Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
Huh? I built my 'core' for $3,000 (just a hair over). I'll add another$1,000 for the 5th bearing. Can you get a new 0-235 for $4,000+? Oneadvantage to the Corvair is that a builder is capable of scrounging forparts, and doing almost everything himself, that he is comfortable with.Now, I'm no motorhead, and I'm certainly not a good scrounger, but I know ofthose who are both and building for even less. I don't know how this rumorgot started that the engine is so expensive...maybe because WW has said hewill build and engine for $6,000 (probably more now). Yes, the mods can addto that, but no one is required to use those mods. Stock oil coolers arejust fine for a Piet, and WW supplies shop drawings for those who want tomachine their own stuff.Heck, you want to be a purist and do as BHP did? Your probably around$1,200, but you won't get 100 hp.Gary BootheEnjoying the Kool-ade!-----Original Message-----
Pietenpol-List: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
RE: Pietenpol-List: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
You won't get a "new" corvair for $4,000. Maybe a rebuilt one, butcertainly not new. Chevrolet mercifully ended production of that anomoly in1969. They superceded it with the Vega. A worthy replacement.Jack PhillipsNX899JP "Icarus Plummet"Raleigh, NC-----Original Message-----
You won't get a "new" corvair for $4,000. Maybe a rebuilt one, butcertainly not new. Chevrolet mercifully ended production of that anomoly in1969. They superceded it with the Vega. A worthy replacement.Jack PhillipsNX899JP "Icarus Plummet"Raleigh, NC-----Original Message-----
Re: Pietenpol-List: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Original Posted By: Rick Holland
I'll probably have close to $8k in mine, but it is getting the royal treatment.Nothing super duper or flashy, but I am planning to do all of the things thatare recommended nowadays. So far I've got about $2k in the crank and heads(work by Moldex and Falcon), and I'm getting ready to send my case, crank, cam,connecting rods and accessory cover to Roy for 5th bearing, piston and connectingrod balancing, line boring the case, checking run out on my new cam, etc.He estimates around $5k of work, which includes some of the items I had plannedto purchase on my own (pistons, cam, etc.)... then I'll still need severalhundred worth of WW components to complete the task. But, I expect to havea very robust engine that will offer me years of service at minimal expense whenmaintenance is required. I mean, once all the heavy work is done, I'll bevisiting Napa and Summit for my service parts, right? Maybe I'll end up beingwrong, but from what I've read I expect that I'm on the right track with thisexperimental power plant. I've already got another suitable case and heads, and I've got leads on severalcores. I plan on riding the Corvair movement right into my next project, whateverit may be.Mark, in flat as a pancake Oklahoma. [Laughing]--------Mark ChouinardWings, Center Section and Empannage framed up - Working on FuselageRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:41:33 -0600Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
I'll probably have close to $8k in mine, but it is getting the royal treatment.Nothing super duper or flashy, but I am planning to do all of the things thatare recommended nowadays. So far I've got about $2k in the crank and heads(work by Moldex and Falcon), and I'm getting ready to send my case, crank, cam,connecting rods and accessory cover to Roy for 5th bearing, piston and connectingrod balancing, line boring the case, checking run out on my new cam, etc.He estimates around $5k of work, which includes some of the items I had plannedto purchase on my own (pistons, cam, etc.)... then I'll still need severalhundred worth of WW components to complete the task. But, I expect to havea very robust engine that will offer me years of service at minimal expense whenmaintenance is required. I mean, once all the heavy work is done, I'll bevisiting Napa and Summit for my service parts, right? Maybe I'll end up beingwrong, but from what I've read I expect that I'm on the right track with thisexperimental power plant. I've already got another suitable case and heads, and I've got leads on severalcores. I plan on riding the Corvair movement right into my next project, whateverit may be.Mark, in flat as a pancake Oklahoma. [Laughing]--------Mark ChouinardWings, Center Section and Empannage framed up - Working on FuselageRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:41:33 -0600Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Original Posted By: "Greg Cardinal"
Oh, I forgot to add... I don't give a rip what I spend on my engine. I'm doingthis for the fun and I chose the Corvair for a variety of reasons, not all ofwhich were based on cost. If I end up spending the same, or even a little moreas another engine, oh well, I'll still be flying.--------Mark ChouinardWings, Center Section and Empannage framed up - Working on FuselageRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... __________
Oh, I forgot to add... I don't give a rip what I spend on my engine. I'm doingthis for the fun and I chose the Corvair for a variety of reasons, not all ofwhich were based on cost. If I end up spending the same, or even a little moreas another engine, oh well, I'll still be flying.--------Mark ChouinardWings, Center Section and Empannage framed up - Working on FuselageRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... __________
Re: Pietenpol-List: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Original Posted By: Ryan Mueller
Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Original Posted By: "Clif Dawson"
Sounds good indeed!--------Mark ChouinardWings, Center Section and Empannage framed up - Working on FuselageRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... __________
Sounds good indeed!--------Mark ChouinardWings, Center Section and Empannage framed up - Working on FuselageRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... __________
Re: Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Original Posted By: Rick Holland
Reading through this thread (and my previous posts) again this morning and justwanted to clarify that I wasn't intending to sound snotty, just trying to pointout that while the discussion usually seems to revolve around money, not everyonemakes their decisions based purely on price. Yes, part of the reason Ichose to build and airplane, and part of the reason I chose the Corvair was basedupon economy, but it's not everything, and as I've progressed through myproject I've found that it doesn't make sense to skimp all the time. Being anew builder, I've not made enough contacts to scrounge effectively, so I'm payingfull price for most of my components, as many of us are. For example... Ididn't feel like going to the lumber yard and sifting through boards so thatI could come to the shop and rip hundreds of feet of strip, I also felt that sprucewas probably better (lighter and stronger) that what I could find aroundhere. I'm a big guy, so weight was a primary concern. Did I spend 300% morethan it would have cost for me to buy rough cut locally? Maybe 400%? I don'tknow, but whatever it was I was glad to avoid that chore. Anyhow... getting back to the point... which is, cost. When I first chose theCorvair it was indeed based somewhat on economy, and availability, and simplicity,and, well... I honestly can't remember what all I was thinking when I gotinto this project, but I haven't seen anything yet that has convinced me thatI made a bad engine choice. Has my original assessment in cost changed sinceI started this project? It has increased almost double... but it's still justas educational as it would have been at a lesser price. Maybe more so! I'mlearning that these things not only take longer than expected, they generallycost more too! Ha ha! Some might ask... if you aren't trying to skimp, why did you choose a car engineas opposed to one of the tried and true aviation engines? I suppose that'sa fair question, but my answer would simply be... because I wanted to. Plus,I don't believe I'm skimping. Just like any hobby, a person can spend as muchor as little as their interest dictates. Guns, Amateur Radio, R/C Airplanes,Astronomy... just a few of the interests that I've spent a hefty sum to be involvedin... but it's all relative... others have many times what I have invested,yet I still enjoy the hobby just the same. So, on and on I go, basically saying what others have said, which is that everythingisn't based on money. If it were a difference of many thousands of dollarsbetween my car engine and a suitable airplane engine, then I might considerdropping the idea, but given that it's literally a toss up at this point, andthe Corvair should be very reliable and economical during operation, I'm goingto press on. You know, I originally thought that I could complete this projectfor $10-$15,000... woops, I'm approaching that target already. I will likelyexceed $20k, but probably not by much. Yeah, I still have to budget forthe materials we need in order to keep pressing on, but it is what it is, andregardless of the expense, my family and I are having a ball. That's got to beworth something!--------Mark ChouinardWings, Center Section and Empannage framed up - Working on FuselageRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2011 09:37:35 -0600Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Reading through this thread (and my previous posts) again this morning and justwanted to clarify that I wasn't intending to sound snotty, just trying to pointout that while the discussion usually seems to revolve around money, not everyonemakes their decisions based purely on price. Yes, part of the reason Ichose to build and airplane, and part of the reason I chose the Corvair was basedupon economy, but it's not everything, and as I've progressed through myproject I've found that it doesn't make sense to skimp all the time. Being anew builder, I've not made enough contacts to scrounge effectively, so I'm payingfull price for most of my components, as many of us are. For example... Ididn't feel like going to the lumber yard and sifting through boards so thatI could come to the shop and rip hundreds of feet of strip, I also felt that sprucewas probably better (lighter and stronger) that what I could find aroundhere. I'm a big guy, so weight was a primary concern. Did I spend 300% morethan it would have cost for me to buy rough cut locally? Maybe 400%? I don'tknow, but whatever it was I was glad to avoid that chore. Anyhow... getting back to the point... which is, cost. When I first chose theCorvair it was indeed based somewhat on economy, and availability, and simplicity,and, well... I honestly can't remember what all I was thinking when I gotinto this project, but I haven't seen anything yet that has convinced me thatI made a bad engine choice. Has my original assessment in cost changed sinceI started this project? It has increased almost double... but it's still justas educational as it would have been at a lesser price. Maybe more so! I'mlearning that these things not only take longer than expected, they generallycost more too! Ha ha! Some might ask... if you aren't trying to skimp, why did you choose a car engineas opposed to one of the tried and true aviation engines? I suppose that'sa fair question, but my answer would simply be... because I wanted to. Plus,I don't believe I'm skimping. Just like any hobby, a person can spend as muchor as little as their interest dictates. Guns, Amateur Radio, R/C Airplanes,Astronomy... just a few of the interests that I've spent a hefty sum to be involvedin... but it's all relative... others have many times what I have invested,yet I still enjoy the hobby just the same. So, on and on I go, basically saying what others have said, which is that everythingisn't based on money. If it were a difference of many thousands of dollarsbetween my car engine and a suitable airplane engine, then I might considerdropping the idea, but given that it's literally a toss up at this point, andthe Corvair should be very reliable and economical during operation, I'm goingto press on. You know, I originally thought that I could complete this projectfor $10-$15,000... woops, I'm approaching that target already. I will likelyexceed $20k, but probably not by much. Yeah, I still have to budget forthe materials we need in order to keep pressing on, but it is what it is, andregardless of the expense, my family and I are having a ball. That's got to beworth something!--------Mark ChouinardWings, Center Section and Empannage framed up - Working on FuselageRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2011 09:37:35 -0600Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Re: Pietenpol-List: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Original Posted By: Rick Holland
Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Original Posted By: "K5YAC"
Hi, i have a question (relating to covering)...tried to do a search, but came upwith too many hits. I bought a piet that was built in 2004, and for the mostpart, the covering looks pretty good. except, on one wing, the tape is woreand almost every rib stitch is exposed. Not sure what to make of this, and whatmight cause that to happen. any input? thanks, james tRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ___Subject: Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Hi, i have a question (relating to covering)...tried to do a search, but came upwith too many hits. I bought a piet that was built in 2004, and for the mostpart, the covering looks pretty good. except, on one wing, the tape is woreand almost every rib stitch is exposed. Not sure what to make of this, and whatmight cause that to happen. any input? thanks, james tRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ___Subject: Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Original Posted By: Ben Charvet
Bill Church wrote:> Last time I checked, that was worth $6127.86.
> > BCCheapskate. I'll bet you sneak your own candy into the movies too. [Laughing]--------Mark ChouinardWings, Center Section and Empannage framed up - Working on FuselageRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:13:34 -0400
Bill Church wrote:> Last time I checked, that was worth $6127.86.
> > BCCheapskate. I'll bet you sneak your own candy into the movies too. [Laughing]--------Mark ChouinardWings, Center Section and Empannage framed up - Working on FuselageRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:13:34 -0400Re: Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Original Posted By: Rick Holland
Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Original Posted By: "AircamperN11MS"
the hangar is nice to have ... i try not to touch the piet during "work" hoursbut the Citation left yesterday and won't be back till tomorrow... so i didn'tfeel too bad about putting the wing oni still loose tools...and coffee mugs... and my tape measurei guess i cant really make the real struts till i do a weight and balance but i'mlooking forward to those holding up the wingi've been building to the flying and glider manuals..and i like the aileron cableson the outside like Walt Bowes plane but i kinda wondered about the "new"way too... time to work on that stuffjeffRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ___Subject: Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
the hangar is nice to have ... i try not to touch the piet during "work" hoursbut the Citation left yesterday and won't be back till tomorrow... so i didn'tfeel too bad about putting the wing oni still loose tools...and coffee mugs... and my tape measurei guess i cant really make the real struts till i do a weight and balance but i'mlooking forward to those holding up the wingi've been building to the flying and glider manuals..and i like the aileron cableson the outside like Walt Bowes plane but i kinda wondered about the "new"way too... time to work on that stuffjeffRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ___Subject: Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Pietenpol-List: Re: Back to Corvairs...I guess.
Original Posted By: Michael Groah