Assembly after transport?

[Timekiller]

Just wondering if anyone has had a 170 re assembled after ground transport.. Im looking to buy a 170 that is already taken apart (wings, tail, prop, ect.) I would have it re assembled by an A&P and just wanted to see if anyone on here has had experience with a situation like this. I did see a thread with birds that were transported, but nothing was mentioned about hours or cost to reassemble. Im sure If I talk to my local mech. I will get a response of we charge XX amount per hour. Im trying to figure if the cost of the aircraft + assembly will be somewhere in my budget.

Thanks in advance for any help.. I have my heart set on a 170A/B, hopefully this will be "the one"

[blueldr]

How are you going to determine that it is all there and in airworthy condition?

Why was it disassemled in the first place?

[Timekiller]

The little info I have as of yet is the plane was disassembled for transport, essentially what would have to be assembled would be the wings, struts, tail feathers, vert stab, prop, and spinner. As far as airworthy condition, I can check surfaces and whatnot... But would be taking a chance as far as everything being straight.

[jrenwick]

You've got some unknowns there. It's always better to buy an airplane that's been lovingly and competently maintained, and is in airworthy condition and flyable at the time of purchase.

[counsellj]

On the bright side, in a dissembled state, it would be very easy to fully inspect those critical areas that are hard to see/access/evaluate. The carry throughs, vertical stab, rudder, and tailwheeel attach brackets should be fully exposed now. Knowing the true condition of your airframe is a valuable peace of mind item.

[GAHorn]

Inspect it NOW to determine if it's worth pursuing.. THEN insist that it be in re-assembled state, ready for flight with at the very LEAST a "ferry permit" before flying it home. Make a reasonable deposit to cover the costs of reassembly to help the seller... BUT insist that the airplane be ferriable.... and price it accordingly.
(The BEST thing would be to pay the fee for an annual "inspection only" and let that be the deposit. Then you'll know what it's truly going to cost you to get it airworthy.
After all....WHY in the HELL would you want to buy an UNairworthy airplane? Do you really think you are going to save any money by purchasing a project if YOU aren't qualified/capable to re-assemble it?)

[falco]

[quote="gahorn"
After all....WHY in the HELL would you want to buy an UNairworthy airplane? [/quote]

George - look at the screen name of the guy who posted... Timekiller... maybe thats why...

[GAHorn]

[quote="gahorn"
After all....WHY in the HELL would you want to buy an UNairworthy airplane?

George - look at the screen name of the guy who posted... Timekiller... maybe thats why... [/quote]

Then why would MONEY or PRACTICALITY ever be an object?

[blueldr]

If you are in a position where you're going to have to pay a mechanic to re assemble the airplane to an airworthy status instead of doing it yourself, I would strongly recommend that you give a lot of consideration to finding an airplane that is in an airworthy and flyable condition. This airplane is obviously a "do it yourself" project for someone with an A&P certificate.

[Timekiller]

My inital thought was this is a project best left to an a&p to finish, then I had the thought that being able to do a thorough inspection of the hidden spots is a blessing. I wasn't looking at this aircraft as a way to save cash, but a way to build something exactly how I want. I see both sides of the fence here, and I appriciate everyone's input. Consensus shows that I should leave this one to someone better capiable (a&p)
My search will continue for the right one, seems that everything I find is almost what I want.. But just not quite. I have also been looking into 172's with t/d conv done. There is less out there, but have more features that perk my intrest. They are just not as pretty.

Thanks again for everyone's input, it sounds like you have pushed me from a desision I would have regretted.

[bagarre]

I'm interested in the initial question as well.
Airworthy concerns aside, how much time should be budgeted to re-assemble and rig a 170?

Reason I ask is I'm considering the option of pulling the wings and tail off of 81D so I can do the firewall and engine swap in my garage at home (I now have a rather large garage but hangars are impossible to find in DC)

Is it reasonable to count a day to take it apart and a day to put it back together if I mark the eccentrics and cable lengths?

[ghostflyer]

it all depends on the people pulling it apart and the reassembly. what experience they have? Defuelling can take some 3 hours and then the cables have to be disconnected and string lines run. Takes about 5 hours for the wings/struts [3 persons]. the tail disassembly can take up to 5 hours also . Reassembly can take about 5 hours also but remember all rigging has to be checked and correct cable runs and tensions checked also . Its nice to mark the concentric bush on the rear spar but please check the wings angle of incidence as the number of aircraft I have put together, we have found in most cases it has to be adjusted again.I would allow a total of 20 man hours to do the job correctly . Access to the wing bolts are a pain as its best to remove some of the interior trim at the top of the windscreen . The upper vents are best removed also. make sure you have some long extensions for your sockets/ratchet.
However it can be done quicker if motivated. I had a engine failure and put down in a paddock but hit a stump as I stopped. blew the tire and broke and bent the brake plate. It had to be trucked out. there was 3 experienced mechanics and a "get it" man. I had landed in "black soil country" and the sky,s was black all around us . if it rained the soil turns to soup. it would have been at least a week plus to get it out if it rained . defueling [ 2 1/4 inch plastic pipe was used, irrigation pipe my son found in the paddock] done as the cables were disconnected . Panels were then removed to allow for the wings to be removed. struts were disconnected [ Wives come in handy here they hold up the struts until removed]. they also come in handy to hold up the wing when removing the wing bolts. we didn't bother about removing the tail plane or its feathers as we didn't have time . Aircraft winched on to the back of a flat bed tow truck. total time for disassembly of this operation ,2.75 hours .Time to put on truck was over 1.5 hours . Big problem with a wheel with a blown tire which doesnt want to rotate the way you want it. As the truck drove out of the paddock it started to bucket down. the tail plane was too wide for normal road transportation but a couple of red pieces of cloth on each tip and we were away. Who,s going to look at truck with a aircraft on the back going down the freeway? The wings had to be carried out by 6 of us [wives included] to a trailer[about 1 mile away] that was being towed by a pickup. The wings get heavier as you go.
So it can be done ,with lots of FUN. Blood sweat and tears , and yelling at each other.
This is why I love aeroplanes.

[cessna170bdriver]

To get an idea of the manhours required to assemble a 170, you might talk to Del Lehmann at Mountain Airframe. He's done it several times, and has two currently in progress. His contact info can be found here.