left where they could jam something; and they are very valuable if a repair will be attempted.
The cover has openings that allow the cover to be worked off aft, right over the three smaller air control knobs. During reinstallation, I always prefer to rotate the quadrant lever locking nut until the controls will remain where set in normal flight; then I reinstall the locking lever. That way you normally won’t need to use it anymore, and the lever remains ‘nested” where it looks the best. This should be legal owner-performed work, as you do not have to disassemble any primary systems (such as one of the actual controls).
I would appreciate it if you would send me any unwanted broken covers, or pieces of them. You never know when they might enable me to fix someone else’s cover, since I can no longer find new ones. I would also love to be notified if you happen to locate any new units anywhere in the parts system.
Michael Rellihan
1793 Poole Town Road
Laurens, SC 29360
864-682-2181