Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

[larrysmith1016]

We paid $80 apiece for lifter bodies and now are having to pay a goshawful price for a rear case and oil pump.

You can rebuild an O-200 cheaper than you can an A-65. Have you priced the Millenium jugs from Superior for the A-65 lately?

A lady recently called me from Aircraft Specialties in Tulsa and said she'd sell new O-200/O-300 (also for C-85 and C-75 and C-90) cylinders for $629 apiece. You can't rebuild 'em for that. They come with pistons from Brazil and valves from Italy, new piston pins, and except for rocker arms (which are cheap and cheap to rebuild) they are ready to install. I can't remember if they had rocker shafts, but I think they did.

A year ago I bought 6 from Superior for an O-300 at $750 apiece.

I love an O-200 too. They make plenty of power and last and last --- bottom end, that is, after you've helicoiled the studs. Jugs will last 600-700 hours, which is nothing to hiss at.

Bye. I'm going back to haunt the hangar.

I may just fly my '46 BC12D, which somebody offered me 8k for the other day, wrote it out on his A&P business card, said he didn't want to insult me or make me mad. I scowled and asked him, "What the hell do you think you're doing offering me such an outrageous high sum for my humble little T-Craft?"

(whispering) I didn't have the courage to tell him I had more than that in that little A-65-8F

[jgerard]

Re: Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

I guess that makes my project BC12D that I have listed for sale with 50 SMOH on the A65 a great deal at $10k. Maybe I should raise my asking price?

[Armstrong]

Re: Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

They got you by the you know what when it comes to aircraft/engine parts.
All the regs to keep the parts safe and then the liability costs, drive parts up to outrageous prices.
I am not an A+P( will get it soon though), but have worked on G/A airplanes for a living, and all the Regs and resrictions on parts manufacturing to make parts safer have actually made airplanes less safe IMHO.
I have worked at a few flight schools, and it is a daily thing to let bad parts slide or cobble up something, because the school would go out of business if you replaced parts as they should be replaced.
I used to joke that my 65 VW bug was much better kept than any of the airplanes that we worked on. A quality stock set of 4 cylinders/pistons/rings and pins for the bug could be bought for $99 and would easily last 100,000 miles.

[Tom G]

Re: Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

The 0-200 is in the new Taylorcraft sport and I would imagine would be an ideal performer in the BC12D. My 65 is a long way from overhaul (hopefully) but does anyone know what would be involved in swapping out the A65 for an 0-200?

[flyer1]

Re: Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

Tom,

I am in the process of changing out my 65 for a 200. It is a pain inthe but.
1. Harer STC.
2. Get that done less hanging the 85.
3. Have FSDO come out to inspect and confirm it conforms to the Model 19 type certificate.
4. Apply for a type cert. change.
5. Wait months.
6. Get the new type cert.
7. hang 0200.
8. Have FSDO inspect all along the way and at end.
9. Cost about 25,000.

Mike

[NC95842]

Re: Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

1. Wait till the owner maint. category comes into effect.
2. hang an O-200 that you trust.

[Len Petterson]

Re: Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

Go experimental!
Do the Harar STC.
Widen the fuselage 4 " by adding a wood frame to close the door aginst.
Hang a O200.
I understand the owner maintinece category is "dead" here in Canada.
Aircrafts in it are in it and will stay there but no new aircrafts type can be added as the International communety does not accept the rules layd down for it. "Read FAA and Icoa". Maybe in the future if EAA can lay down some different ground rules more acceptable too FAA.
Len
"Sence when have little brother being able to big brother what to do".(;f

[taylorcraftbc65]

Re: Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

I agree with Len, when I need to, I will break Manu Sina out of the utility catagory, set it up as an experimental, and go hang the motor.

[Dusty]

Re: Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

Not to completely hijack the thread, but....

Go experimental!

How? Has anyone done this? I proposed doing just this to my local FAA (I wanted to hang an 0-290 on a Tcart); they told me to drop dead. I think it's much more complicated than saying "I don't want to play any more" and going flying by your own rules - maybe it's impossible. It's still a dream of mine. Anyone successfully done it (recently)? If so, how?

[jgerard]

Re: Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

You might be able to get an exhibition experimental airworthiness certificate, but that class has a lot more limitations than amateur built experimental. Look it up in the regs. All the info is there. NO WAY to get amateur built status without actually building 51% of the aircraft yourself and even then its going to take an act of god to convince the FAA to give you and experimental certificate. Been there, tried that

[Tom G]

Re: Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

Wow! I think I 'll just leave it as its been for the past 60 years!!!

[N96337]

Re: Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

I talked to our local inspector about this, as I'm going to do just that with mine. It can't be a "Taylorcraft" anymore, and you have to prove you have built over 51%, but other than that, they didn't think it would be a big deal. The way they're looking at it is that it's not that far away from airplanes like the Volmer Sportsman, that used parts of certified aircraft, or from replicas, that are copies of certified aircraft. That being said, they told me the thing that was going to save me was the amount of mods I wanted to do and changes to basic type design... meaning wing, fuselage, landing gear, and engine mods. I guess it would be interesting to see what other FSDO's say about this... I'll definately be "building" well over 51% of mine, and am documenting it with photos from step one. From what our guys said, the ones that they wont even consider are the ones that want to do one or two mods, like a leading edge cuff and a big engine, or any mods that have been approved before.
JH

[Dusty]

Re: Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

jgerard: I think you're correct. I should have said amateur built experimental. I really believe that what I proposed was well over 50% (new gear, engine, prop,tailwheel,etc.) but I couldn't check 1/2 the checkboxes on 8000-38. Does cutting the old gear tabs off and welding new on mean you fabricated a fuselage? Some must say it does. It was obvious that the guy was never going to sign off for me - he just thought what I was doing was a bad idea, and didn't seem to mind that I wasn't really there for his evaluation of my idea, but for his rubber stamp.

I'd really like to hear from someone who's actually accomplished this, not who's planning to (I was planning to!). I see on the Aeronca site where a guy can't get an alternator field approved - I want a new set of rules!

[lktiller]

Re: Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

sad note about going experimental is you'll have to send your original dataplate to the FAA and PERMANENTLY retire that aircraft as a Taylorcraft. Includes the engine dataplate.

[taylorcraftbc65]

Re: Continental A-65 Parts Getting Out of Sight

There was an article in one of the magazines about someone who built a Taylorcraft from the ground up, to go with the one that he already had. He called it a replica, and it was registered as an experimental. It was a recent magazine, I think one from the EAA, I read it last month at an FBO that I stopped at.
In order to do the conversion properly, I'm told that the cowl tank would be removed, and replaced with a pair of wing tanks. That would require a recover. The engine mount would have to be shorter, and there would be changes to the fueslage, and landing gear. All in all, you would qualify for the 51% requirement.
I have less than 100 hours on completely rebuilt engine and airframe, so it will be a while till I need it. But when I need to major the engine, it will be time to recover any way, so why not.