I Want My Own Bird

if the above got double posted... I apologize.. Problems with
Netscrape.. My story and I'm stickin to it.

Dave

Dave S wrote:

Yea... those overhaul costs just totally suck.. I'm rebuilding the first
of 3 Mazda rotary 13B engine cores I obtained for $700 batch cost. I've
spent maybe $500 in tools that I didn't already possess.. The first
engine has minimal wear (I've mic'd all the clearances) and all the
major components will be reuseable. I'm expecting an outlay of maybe
$1000 for new seals, gaskets, seal springs, oil pump chain... Another
$1000 for the ECU.. another $1000 for engine monitoring equipement. The
the radiators, peripherals and such should run under $1000 (no vacuum
needed, dual alt bird).. Another $3,000 for the gearbox/psru.

So.. my initial cost is going to be $7500 or so... and when rebuild time
comes again (whenever that may be... As long as compressions and temps
are good, keep on running...) I will have to spring for another $1000 in
springs/seals/gaskets.. Or start working on one of the other two
engines.. Oh yea... maybe $2,000 or less for the turbo assembly and
wastegate to mildly charge/normalize the engine, so that we get 200-250
hp max up to altitude.

Yea.. those engine rebuild costs just eat your lunch.
Dave (putting on asbestos suit)



Seriously, homebuilts aren't for everyone, and neither are
auto-conversions. Unless you are prepared to spend the time, money and
RISK troubleshooting a truly custom powerplant its best to stick with
tried and true. I would not even be attempting this if it were not for
the large base of knowledge and experience I've been able to tap in some
other venues with regards to this venture. I'm learning every day. But
when its over with, I am hoping to realize economies and performance on
a scale that would not be possible with the certified air cooled engines.


Newps wrote:




Engine overhaul. An overhauled O-360 will cost close to $20k
installed, with a TBO of 2000 hrs, so this is $10/hr. Even if you do
not save an overhaul resever, your plane will depreciate at roughly
half this value ($5/hr) because of the increased engine time.



And this is where you see a large difference for you Lyc boys. Lyc
prices are ridiculous. I can have my O-470 overhauled and reinstalled
for closer to $15K. I will be turning my 470 into a 520 and it will
still be less than $20K installed.