Restoration cost - rough idea?

[sourdough44]

No matter what you buy, there will be issues, and bringing it ‘up to snuff’.


A number of years ago I listed a low hour Warrior. One ‘tire kicker’ told me he could buy a similar aircraft for cheaper. I told him, go do it. With aircraft, much more than vehicles, conditions matter. One may get tangled up with the ‘barn find’, where restoration greatly exceeds the value.
One could easily have planes of the same year, 10’s of thousands apart in value.

 

[Initial Fix]

I have been updating? or restoring parts of this plane for 5 years now all the while keeping it airworthy so I can keep flying it with a few days here and there when it is down. Usually I do it when foul weather is forecasted.

I would call that maintenance. Just keep at it.

In my old plane, we found fuel lines that were original to the plane that were over 60 years old You just need to keep at it over the years.

 

[Gary Ward]

I would call that maintenance. Just keep at it.

In my old plane, we found fuel lines that were original to the plane that were over 60 years old You just need to keep at it over the years.

Yea maintenance was the word I was looking for. Thanks

 

[jbarrass]

Every plane I've owned has been a project, and it's been great. The key me thinks is to start out with a straight airframe without significant corrosion, those make it to hard to rehabilitate.

As to the semantics, I think restoration is not really the idea here, I think that's reserved for bringing a classic back to like new status. Rehabilitation is the word I'd use.

For me it was a labor of love. "Labor" being a foundational word. A plane that's been on the ramp too long with faded paint can be made much better with cleaning, rubbing compound, and wax. cheap, but seriously hard work. Or a plane coming off a lease back with a ton of abuse, much of which can be repaired by a good owner. Massive cleaning, all new Scat tubing, will make it look better. Learn the difference between LPS 1, 2, and 3.

Do you have a relationship with a good A&P? or willing to build one? Do you have a hangar? Do you like that kind of thing? If you do, it'll be great, if not, life will suck. In some ways it's like building an EAB.

Flying projects are way better than non-flying projects.

Planes often have surprises built in. It can be fun.....or not.

 

[Dan Thomas]

Thank you for sharing your expertise. I think I was looking at the wrong side when trying to inspect for door post cracks. Inspection needs to be done when the airframe reaches 4000 hrs I believe?

I think a section of the floor has to be cut out to inspect that area and for the kit to be installed?

That's the forward doorpost you're looking at. It carries the loads from the wing struts. The one in the drawing is the aft doorpost. It joins to the main landing gear box's rear bulkhead.

 

[Dan Thomas]

Learn the difference between LPS 1, 2, and 3.

Even better: Look in the service manual for the airplane and use the recommended lubricants, in the recommended way. LPS not only goes gummy after a while and no longer lubricates, it also gets sprayed on stuff it needs to avoid. I've had to take electric flap actuators out and spend hours cleaning them out; most are a recirculating-ball screw mechanism, and gummed-up lube stops the balls and can gall up the screw. Spray lubes also get into the travel limit microswitches, and sooner or later the flaps go dead. Flaps that won't retract on a 150 in an overshoot could kill you.