Corrosion or CORROSION?

[Vol88]

I am in the process of purchasing a 2008 RV10 QB kit that has been stored in an unheated hangar. Here in the Midwest, unheated buildings can generate a fair amount of condensation during our annual freeze/thaw cycles.

As a newbie, I have no criteria for normal weathering versus corrosion. So I'm looking for some educated opinions from those of you with some practical experience.

Some of the skins have areas of very slight pitting. Most are roughly the diameter of grains of salt. A few are small rashes, the diameter of dimes or quarters, that don't feel like they have any depth. Is this normal for unpainted aluminum? Will this get removed with the typical prep before paint?

Similarly, some of the white powder-coated metal fittings have slight rust stains on them. Again, is that normal, or will I end up replacing anything that shows any sign of rust?

Here is a link to photos of some of the areas. https://1drv.ms/u/s!ApsOqxQaP7rizEcF...H96L7?e=8miBnv

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[Brantel]

I know it looks temporary but those wires/tubes zip tied to the flight control mechanism makes me cringe for some reason.

The white stuff is typical of what happens when condensation from galvanized metal lands on alcad aluminum and dries. Many times this can be cleaned off with a swipe from a scotchbrite pad. Hard to tell how much damage has been done from a pic.

I would be concerned with the spars and stuff that has layers. If that stuff gets in between the layers, it can be impossible to get out.
The inside of the wing would be hard to clean up.

No way I would use those breakers and if that last pic is typical, this kit has issues. That one rivet shop head is almost corroded away.

The powder coated stuff looks typical considering the other parts. Those could be cleaned up and repainted.

I would pass, this thing already looks worse than some airplanes that are over 50 years old. It will take a bunch of work to clean this up!

[Chris7]

While the outside corrosion looks fairly minor (from what I can tell from the photos), the inside corrosion again isn?t bad but it?s basically impossible to stop now unless you pull it apart, clean it up with alumiprep and alodine then prime.

If you go to all that trouble then you may as well enjoy a build from scratch.

I?m sure at the right price for the right person the kit would be a good buy but it?s very hard to stop corrosion unless treated correctly.

[Vol88]

Thanks for the quick replies. The wings and fuse are QB and were primed. Does that ease concerns about what?s inside?

[EXflyer]

From what I see along with the other comment the wiring tied like it is makes looking into the whole build a little better. Another item is the corrosion on the electrical items, this it very bad and since its here where else is it in the system? Have an expert on RVs look at it before you buy as there could be some items that would make it not worth the chance. Bought a bad one years back turned out to be scrap metal.

[Chris7]

The primer should help yes, however even if primed a certain amount of care is still required to maintain any machine.

I would recommend getting a local A&P to do an inspection, a small cost which could save you either by not buying it or discovering the clean up won?t be that bad and you get a kit at the price you want.

Hope this helps

[Vlad]

Originally Posted by Vol88

Thanks for the quick replies. The wings and fuse are QB and were primed. Does that ease concerns about what?s inside?

Tom if price is right take it. Ditch all electric/wiring, treat bad spots, redo some riveting and you will be ahead of many of us. My powder coated parts are from 2006 and look exactly like yours with rusty edges.

[Steve Melton]

Originally Posted by Vlad

Tom if price is right take it. Ditch all electric/wiring, treat bad spots, redo some riveting and you will be ahead of many of us. My powder coated parts are from 2006 and look exactly like yours with rusty edges.

ditto......

[David Paule]

For what it's worth, I'd pass on this kit for both the corrosion and the zip-tied stuff attached to the flight controls. Now they might just be temporarily tied on to hold them out of the way, that's hard to tell.

And it's good to know that the bulk of the plane is QB and factory primed. But for me, the corrosion is simply too much.

Dave

[animal145]

You?re not married to it. There are thousands of rv?s out there. If there is a doubt, there is no doubt.

Good luck on your buying adventure!

Alex