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6a upgrades

T

tmpendergrass

Member
Hey everyone,
Since one of my new years resolutions is to purchase an airplane I have my eye on a lightly equiped RV-6a. I'm hoping to spend $40-50k.

Since most of these aircraft in this price range seem to have rather gnarly panel and interior layouts I'd like to do some upgrades after I buy it.

I'd like to put in a full classic aero interior and redo the panel keeping most of avionics the same but install them in a new sheet metal panel. I'd also like to precut a hole and prewire for a G430 in the future. I also want to install an "boeing style" center throttle quarant if I can find one(can anyone point me in the right direction here).

Does anyone have experience doing this sort of upgrade and can you give me an idea of how much time, sweat, and money something like this would cost. I would do most of the work myself but under the supervision of an A&P. I feel like this would be a great time to learn about my new plane after I buy it.

I have a photo on my computer i'm using for inspiration but I can't figure out how to attach it.:(

Thanks
T
 
Putting in a new interior would be the easiest part of the upgrade process. You might be able to accomplish this in a weekend depending on how well the pieces fit etc.

Re-doing the panel will be a little more involved if only because of the effort of pulling the old panel out. Pre-wiring for a Garmin 430 can be easy if you farm it out to Steinair or more complex if you want to wire it up yourself. It can certainly be done, it just requires a plan (i.e. schematic) and attention to detail. This will be longer than a weekend affair.

Depending on your size, you might want to reconsider a throttle quadrant. I would miss the leg room if I were to install one in mine, but I'm on the taller side of the bell curve.
 
How does the center throttle quadrant reduce leg room ? I guess side to side yes. However tall peoples knees are too close to the classic mixture knob location in my plane and a center quadrant placed lower might be nice. Also when my kids ride in my pax seat I add tons of cushions so their feet are also close to mixture and prop knobs.- makes me nervous and I tell them very seriously not to touch the red button !

By the way I'm in the same boat as you- I want to upgrade everything on my 6a too. Money and time are serious factors however and I'm just lucky to keep it flying.
 
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erikpmort said:
How does the center throttle quadrant reduce leg room ? I guess side to side yes. However tall peoples knees are too close to the classic mixture knob location in my plane and a center quadrant placed lower might be nice. Also when my kids ride in my pax seat I add tons of cushions so their feet are also close to mixture and prop knobs.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's it - side to side. Maybe there is a different arrangement than the ones I've seen but it was pretty uncomfortable for this tall guy.
 
Maybe it's tighter than I image. Just like anything id have to fly In one with a center quad before id do the mod. Like so many, you get used to what you have and it doesn't bother you anymor
 
You're going to have to mount the quadrant in something. If you drop it below the panel to preserve panel space it becomes a knee knocker box. If you mount it in the panel it will block some or all of the center stack area. It will take some planning to find the right trade-off for you.

When you redo the panel I'd really recommend replacing the radio wiring with Approach Systems hub and cables. Much cleaner and easy to upgrade - just buy the appropriate cable for the new radio. I ripped out all the wiring I had done for my 430/SL30/SL70/SL15 stack and replaced it with Approach Systems. It was painful knowing how much time and money I had invested but I feel much better knowing how much easier it will be to maintain and upgrade.
 
tmpendergrass said:
Just to be clear I'm not thinking center console but something like this. http://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages/ap/van_throttle/RVthrottlequads2.php

I figure if I thing of the upgrade costs as part of the purchase price it's easy to justify the cost.
Click to expand...

That's not a bad idea if you are thinking about mounting it in the center where the fuel selector is now. You may even want to remove the center post if you can lower the quad. I haven't seen an install like that as yet. Could be talking a lot of work(more than you think... just that .002 cents
 
tmpendergrass said:
I hate the look of the center post thats in most of the older RVs. At the very I'd like a cessna style plunger on the bottom of the panel. I personally like the lever style throttle a lot more than the "plunger" style.

This is the plane I'm using for inspiration. You have a wonderful looking interior Peter Van Herk! http://www.classic.aero/web/public/CC/CC2.asp?G=8AAD61E9661145AA8A54219098A69973
Click to expand...

Ultimately, it is your airplane, so do choose the compromise that works best for you.

IMO, a quadrant like will make a miserable job (climbing into the floorboards to inspect, clean, or change something) that much worse. Think about your options, spend 30 minutes in the footwell of the airplane you buy, then clamp a simulated quadrant and cables to the panel and try it again. You may choose to go a different direction.
 
Speaking as someone who just purchased their 1st RV-6A last year.. If you have the money to upgrade the panel and interior, go ahead and buy a 6 that's already equipped and tested.
I've spent the last couple months installing electric aileron trim, multi-function grips, and a couple other Small tweaks during the annual. I'd rather be flying instead of building.
$20k for a panel plus $4k for an interior plus the $45k base price puts you close to $70k.... And a very Nice RV-6 that's ready to go flying :)
 
My Upgrade Experience

Just one more data point.

I agree 100% with Brian's comments on the economics of this from the above post and with the earlier cautions about quadrants.

I am in the middle of a panel upgrade on my RV6 (replacing an all analog IFR panel with Skyview, GTN650, Dynon D6, Dynon Com & Intercom) plus taking care of all the odds and ends that have come up over the years of owning it.

I like working through all of the problems encountered in a project like this and I am enjoying the process, so far.

But my plane will be down for at least six months. And I consider this "mod" kind of work to be more difficult than was the actual building experience. Going off into that land beyond the kit plans is risky unless you have a lot of experience with that kind of thing.

But if you like the "doing of it", it is satisfying to get exactly what you thought you wanted when you started.
 
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