IA needed for prebuy annual near Minneapolis

A place to relax and discuss flying topics.

Moderators: GAHorn, Karl Towle, Bruce Fenstermacher

Post Reply
Texas3Tracks
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 2:35 pm

IA needed for prebuy annual near Minneapolis

Post by Texas3Tracks »

Greetings,

I am new to TIC170A, but have been looking for a 170A for a while. Found what seems to be a good prospect with nothing glaringly spooky in the logs except inactivity over the past few years. The owner lost his medical a few years ago and the airplane has been resting in his hanger with an occasional startup and/or pull through to keep things limber. He had an extensive annual performed this past June to bring everything current. All AD's are compliant, and according to the logs, a borescope exam of all the cylinders looked good with compressions 5x76/80 and a 74/80.

As soon as Polar Vortex Round One moves on, it looks like I will be heading north with a good friend and very experienced CAF aircraft guru to take a closer look inside and out as well as take a test flight. I have arranged access to a heated hanger/shop with equipment and tools to do our own preliminary pre-purchase exam, compression checks, gear inspections, oil analysis, etc. We will look at everything we can, but I plan to follow some sound forum advice and would like to have a 170 savvy IA identified to conduct a vigorous annual prior to completing the deal if everything looks ok to us. This will likely be my only aircraft purchase and I want to get it right. The plane is located at Eden Prairie, MN; near Minneapolis. If any of you folks up in the cold north country might know of a good IA reasonably close by, please let me know. (And if any of you know of a nice 170A for sale closer to sunny Texas - please let me know about that as well...)

The wealth of information in this association and on this forum is absolutely amazing; I have learned a tremendous amount pouring through the posts and have gotten some great advice from some of you via pm already. Thanks in advance for any assistance in helping me locate a good IA; and if you might be close enough to drop in for a peek and let me know how she looks to you, that would be most graciously welcomed as well.

Many thanks...

Mike

Mike Payne
Lake Conroe, Texas
User avatar
170C
Posts: 3182
Joined: Tue May 06, 2003 11:59 am

Re: IA needed for prebuy annual near Minneapolis

Post by 170C »

Mike, welcome to the C-170 Assn. It appears you are approaching the purchase of your 170 in a sound manner. I think you will get some suggestions from some of our members up in the MN area who can assist you with your pre-buy. If you have not done so you might want to read the article that Mike Bush wrote in the most recent EAA Sport Aviation magazine. He goes into some detail about what he believes one should be looking for on pre-buys. Good luck with your search and be sure to let us know how it goes.

Frank Stephenson
Murfreesboro, TN
OLE POKEY
170C
Director:
2012-2018
User avatar
Kyle Wolfe
Posts: 707
Joined: Mon Mar 17, 2003 12:30 am

Re: IA needed for prebuy annual near Minneapolis

Post by Kyle Wolfe »

Mike
I'm an hour south of Eden prairie. Give me a call and I can provide u with a few names.

Kyle
Call my cell five oh 7 - 339 - two 309.
Kyle
54 B N1932C
57 BMW Isetta
Best original 170B - Dearborn, MI 2005
flyboy122
Posts: 324
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2014 2:30 am

Re: IA needed for prebuy annual near Minneapolis

Post by flyboy122 »

Mike,

I bought a sitter. Plane was great but the engine was junk. Oh it made great compression, ran fine, and I even flew it uneventfully home. But everything inside was suffering from corrosion. I knew the cylinders and cam were bad ahead of time, and paid accordingly, but what surprised me was how bad the rest of the engine was. Piston pins all had little pits. Rocker shafts, stepped and scored...which means bushes were junk as well. Cam gear, pitted. Even one of the idler gears was pitted. I ended up having to replace a lot more parts than a normal overhaul. I had budgeted for the worst, so I moneywise I came out fine, but thank goodness I did. Most of this you'd never find on even a fairly invasive pre-buy. If it's been sitting, you may want to consider having them pull a cylinder.

I'm not trying to talk you out of the plane. It's ok to hope for the best, just be sure to budget for the worst.

DEM

PS - Kyle saw your signature....don't suppose you know where a good Isetta project is? I've decided I can't die until I own one of those too.
jrhoa2
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2014 4:43 am

Re: IA needed for prebuy annual near Minneapolis

Post by jrhoa2 »

If Kyle's leads do not work out, I know of an IA just south of there (KFBL) that works for $40 an hour, I think. PM me if you are interested in his contact info.
James
5729E '59 150TD "BarFly"
Texas3Tracks
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 2:35 pm

Re: IA needed for prebuy annual near Minneapolis

Post by Texas3Tracks »

Thanks so much for the kind welcome, contacts, words of wisdom and shared personal experience. Things seem to work out as they should; when I called the owner to coordinate the details of a visit and inspection, another prospective buyer from N Dakota was a step ahead of my time line. I have not heard back, so I imagine that deal is progressing.

While this aircraft may have been a good deal, it may also have been laced with pitfalls. It makes perfect sense that just because a cylinder scope is uneventful, there may be other issues lurking unseen; even though the owner regularly pulled the engine through. It is not like regular flight by any stretch.

I am patient and will keep my eyes open for the right aircraft; hopefully closer to home. I also know I may need to stretch my budget to get the right plane. Out of curiosity, are any of you familiar with Walter Buerger's 170A N9774A? He passed a few months ago and his wife Francis and I have been visiting about his plane. He had been ill for a while, but they were apparently proud members of TIC170A and active in the Texas area. By all accounts, he really pampered his 170.

Thanks again for everyone's advice and offers of assistance and hospitality. Kyle, you never know what might drag up on your doorstep...

On the lookout,

Mike
User avatar
170C
Posts: 3182
Joined: Tue May 06, 2003 11:59 am

Re: IA needed for prebuy annual near Minneapolis

Post by 170C »

Mike, Walter and Francis Buerger have been association members for many years and have been dear friends of many of us. My first meeting with Walter came when he rescued my friend and I when a thunderstorm forced us to land and spend the night in Stamford, TX many years ago. Walter was a find Texas gentleman and always willing to help anyone in need. While I have seen Walter's 170 on many occasions, I can't attest to its condition. However if you are looking to do a pre-buy on his plane I am confident you can find a mechanic in the area (Abilene, Haskell, etc) to assist you.

Some mention was made about a dormant aircraft engine being "pulled through" every so often or starting the engine every now and then. I have been told for many years that either or both of those procedures is a bad thing to do. Pulling the prop through can remove any oil film from the cylinder walls resulting in pitting or rusting of the cylinders. This would be especially true for steel vs chrome cylinders. Starting the engine for a few minutes will cause condensation to get into the oil and form acids which can cause corrosion in the oil sump. Better for the engine to just sit rather than have either of these procedures preformed. Others may have more input on this .
OLE POKEY
170C
Director:
2012-2018
User avatar
wingnut
Posts: 988
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 7:58 pm

Re: IA needed for prebuy annual near Minneapolis

Post by wingnut »

Aryana wrote:Yep, don't turn the prop or start the engine unless you are willing to get it up in the air and up to 180F for at least 10 min.
Agreed.
I'm not an engine guy, but if its not going to be flown, it needs to be left alone. Or properly pickled.
Del Lehmann
Mena, Arkansas
Post Reply