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proppuller

Member
Guys,

I am thinking of making an offer on a RV-8 that has 800 hours but is disassembled. The tail, engine and brand new wings, that are finished, are off the plane.

Any guesses on man-hours required to assemble the parts?

Thanks,

Tom
 
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If it has all been together before, then assembly could be just a couple weeks if you know what you are doing. I'd bet a person experienced with an -8 could do it faster - but only if no fiddling around with parts that hadn't been fit before.

How come it's apart?

Paul
 
The time taken to "reassemble" is very low. However, some questons given the added informaton might affect that:
1. Paul's
If it has all been together before
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have these new wings actually been fitted to this fuselage? There is a fair amount to do to fit / adjust wings to a fuselage, including setting up ailerons / flaps. It could all get more difficult if the Flaps / Ailerons are not new... and various issues where you are mixing new parts with already fitted e.g. the aft wing spar attach bolts.
2. One assumes you are totally happy with the remaining structure post accident?
...after the gear snapped off
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is not a "minor ding" :eek:

I would get hold of the Builder's Manual & Preview Plans from Van's and see what all the implications are. You don't give your RV experience/knowledge, but if you not too familiar, being homebuilts, if you replace major parts, it's not just an issue of "buy new bit and fit it".

Andy Hill
RV-8 G-HILZ
 
Thanks,

Yes, new wings, flaps and ailerons to the existing fuselage. I will make sure the wings line up correctly etc. to the existing fittings before any offer.

Has anyone done a total wing replacement to an existing fuselage and are there any major issues?

Otherwise I don't see any reason to avoid it.

Thanks,

Tom
 
proppuller said:
Thanks,

Yes, new wings, flaps and ailerons to the existing fuselage. I will make sure the wings line up correctly etc. to the existing fittings before any offer.

Has anyone done a total wing replacement to an existing fuselage and are there any major issues?

Otherwise I don't see any reason to avoid it.
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Well, the earlier planes had match-drilled wings and center sections. (I believe that the newest kits are virtually interchangeable...). If they replaced everything, and didn't fit the wigs as part of the replacement, then you might very well have a SERIOUS rebuild project. If they haven't fit them, then it takes a very small misalignment (you'll only find it when trying to assemble) for the bolts holes to line up.

If it has been rebuilt witout the wings already having been fit, I'd be very, very cautious.

Paul
 
Thanks,

The new QB wings are suppose to show up this week.

I will have to see how they fit up before any offers. They have not done any work to the existing center section/spar carry through.

This is an early SN plane they are rebuilding, sn 80300 I think.

It sounds like all the early kits had wings that were match drilled to the carry-through/center section at the factory? If this is the case, all the center sections will be drilled slightly differently from the rest. Then, the new QB wings bolt holes may or may not match up?

Thanks for clarifying this.

Tom
 
Hmmm... just the wing tip got caught after the gear snapped off??? Building new wings, ailerons and flaps to fix wingtip damage is something I would question.
 
He got the wing tip pretty good. If I remember correctly, the outboard 2 feet or so was bent up at about a 30 degree angle. Bent spar, lots of wrinkled skin. I would have gone the same direction. Also, if he would have purchased just one wing, he would have a -1 wing on one side and a non -1 wing on the other. He wanted to keep them the same.

Tom
 
Based on everything you've told us, I don't think you're talking about "assembly time" - you're talking significant fabrication. Replacing a center section is going to involve major surgery on the fuselage. Might be a great deal if you get a good price, have lots of time, and experience with metal work. Sounds like a fun project, but not a way to get flying quickly.

Get them to deliver it to you with the wings installed!

Paul
 
Paul,

I spoke with Van's yesterday and was informed only the early -4's and -6's were "matchdrilled". All other aircraft should have no problem with any fuselage/center section/wing combination.

Looks like I am just back to "assembly time"

Tom
 
proppuller said:
Paul,

I spoke with Van's yesterday and was informed only the early -4's and -6's were "matchdrilled". All other aircraft should have no problem with any fuselage/center section/wing combination.

Looks like I am just back to "assembly time"

Tom
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How much damage is inflicted on the gear towers when the gear is "snapped off"? Did the prop touch the ground?

This sounds like a wreck rebuild instead of just "assembly". You need to buy this project at a salvage price and plan to spend far more time on it than may be expected at this time. Keep in mind resale value will be impacted with this plane's history.
 
Everything has already been repaired. The steel fitting at the bottom of the gear tower on the side that was damaged, along with the fuselage skin on the same side, has been fixed. It is just down to reassembling the new wings on the fuselage. The prop was repaired and the engine already torn down per Lycoming's instructions and reassembled.

Any guess on what percentage should be knocked off for this type of damage history? 10-20% is my guess for a certified aircraft.

Thanks,

Tom
 
Gear Tower

Way more than 20%. Heck, licensed and flying -8's are down in price 20% just because of the recession. Remember that you are taking on a lot of risk in tackling this project, both financial and otherwise. That has to be fairly reflected in the price.

I'd recommend having someone very experienced look over the plane with you before you make any offer. There are lots of qualified people here on the forum.

Sam's advice is very sound!
 
Right. I am talking 20% less than the 20% recession adjusted price - $$ for the new paint job -$$ for the assembly work.

I was guessing a mid 40k offer might work.

We will see, as I am getting plenty of phone calls of other -8's for sale.

Tom
Luscombe for now
A&P/IA
 
proppuller said:
Right. I am talking 20% less than the 20% recession adjusted price - $$ for the new paint job -$$ for the assembly work.

I was guessing a mid 40k offer might work.

We will see, as I am getting plenty of phone calls of other -8's for sale.

Tom
Luscombe for now
A&P/IA
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I'm thinking more like $25K.....and you will still have a rebuilt wreck.

There are way too many good projects looking for a new home to be wasting time messing with a wadded up plane. :)
 
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