1967 7KCAB Project on Ebay

Cowboys Air Ranch 84ME

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Morning,

Anyone know about this "7KCAB Project" on Ebay listed today?

eBay item number:
275054899932

Looks like a lot of work has been done, but a ton of work still needs finishing.

Any input?

Ken "COWBOY" Winiarski
Cowboys Air Ranch (84ME)
 
EBay is strange - folks often offer things at triple their market value, and once in a while folks bite.

$72 grand should get a well-equipped, drop-dead gorgeous 7KCAB with recent zero time engine or factory reman, new interior and really good avionics. Maybe I am out of touch with prices lately?
 
i would be approach everything there with extreme skepticism. a zero time field overhauled engine that has been sitting for twenty years has a name, it's called "core"! lol wood spar wings with fabric that keeps you from really inspecting them, fabric by someone that didn't finish it, it's a box of red flags for a price that is three or four times what it should be.
 
That plane (project) is listed on Barnstormers for $19,500.

That's a bit more reasonable.

I don't think it is necessarily a hard pass, if you have the skills and circumstances to finish it right and manage the sign-off process. Borescope the engine to look for evidence of corrosion, and pull out the interior and floorboards to get a close look at the fuselage tubes. Plan on a pre-emptive tear down and IRAN on the engine, and cut a bunch of inspection holes in the wing to really give the spar a close look.

Someone needs to go to the effort to get this one flying again. Plane Lives Matter.
 
Agree. $20 grand is about right for an undamaged Citabria or Decathlon disassembled, assuming title is clear and no pieces are missing. Not sure having new stuff or overhaul makes that much difference unless the overhaul was done by a serious engine shop.
 
if the engine is sound, what is the additional cost to make an overhaul of an IRAN? overhaul resets the clock, IRAN leaves the original overhaul date in the books. just wondering
 
IRAN unless I’m wrong, this can be as little as a new set of gaskets assuming nothing is found out of service limits. So your out gasket set and labor. As for a overhaul there is a required list of items to be replaced with new, even then you have a field overhaul, not a zero time motor. I did a major overhaul on my Warrior with all new cylinders kits from Lycoming, new cam, new crankshaft (that’s a story in itself) all new bearings but not new accessories other than sure fly mag. Still I had about $12.000 or so in materials without labor. That included all the machine shop parts for serviceable tags. Still I carry total time and TSMO in logs.

Hope that answered your question.
 
Agree. Only the factory authorized rebuilders can “reset the clock.” This one would most likely be ok, unless rusty, but still one might want to look.

And to call it an overhaul, I believe you need a test cell.
 
I was under the impression only the factory can re-zero-time an engine. What I was asking about was what is the practical difference between an IRAN and getting it back to 0 SMOH because even with the IRAN the overhaul date is technically twenty years ago which will make some people raise their nose like they smelled a fart.

I'll read your article Ed, thanks for posting it.
 
Except a knowledgable purchaser would see who did the IRAN, and then have the confidence that all was well as of that date.
Still, 20 is ok; 80 is for the sucker born every minute.
 
I was under the impression only the factory can re-zero-time an engine.

Depends on what you mean by "zero time".

An engine rebuilt by the factory comes with a new, blank logbook.

An engine overhauled by the factory or someone else comes with a log entry in the existing logbook.

The distinction between rebuilt and overhauled is in the specifications met, and is described well in the AOPA article link I posted.

Both are "zero time", from the standpoint that the next overhaul is due in 2000 hours, or whatever the limit is. Except that a factory rebuilt or overhauled engine automatically gets a 200 hour extension to TBO, while field overhauls have to EARN it.
:DC:


frem.JPG
 
You do know that, for us, TBO is not mandatory. These engines, if flown regularly, often go to 4000 hrs. Let them sit and you will be lucky to get a thousand.
 
For commercial operators, as well as TBO Lycoming specifies not to exceed 12 years between overhauls. Would an IRAN satisfy that requirement?
 
That's the thing Joe, some people will quote the years-since-overhaul and an IRAN wouldn't change when the overhaul was done. It's fine if you don't plan to sell the plane but it's just another detail to explain if/when you sell it. I was just curious about the TSMO vs. IRAN difference, I'm not a nit picker when it comes to TBO issues.
 
Hey Bart, this is a great discussion! On the FB group we would have to wade thru 75 posts of snark to find the responses worth reading. Here we can progress as a group towards a common understanding of relevant issues.

I suspect we would need to talk to someone who runs an engine shop to get a definitive answer on the differences between IRAN and OH. I'll bet Lycoming has published specific procedures for engines which are timed out with low hours.

The article I posted does provide the regulatory definition of OH, which is useful. From a non-commercial purchaser viewpoint, I would consider an IRAN of a zero hours engine by a quality shop to be equivalent to an OH. Both processes result in an engine that meets specifications; the difference is in what actions are taken to get to those specifications. At least that is my supposition.
 
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