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taking an engine from donor aircraft

jcaplins

Well Known Member
I'm doing some planning, and would like to hear some stories and experiences for those who have pulled an engine(/prop) from a donor aircraft for use on your RV. I hear talk about it, but does anyone actually do it?

ex: pulled a engine, prop, accessories, and maybe avionics, instruments, from a perfectly good Mooney or Cherokee 180 with 4000 hours and 1000 SMOH; bolted it up to your RV6,7,8. and now happily flying around (or not).

How did it work out for you? Financially worth it or not? Adapting systems from one aircraft to the RV? Selling off parts of the donor plane to recoup some costs? Pitfalls and gotchas? Anything else you would like to add?

I may start some threads about buying/rebuilding a salvage or used engine vs buying new, so that discussion doesn't need to happen here.

Thanks!
 
Pulled Lycoming O-320-E3D from Beechcraft Sport that had been damaged in a windstorm. Air Salvage of Dallas test run the engine. I installed it on my RV-6 at 2500 hr. total time. Had to change the prop as the Sport prop was not appropriate for the speed range of the RV. Flew the RV for 3 years. Overhauled the engine to increase HP. I carefully measured all parts removed and all met better than serviceable specs at 2815 hrs. At this time it was burning a quart of oil every 12-14 hrs.
The Sport was in a flight school in Arizona which means that it came from a dry climate and flew pretty much every day.
I would not hesitate to do the same again.
 
Last edited:
Jeff,

+1

Sorry I don't have any experiences to add but I too am very interested hearing from those who have used reclaimed/salvaged parts.
 
Lots to cover, and I'm sure people smarter and more experienced than I am will chime in. Here's my list of concerns.

Was the engine preserved or recently run?
I know of an IO-540-C4B5 that was removed from an Apache, not preserved, in a hangar for a couple years, thrown on a plane, and was eating the cam. Also had a unairworthy repair for an oil leak that didn't fix the problem and spiraled into a teardown. Really crappy of someone to do that.

Is the engine the right engine for the platform?
There's a lot to consider in picking a powerplant. Are you sure all of the specs will work on your airframe? Or, the ones that aren't quite right, can you modify / work through them?
 
Sorry, I wasn't clear. I am not talking about starting with a salvage aircraft or engine. I think Mel had an ideal situation there, knowing why the aircraft was damaged and knowing the engine was perfectly good. I am talking about buying an airplane where you can do all the normal prebuy; logbook check, test flight and engine inspection stuff. Fly it home, then dismantle it.

A sticking point for me, living in CA, would be paying sales and property tax on a registered aircraft. That alone could make it poor financial plan.
 
Interesting question. One I have also considered. I bought an Arrow last year to fly while finishing the 7. It's past TBO but I have confidence in it as it came from a local small flight school and the plane in which I got my commercial license. Currently the FAA is taking feedback for a proposed AD with respect to the wing spars. Depending on how that goes, my investment in Arrow may be sunk. If so, I have engine, prop, avionics that may well go into the 7.
 
When I started flying around 1990, it was a fairly common practice to purchase flying a/c and cannibalize them for the engine, instruments, and even interiors (seats, etc) on some cases. It tended to drive the antique/classic guys crazy, seeing old but sound airframes going to the salvage yard. Kits were much less developed then, and 'EFIS' was not a word that homebuilders could pronounce. The RV builder population these days seems to be dominated by those who can't pronounce 'experimental'. :)

The process is probably still doable, if you shop smart. You sometimes see twins with high time/runout engines selling for about the core value on the engines. If you can get in for the core value, the biggest risk is cost to overhaul, which would still be lower than the mortgage level pricing for a new engine.

Charlie
 
Of course

I had a Mooney E model that I rebuilt the engine with new cylinders and crank. Everything went through a shop that needed it. New Hartzell similar. When I went to sell it I got ridiculous offers that wouldn't even cover the engine and prop. I kept everything firewall forward and the radios. Sold the airframe for $15,000. Bought a 7 unfinished quick build. That where the engine/ prop live now.
Then I got the idiots that couldn't believe you can change airplane engines (you wouldn't do that to a Ferrari the numbers won't match!). Gosh, I really hate selling a airplane, the internet expert idiots come out of the woodwork. Then you get the old guys that are lonely and want to tell war stories with no intention of buying. Brokers are worth the money.
 
If you buy a kit you can buy a new engine from vans, they have really good prices on engines.

yes, I still have that option. it will cost me about $45,000. (engine, prop, firewall kit, engine mount, gear legs, and cowling) + plus whatever else I can't think of.
 
A sticking point for me, living in CA, would be paying sales and property tax on a registered aircraft. That alone could make it poor financial plan.

In CA you?ll owe sales (or use tax) on the engine, prop, etc. no matter where you buy them. If you can buy the airplane, canibalize it, de-register and scrap it before Jan 1, you won?t owe property tax.
 
In CA you?ll owe sales (or use tax) on the engine, prop, etc. no matter where you buy them. If you can buy the airplane, canibalize it, de-register and scrap it before Jan 1, you won?t owe property tax.

I would think the state would still try to get property tax if the aircraft spent more than 30 seconds in CA.

I shouldn't have to pay a use tax on a used engine or prop. When I paid taxes on my current setup, on the forms, I wrote in the value I paid for everything and subtracted what I paid for the engine because it was used.
 
When I built my RV-7, I purchased an 0-360 and prop that had been removed from a Mooney, then flown until TBO on someone else's RV. While flying on the other RV, the engine was converted to aftermarket fuel injection.

I bought the engine/prop as a runout for $13,000. Sent the C/S Hartzell prop in for OH (cost me about $1000). My neighbor is the west coast tech rep for Lycoming - he assisted me in doing a complete teardown and overhaul on the engine. The overhaul cost me about $7000 in parts, inspections, shipping, etc.

In addition to the engine/prop, I also bought someone's used vetterman exhuast for a few hundred $$$, to which I've had to have two minor repairs done (normal wear and tear)

Total cost for a newly overhauled engine and CS prop came out to $21,000. Since then, I've put about 1300 flying hours on the plane/engine/prop.

The process worked well for me. I had great assistance for the engine O/H, great advice for all of the pieces and parts, and a very tight budget. :D
 
(engine, prop, firewall kit, engine mount, gear legs, and cowling) + plus whatever else I can't think of.

The only parts here that the donor will provide is the engine (and maybe the prop depending on the model)

You will still need pretty much all of a FWF kit (prop gov. might be usable), engine mount, gear legs and cowling for the kit so unless you can sell the rest of the airframe for a high amount the cost delta may be less than you might at first think.
A lower cost engine and prop can make it possible to get into the air cheaper / sooner, but over the long term, the cost of doing an engine and prop overhaul to give you the equiv amount of engine life will narrow the actual cost considerably.
 
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