Project complete

[von_flyer]

Never guess where my preference lies.

Before



After

[dave4754]

She looks sweet and I wish I could get my mojo working and finish mine. This helps thanks for the photo.

[Aerosport1]

Nice work John. It Looks great

[cardinalflier]

How many hours to convert? Looks great. Bruce

[von_flyer]

Originally Posted by cardinalflier

How many hours to convert? Looks great. Bruce

We didn't log actual hours but I will say three of us had it on the conventional gear in one week and it was flying 4 months later... The most work intensive part turned out to be the cowl modifications. The 7 mount moved the engine about 3/4" forward. Brother Dave, friends Roy and Pat helped. Pat did the HS SB mods while we had the tail off. The goal throughout the project was to meet Gary Kremer's original build quality. He set the bar quite high. Painting was done by Danny King who did the original paint.

[von_flyer]

Then there's this.

[Pat Hatch]

I would just add that anyone contemplating this mod or anyone coming across this thread in the future, there were a lot of unanticipated issues that cropped up along the way--all solvable, but it would help to contact someone who has been through this before getting started with the project. There are no Vans "plans" for this, so it pays to do the research prior to beginning. Having done this, John and his brother Dave have acquired a wealth of experience, so I would contact them for an overview if you're thinking about doing it. In John's case he was looking for the nicest possible RV-7 out there. The one he found happened to be a 7A, and I commend him for getting the nicest airplane available and then making it the way he wanted it! I think he'd be the first to tell you, however, that it was a lot more work than he had anticipated! But it was well worth it in my opinion!

I can't answer the question about the speed increase, but John did fly it alongside my RV-6 after it was done for a full-power comparison and they were pretty even, basically same engine and prop. And my -6 is pretty fast!

[rockwoodrv9]

I went the other way on my build. There are several things you learn, but I believe it is easier to go from tail wheel to nose wheel like I did. I did not remove the tail wheel hardware that is in the tail cone. It probably adds a couple pounds in the worst spot, but I didn't want to risk messing up the skin. It may be fun to stick the tail wheel on just to get a reaction from people.

[6 Gun]

I like the 4 wheel look be hard to screw up a landing .
Bob

[Michael White]

Originally Posted by 6 Gun

I like the 4 wheel look be hard to screw up a landing .
Bob

Screwing up a landing would actually be easier....it'd handle just like a shopping cart!

So which one is the "floppy" wheel?

John,
Nice job on the conversion. Congrats!