Van's engine wait times.

[ddj232]

In the market for a Lycoming IO-360MIB. Spoke with Vans recently and they were saying 24 months lead time....ouch... but at the speed I am building probably realistic. Talked with them today and now they are saying it's more like the end of 2026 which is like 27 months. As we all know the prices continue to escalate and I need to pull the trigger on an engine. My question to the collective: Is there any "horse trading" happening amongst the group on engine slot positions? As per Van's, if this happens its totally outside of Van's and between builders which I understand. Has there been situations where someone has an engine ordered and getting close to delivery but is not ready for it yet and swaps with someone that has an engine on order that is still months/years out but ready for it sooner? Seems like this might be somewhat of a common practice but thought I'd throw the query out there.
Appreciated,

Don Johnson

 

[skelrad]

Are you set on getting an engine from Van's? I was in the same boat about a year and a half ago and ultimately went the way of the Titan (IO-340 vs IO-320 from Van's). The lead time was less (I actually delayed the engine build because they were ready faster than I was) and the price ended up being better, with the added horsepower as the cherry on top. Maybe their lead times are just as long now, but something to look into. They have an X370 engine to fill the 360 need.

 

[squeakersc063]

Dunno if they're doing position trades right now but for some perspective, I ordered Aug 2022 and my most recent update says expect Aug 2025 delivery.

 

[ddj232]

Are you set on getting an engine from Van's? I was in the same boat about a year and a half ago and ultimately went the way of the Titan (IO-340 vs IO-320 from Van's). The lead time was less (I actually delayed the engine build because they were ready faster than I was) and the price ended up being better, with the added horsepower as the cherry on top. Maybe their lead times are just as long now, but something to look into. They have an X370 engine to fill the 360 need.

Thanks for the reply Brandon, I have a few other options from Barrett and Aero Sports for builds, both more expensive.

 

[ddj232]

Dunno if they're doing position trades right now but for some perspective, I ordered Aug 2022 and my most recent update says expect Aug 2025 delivery.

Wow, that’s 3 years….. curious what you were told for a lead time when you ordered? Which engine did you order?
Appreciate the reply, though not what I wanted to hear.

 

[squeakersc063]

Wow, that’s 3 years….. curious what you were told for a lead time when you ordered? Which engine did you order?
Appreciate the reply, though not what I wanted to hear.

I ordered an EXP-119 thunderbolt when the difference in price was about 4k from a regular one. The lead time when I ordered was 18 months so I had expected to get my engine in April of this year. Unfortunately, due to the bankruptcy they changed my price and I'm paying around 7 or 8k over what I initially was invoiced for. As I understand it, I'm still eligible for more price increases between now and when they manufacture it. I was not allowed to change my order into a non-thunderbolt without sacrificing my deposit.