Been discussing this in several forums, but thought this would be a good place to consolidate photos and track progress.
Short history of the aircraft: it was bought new in 1978 and owned for 40 years by the same owner, a retired air force officer in Petaluma, California. It apparently sat unused and out of annual for the last 4 years of that, probably due to declining health of the owner. In 2019 it was sold to a broker in Idaho, and then acquired by another broker in Florida in a trade for a multi. I bought it from the broker in July 2020.
I knew from the history of the aircraft that it would need an engine rebuild. The deterioration of aircraft with that usage pattern is fairly predictable. Pits form on the lifters while it sits. Once it starts running again, it runs fine for a while, as the pits gradually enlargen and start to wear away the cam. Once one of the cam lobes breaks through the hardened surface layer, it starts making ferrous metal and wear accelerates. As the lobe flattens, the valves for that cylinder open less and reduced power is noted. This whole process generally takes 100-200 hours according to experienced mechanics.
I got about 225 hours before the metal started in earnest. This expectation was priced into my purchase, so I was not surprised.
The aircraft also has wood wings and the original cover. The wood wings don't bother me. They have been closely inspected and I have flown the aircraft to 5G routinely without issue.
The original cover is a different story. Original fabric hides original frames with 44 year old primer. The parts of the frame that I could see looked pretty good. But there is a lot of the frame that cannot be seen, especially the outer edges of the frame where the cover abrades and moisture collects. Original fabric also hides original wood, and my wood formers were visibly warped. I knew that it really needed to be recovered. But I did not want a project. I wanted to fly.
I achieved a personal goal by winning my category at Sebring IAC contest last month. I flew home and decided that I had flown my last flight with the existing engine. Over the next 2 weeks I pulled the engine and took it to JB Engines in Sebring for a field overhaul to new limits.
At that point I became very uncomfortable with the idea of hanging a new engine on that 44 year old airframe. I knew I needed to inspect the frame, make necessary repairs, and recover, regardless of how nice the fabric and visible frame looked. If I put the new engine on, I would either be taking it off again in a year or two to recover, or selling it to someone else who would.
After a week of dithering, about 2 weeks ago I made the decision to do a bare frame restoration of the fuselage while the engine is off for overhaul.
For starters, here are some picks of the airplane in happier times.
Short history of the aircraft: it was bought new in 1978 and owned for 40 years by the same owner, a retired air force officer in Petaluma, California. It apparently sat unused and out of annual for the last 4 years of that, probably due to declining health of the owner. In 2019 it was sold to a broker in Idaho, and then acquired by another broker in Florida in a trade for a multi. I bought it from the broker in July 2020.
I knew from the history of the aircraft that it would need an engine rebuild. The deterioration of aircraft with that usage pattern is fairly predictable. Pits form on the lifters while it sits. Once it starts running again, it runs fine for a while, as the pits gradually enlargen and start to wear away the cam. Once one of the cam lobes breaks through the hardened surface layer, it starts making ferrous metal and wear accelerates. As the lobe flattens, the valves for that cylinder open less and reduced power is noted. This whole process generally takes 100-200 hours according to experienced mechanics.
I got about 225 hours before the metal started in earnest. This expectation was priced into my purchase, so I was not surprised.
The aircraft also has wood wings and the original cover. The wood wings don't bother me. They have been closely inspected and I have flown the aircraft to 5G routinely without issue.
The original cover is a different story. Original fabric hides original frames with 44 year old primer. The parts of the frame that I could see looked pretty good. But there is a lot of the frame that cannot be seen, especially the outer edges of the frame where the cover abrades and moisture collects. Original fabric also hides original wood, and my wood formers were visibly warped. I knew that it really needed to be recovered. But I did not want a project. I wanted to fly.
I achieved a personal goal by winning my category at Sebring IAC contest last month. I flew home and decided that I had flown my last flight with the existing engine. Over the next 2 weeks I pulled the engine and took it to JB Engines in Sebring for a field overhaul to new limits.
At that point I became very uncomfortable with the idea of hanging a new engine on that 44 year old airframe. I knew I needed to inspect the frame, make necessary repairs, and recover, regardless of how nice the fabric and visible frame looked. If I put the new engine on, I would either be taking it off again in a year or two to recover, or selling it to someone else who would.
After a week of dithering, about 2 weeks ago I made the decision to do a bare frame restoration of the fuselage while the engine is off for overhaul.
For starters, here are some picks of the airplane in happier times.
