G

ge9a

Well Known Member
I would like to hear from people as to when they did, should have, or wish they would have purchased an engine. I think I'm about a year away from needing mine (probably a little more, based on my current progress due to allowable time), but a trip to Oshkosh this year (my first) might be a good time to lay the money down and get one ordered. I'm assuming delivery of engines varies between 3 and 6 months.

What are the drawbacks and/or disadvantages of purchasing an engine too early? I know some of them on both sides of the question, but I'm certain I haven't thought of them all.

For what it's worth, my plan right this minute, subject to change in a heartbeat (but I doubt it) is to go with Aerosport's IO-320.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.
 
Later than Sooner

One of my pet peeves (I probably have 100 or so) is when builders mount the engine right after tipping the canoe upright. There is no reason that the engine needs to be mounted that early other than it looks cool.

I recently received and mounted my engine and I was running out of things to do without it. One thing to consider is that it is easier lift and move around the fuselage without the weight of the engine. I even did all of the wheel and gear fairing work and made the lower intersection fairings without the engine.

Other things to consider are corrosion and the warranty. One big thing for me was the money, I had to borrow money to pay for the engine, prop, & avionics and I didn't want to be paying on a loan until I had to. I ordered mine 4 months (their lead time) before I thought that I would need it.

I don't see why you would need to place your order at Oshkosh. I would, however, talk to Aerosport (and others) to get a feeling for delivery times, options, prices, etc. I bet that most of them will tell you to wait on your order if you think that you are a year out on needing it.
 
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Planning

This is a big buck outlay. I'd wait until you have your panel in and wired. Much easier to move around without the engine on and the recess still open.

In the overall scheme of things, the engine stuff is pretty easy. Wiring is in the open, easy to get to and not involved. The baffling is a PITA and the longest thing in the engine process.

As Eric noted, much easier to move around the fuselage. With the engine on the it will have to be on the gear. Unless you're 6'5" it will be tough reaching in the fuse to work on the gear.

Engine mounting takes less than an hour. Sounds like a big milestone but really isn't. Wait as long as possible. The firewall is pretty accessible for punching holes for the control cables and not a big deal.
 
I put my engine on after the wings were fitted and the fuselage was completed and ready for final assembly of all the major parts. Once the wings were fitted, I installed the gear and hung the engine. I ordered my Lycoming from Van's in March, picked it up in Williamsport in mid July, and hung it in late August, '03. The engine was fired up in February '04 and the plane flown in early April '04. I liked having the engine on a little early so I could move the fuselage around easier. The plane would not balance on the gear without the engine on. The engine was not long term pickled. I left the oil in it and short term sealed until about December, when I opened it up for the carb and other accesories. It suffered no ill effects.

Roberta
 
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Greg,
Part of this decision relates to your finances. I'm a hand to mouth guy, financially. I realized that buying the engine would be the hardest part of my 8A project financially. I know of other local builders who purchased an engine (or rebuilt one) 2 years before they finished.
You need the engine on to do the baffles, cowl and all the FWF stuff. I didn't want to commit myself to a loan to buy an engine when it might be out of warranty before I ever flew it. Being a cheapskate and a scrounger, I decided to cobble together a "dummy" engine out of red tagged parts. I got a all the various parts from friends and local FBOs for little or nothing. (mostly nothing) This will allow me to continue with the FWF stuff without going farther into debt. I plan to order an ECI kit engine about 3 months before I finish the project. I can then assemble it and swap it out for the dummy engine.
Just an idea and worth what you paid for it.
Charlie Kuss
 
william weesner said:
2 you dont want it to sit around to awful long for corrosion on the cam and such..
Click to expand...

Of course, this all depends on where it's stored. I'm in the dryer and usually low humidity area of Utah.

My engine was six years old (now older), and had been pickled by Lycoming (good for six months). I had two A&P's over for a wrist pin AD. We pulled all cylinders, and looked through the guts of the engine. It looked brand new, as though it just came off the assembly line.

The upside, is that it was about $6000.00 less than today, and old enough to avoid any crankshaft problems.

Yet, in hindsight, if it was going to be a year down the line, before needing it, I'd probably wait.

L.Adamson RV6A
 
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