Median cost vs. new engine, etc....
Jeremy,
Roberta is in the ball park with new stuff. I wanted a good cross-country machine when finished with the project. I went with a new zero-time ECI Titan, 0-320-D1A 160 HP engine custom built by Penn Yan Aero. The delivered cost of the engine with freight was just over $18k. Just the kit from Van's and the engine put me in the $35k range. I also bought a Hartzell constant-speed prop via Van's for maximum performance. Including everything from tools to avionics for a basic IFR panel, only one panel-mounted radio, real airspeed, vertical speed, and altimeter guages, NavAid wing leveler, EI fuel guage, GRT engine monitor, Dynon D-10A, Garmin AT SL-30 with OBS panel indicator, Garmin GPS-196, Garmin GTX-327 transponder, the GMA-340 audio panel, and a combo CD/Tape player -- I am currently around $72,200. Out of that, the tools amount to $4,430. Since I live in a condo with a one-car garage, painting the airplane myself is out of the question. I figure that could cost me another $4,000 or so.
The Dynon and the air-operated guages give me some redundant functions, but I figured what the heck! I also got a fuel flow sensor for the Grand Rapids Technology engine monitor. That gives me two fuel monitoring methods, not to mention using the flight time, etc.
You can see everthing I have done so far online at my web site at
www.n2prise.org to get the details. I am getting close to moving the project out of the garage and to the airport.
I have seen guys with full glass cockpit panels and they tip the scales toward $100k or more. Van's built some of their demo airplanes with engine monitors instead of all "steam gauges" to keep it simple, quick, and I presume lower in cost.
Jerry K. Thorne
RV-9A N2PZ