New Member & Purchase Question

[tomcomet]

Hello everyone. I am a brand new member and in the process of purchasing (hopefully) a 1977 F337G Reims build Skymaster up here in Canada. Everything was looking great until the pre purchase inspection yesterday when my AME discovered some pitting and signs of corrosion on the insides of the cylinder walls. The rear engine was worse than the front. Yikes!

This is a very low time SM with just over 1400 TTSN and very little flying time in the past 15 years. It has the original Rolls-Royce Continental IO-360-G engines so I was expecting to see some issues there BUT I was also hoping to squeak a few more years out before overhaul and then do them one at a time.

The rest of the plane is in amazing shape. 2 owners and logs back to day one. I guess I am just looking for opinions from some folks with real world experience flying the SM. Also, overhaul experiences and current rates. Yes, I have searched the site and read what is out there but some of the posts are pretty old now. Has anyone redone their engines lately? Cost?? How about corrosion issues and input there?

Any and all knowledge is greatly appreciated. I still hope to own a Skymaster one day. Just not sure now if this is the ONE for me...

[rmorris]

if you read my posts on the tpic, they ar a few months old...so pretty recent info. but to summarize:
My engines are TSIO-360AB (turbo), so costs will be a about 5Kish more than normally aspirated, assuming you do turbos at same time as rest of engine which is normal

You mention pitting, but what are the compressions? If compressions are still good, then maybe you can squeak out some time from them...also check closely for large chunks of metal in oil.

Total hours on the plane or engines is less important to how much they are flown...a plane with low hours that just sits will have more need for overhaul earlier than a high time engine which is flown often.

on costs...just did mine, and had almost everything go wrong that could go wrong...total with labor and parts to get off, overhaul all, and accessories, and put back on - just under $50K

factory reman costs were going to be around 38K, but they did not include turbo. so I went with third party (and was very happy with their service). In hindsight, I would have done the reman, because supposedly they do not reject a running engine core for any reason. By using third party, I had a number of high cost rejected items, like the crankshaft.

I would also recommend going with all new cylinders, camshaft, crankshaft if this is first overhaul in many years. it will give more peace of mind.

my guess is that you are looking (USD$) at around 40K per engine all in, but might be as low as 30K depending on the route you take...

[tomcomet]

Originally Posted by rmorris

You mention pitting, but what are the compressions? If compressions are still good, then maybe you can squeak out some time from them...also check closely for large chunks of metal in oil.

Compressions is good all around and so far no signs of debris in the oil. AME concerned due to low recent flight hours. He says as soon as the engines start being used more regularly they could start to eat themselves up quickly...

[rmorris]

with engine time since overhaul is so high (in number of years), negotiate as if they are full overhaul immediately
then once you have them, fly it like you own it...just keep close watch on compressions and oil at each change.

[kilr4d]

Originally Posted by rmorris

with engine time since overhaul is so high (in number of years), negotiate as if they are full overhaul immediately
then once you have them, fly it like you own it...just keep close watch on compressions and oil at each change.

Agreed. Sit down with the seller and discuss the borescope pictures. If he won't deal then you have to walk.

If you do end up owning it, fly it hard and fast for 10 hours then dump the oil and do another borescope.

[tomcomet]

Originally Posted by kilr4d

Agreed. Sit down with the seller and discuss the borescope pictures. If he won't deal then you have to walk.

If you do end up owning it, fly it hard and fast for 10 hours then dump the oil and do another borescope.

So you are telling me this kind of thing can"go away"...?

[kilr4d]

Originally Posted by tomcomet

Hello everyone. I am a brand new member and in the process of purchasing (hopefully) a 1977 F337G Reims build Skymaster up here in Canada.

Which one is it and who is your AME?

Originally Posted by tomcomet

Compressions is good all around and so far no signs of debris in the oil. AME concerned due to low recent flight hours. He says as soon as the engines start being used more regularly they could start to eat themselves up quickly...

That's always a REALLY tough call. Those engines can clean up right after 10 hours or they can start making metal. It's a crapshoot.

[JamesC]

I remember years ago I was getting quotes for insurance on a Reims 337. The insurance company Magnes under COPA would not insure me for a Reims 337, but no problem for a Cessna 337. I left it at that and bought a Cessna. You might want to look into insurance before you buy. Just a thought.

[tomcomet]

Originally Posted by JamesC

I remember years ago I was getting quotes for insurance on a Reims 337. The insurance company Magnes under COPA would not insure me for a Reims 337, but no problem for a Cessna 337. I left it at that and bought a Cessna. You might want to look into insurance before you buy. Just a thought.

I appreciate that bit of information. I too was very concerned about the insurance aspect so it was one of the very first things I got locked in. I have a very competitive quote from Global Aerospace and plan to move forward with them.

You must find a way or make one!
-hannibal

[kilr4d]

Originally Posted by tomcomet

...I plan to move forward...

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[kilr4d]

Originally Posted by kilr4d

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I'd like to change my vote.

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