RV-6A Purchase Question

[senof28]

Gentelman,
It looks like I'm finnaly going to make the plunge and purchase the 6A. What I'd like to do is to outline the purchase and take all of the suggestions and flack you can throw. Here we go:
6A kit purchased in 98 quick built; seller states 90% complete but looks more like 80%; engine is a 180hp fuel injected constant speed prop. We have a local DAR RV owner who will do the pre buy inspection. I understand that you don't have the specifics so I'm looking for advise on the things we should look for that you have experieced. This was the builders 2nd RV and he is a capable builder. My buddy on the plane is a A&P. Let me know your ideas. Looking forward to joing the RV family.
Thanks in advance.

[DickG]

I live in Detroit and was considering flying down to look at this RV6A. I'll wait until you look at it. Here are the things you need to consider. Determine what parts you need to buy to make the AC airworthy. The builder says that when a decision had to be made, he went toward the certified parts/workmanship rather than experimental.

There is no heat muff included with the exhaust.
He says the kit comes with extra engine parts, what are they?
Is there a fuel pump and filter for the fuel injection system?
Is there a fuel return system to the tanks?
Are the fuel lines included?
How about scat tubing?
Is the propeller new or used? How many hours?
How long have all of the parts been sitting around? Has age/humidity affected them?
Is the project and the equipment in a climate controlled area?

This sounds like a very good deal with IFR instrumentation and avionics. 180 HP 0 TSMOH, constant speed prop. He dropped the price to $58,000 and is willing to listen to a lower offer.

He did have a technical counselor inspect his work and can get a sign off. He's also been working as an A&P for ten years.

Let me know how your trip turns out and what decision you make with the purchase.

[penguin]

I don't know anything about this airplane other than your post, so this might not all be relevant ...
You could catch the biggest cold on the engine & prop as the airframe is reasonably inspectable (and if it was a QB most of it is a known quantity). Who zero timed the engine? In the field or a reputable builder who gave a warranty? How long since overhaul, what storage conditions? What parts were replaced at overhaul (new cylinders?). What is the history on the prop, how long has it flown and when was it overhauled - bear in mind Hartzell's recommendations and that if you were to buy new you would get a blended airfoil prop that is faster than the old design.

You could buy a flying 180/CS RV-6(A) with say 800 to 1000 hours and reasonable avionics for $70K to $75K or so, so your maximum saving is $12K, minus whatever parts you have to find. How much do you value 400 hours of your time? How do you like the quality of the work carried out so far? How do you feel about the builder as a person - do you trust him, your about to trust his workmanship and judgement? How much stuff that is for sale will you have to replace because you want to do things a different way - treble the answer to allow for stuff you didn't notice on the pre-buy. How important is it to you to be able to make some 'personal preference' decisions before the airplane is finished - that is how attractive to you is a part built project over an already flying airplane?

Check all SB and Service letters for compliance (new nose wheel fork & modded leg for example) and factor in costs of compliance. Do the same checks on the engine & prop.

Sounds expensive to me.

Hope this helps, Pete

[Bob Axsom]

In the early QB RV-6 kits the rear spar and the inboard aileron mounting bracket holes were incorrect. One had 4 and the other had 5 as I recall and the upper and lower holes were offset slightly. I came up with a fix for mine as I'm sure other builders did that would allow them to complete the assembly. When I advised Van's of the problem and my fix they replied that they were aware of the problem and had developed a fix that was much better than mine. It involved drilling some holes oversize to include the the circumference of the mismatched upped and lower holes and mount the brackets with screws instead of rivets. I was able to back out my fix and incorporate the factory fix but If I had not contacted Van's I would never have known of the prefered fix. You may should look at this and ask about the builder's experience with the installation - his may have been correct "out of the box". My kit was picked up from the old facility in North Plains, Oregon at 09:38 on 11-11-1996.

Question the rigging of the wings, horizontal and vertical stabilizer. This work is probably already done and you are pretty much going to have to live with what he did but you are going to have to deal with this at sometime.

The engine and prop have been covered but as mentioned this is a very expensive and critical part of the purchase that requires extreme attention.

The avionics history and installation need to be gone over as components and as a system. Wiring diagrams and schematics or schematics with wiring details should be provided and reviewed. Undersize wires and improperly interfaced avionics are not uncommon. Crimps of terminals, splices, pins and connectors on wires (shielded and unshielded) and coax cables are a source of trouble due to the use of improper crimpers (pliers?), the improper use of the correct crimpers and incorrect combinations of wires and terminals. Wiring should be carefully checked for damage especially in high traffic areas and potential damage due to poor routing, lack of support or chaffing protection. Antenna installations should be checked for location, polarity, installation quality and durability. This whole electrical area can be a real bag of worms not given proper attention by a mechanic.

One thing I would really need to know is why the builder did not complete the airplane.

Bob Axsom

[senof28]

Thanks guys for the info. Will pass these on to my RV partner. We looked @ the aircraft and all of the parts. Meeting today with DAR to review our findings. If we proceed, the full inspection will be done next weekend. Will let you know what we decide.
Have a safe New Year.