Mooney rebuild project. What to do?

[Okie_Pilot]

So we're at a deciding point on what to do with our Mooney. We bought the nice little 1963 Mooney M20C from a friend in Alabama for relatively cheap. So we made a trip down to Alabama and got everything checked out on it and flew it back home to Oklahoma.

After calling Mr. Wheat at Mooney, which is the Mooney guru who helped Mr. Mooney design the airplanes to begin with. We did a check and found rust in the pilot side tubing which is due to the Mooney factory screwing into the tubing to hold the sheet metal and/or other parts on. When the airplane would fly IFR or be rained on, the water would get on the screws and run down them, inside the tubing and then eventually rusted the inside of the tubing. They used standoff posts, or clamps on the passenger side instead of screwing into the tubing, so that side is rust free. We have the tubing replacement that came straight from Mooney that we're about to put in. This is a common problem with this version of Mooneys.

Now we're at a deciding point:

1: Continue rebuilding the Mooney

or

2: Try to sell the parts and get our money back to finish building our Pitts S1 project.

The plane and engine only have about 1100 hours on them, and it's been hangared it's entire life. The fuselage is clean and straight, and about down to the bare minimum a fuselage can get. We spent over $5k getting the new hub and prop overhauled and painted and is perfect. We just removed the engine to work on the fuselage better. It's a Lycoming O-360 with a new carb, mags, fuel pump, and oil lines. (Remember, we flew it from Alabama to Oklahoma). However, truly the last time the plane flew before that was in 1992.

When we bought the plane, I was envisioning upgrading the interior and avionics and off we go into the wild blue yonder. However, no one can foresee the future especially when it comes to aviation. I personally would like to try to recoup some of our investment back out of it and transfer the funds to getting the Pitts S1 project up and going.

Do you guys know of anybody looking for any Mooney parts? A spare fuselage, or a perfect wing with the entire landing gear with new tires, or a low time engine with new accessories? Nothing is missing, we have everything. What do you guys think?



If not, here's some interesting pictures of a deconstructed Mooney:

 

[killbilly]

Put it back together and use it as an economical platform for high-performance and commercial training?

At the very least, it could pay for itself - cashflow neutral.

 

[TUCKnTRUCK]

What kind of money are you looking for? It may be a decent project... o the other hand, putting something together that you didn't take apart isn't as much fun.

Still, be interested to see what you are looking to get ut of it.

 

[Ollie]

I vote to sell it off and finish your Pitts! I'm guessing that you'll be able to at least get your money out of the Mooney and with the time you'd spend rebuilding it you could get that much closer to the Pitts being done. Have you flown a Pitts yet? If not, drop whatever you're doing and go do it. That should make your decision for you.

 

[N18040]

You really had to ask this question? Would anyone really take a Mooney over a Pitts? I say go with the Pitts all the way.

 

[KSCessnaDriver]

You really had to ask this question? Would anyone really take a Mooney over a Pitts? I say go with the Pitts all the way.

Because you can actually go somewhere in a Mooney? Personally, I'd stick with the Mooney. Not terrible to fly for local stuff from a cost standpoint, yet fast enough to do some decent cross countries. Especially if it still has the manual landing gear.

 

[mshunter]

Because you can actually go somewhere in a Mooney? Personally, I'd stick with the Mooney. Not terrible to fly for local stuff from a cost standpoint, yet fast enough to do some decent cross countries. Especially if it still has the manual landing gear.

+1. And with the Pitts beeing a project as well, just get the Mooney flyable, and looking halfway decent. Don't go all out with it by doing it all up. Two VOR's, a decent paint job, and a fresh IFR cert in case you get into some inclament weather. Most pleasure flying is only fun in the sun.

Great, cheap tranportation.

Oh, and if you do keep it, put a speed slope windscreen on it!

 

[Okie_Pilot]

What kind of money are you looking for? It may be a decent project... o the other hand, putting something together that you didn't take apart isn't as much fun.

Still, be interested to see what you are looking to get ut of it.

Not really looking to make it a fancy-glass mooney. Was planning to put new interior in it and of course, avionics. But had no idea it was going to get disassembled this far.

I vote to sell it off and finish your Pitts! I'm guessing that you'll be able to at least get your money out of the Mooney and with the time you'd spend rebuilding it you could get that much closer to the Pitts being done. Have you flown a Pitts yet? If not, drop whatever you're doing and go do it. That should make your decision for you.

This is kinda along the lines of what I'm thinking now, but I'm not 100% sure yet. Yes, I've got around 7 hours in a S2B for spin training and landings. Then a handful of hours in a Super Decathlon. I love it!

I REALLY want to start flying competitions, then eventually airshows. That's what I'd really like to do. The plane is there, the training and opportunity is there, the only thing that isn't there is the money to support two different airplanes, as I'm a 20 year old college student with a car payment. So it's either one or the other. I can't afford to refurbish a Mooney, then turn around and put money into a Pitts.

You really had to ask this question? Would anyone really take a Mooney over a Pitts? I say go with the Pitts all the way.

I'd like to. But what to do with the Mooney now? I'm looking around to see what's the possibility of finding someone needing a perfect wing, fuselage, or extra engine.

Actually, A WHOLE COMPLETE MOONEY is here, just in parts... and it'll will go for real cheap if we can find somebody.

+1. And with the Pitts beeing a project as well, just get the Mooney flyable, and looking halfway decent. Don't go all out with it by doing it all up. Two VOR's, a decent paint job, and a fresh IFR cert in case you get into some inclament weather. Most pleasure flying is only fun in the sun.

Great, cheap tranportation.

Oh, and if you do keep it, put a speed slope windscreen on it!

I'd really like to have it flying, and it would have been flying a long time ago if we haven't had run into this rust issue. A nice 160mph plane that sips on 9gph. Can't complain! We are doing all the work ourselves, which thankfully keeps the cost to virtually nothing except time and blood (which you will give working on a Mooney). I'd do the 201 windshield, the only downside is that it slopes out far enough forward that it covers up the access panels to the avionics and makes it a pain to work on.

I just can't afford to support two different airplanes right now. It's one or the other. There's a little bit more to a Mooney than a Pitts. Interior, avionics, new nuts/bolts/screws, and possibly a new engine since this one has been sitting for so long. $17k+ for a refurbished/overhauled 0-360 from Lycoming if you send in the core, plus Avionics, and interior and all that other unforeseen stuff.

All the Pitts needs is a nice Wolf wing I want, a fuselage, wolf tail feathers, and fabric. Already has new fancy engine, wolf cowling, RV gear, avionics, fuel tank/lines.


I appreciate all of your opinions and suggestions. Keep them coming! Please!

 

[Ollie]

If you're wanting to get involved in aerobatic competitions and start in the airshow circuit, the earlier you start, the better. I wish I had scraped up some money to get a Pitts and do exactly that when i was your age.

You might even want to consider holding off on all the Wolf mods for a while and complete the airplane as an "S/SS" to save some money. The spring gear is a must in my book and requires some work on the structural portion of the airframe so you might as well do it while you've got the whole airplane apart. A stock S-1S is a VERY capable airplane and you'll get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

 

[ryan1234]

If you're wanting to get involved in aerobatic competitions and start in the airshow circuit, the earlier you start, the better. I wish I had scraped up some money to get a Pitts and do exactly that when i was your age.

You might even want to consider holding off on all the Wolf mods for a while and complete the airplane as an "S/SS" to save some money. The spring gear is a must in my book and requires some work on the structural portion of the airframe so you might as well do it while you've got the whole airplane apart. A stock S-1S is a VERY capable airplane and you'll get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

+1

Once you get into the Pitts you won't look back - the only thing you'll want more is probably the Model 12 with the M14P engine

If memory serves me right, I think the "S" is the four aileron set-up. Just sell the Mooney - get into the IAC and comp acro...

 

[Ollie]

Yup, the true "S" has four ailerons, a symmetrical wing, and the fuselage is extended approximately three inches. I'm sure there are some more minor structural differences over the "C" that I'm leaving out but those are the biggies. It's an amazing airplane!

I'd love to try the model 12! The new big, bad boy Pitts is the S-1-11B. If you're not familiar, check it out!

 

[Inverted25]

I love the Model 12 as well. Im waiting for somene to take one out on the airshow circuit. Its so different from the typical pitts with that big radial upfront that it would make a interesting airshow bird.

 

[ryan1234]

that big radial upfront that it would make a interesting airshow bird.

It is a pretty cool, resourceful, engine.... The M14P is pretty common on some Yaks and CJs now... biggest thing is that it spins the opposite way, so instinctively the opposite rudder pedal than what most people are used to.

 

[Okie_Pilot]

Well, this thing we have now has a VERY VERY nice AEIO-360 with all the latest and greatest engine mods done to it, it has a very expensive front end. We also have the carbon fiber Wolf cowling sitting next to it, wolf engine mount and the special rod gear conversion. It has the limited avionics you need, hooker harness, fuel tank, smoke oil tank.

I've been doing some research lately. We need to get a fuselage for it, since this one has some flaws in it and I believe is the shorter fuselage.

Steve Wolf is offering his Wolf wings in a kit for only $9,750. Not really a bad price at all IMHO.

 

[Okie_Pilot]

Great thing about the S1 and the AEIO-360 is it's relatively cheap to operate. You move up into the 540 or the M14P and your going to be spending some money to operate...

 

[Inverted25]

I read the M14P is considerably less expensive to maintain and operate than the 540. Something to do with the radial versus inline design. I know with the 540 in the Pitts you would burn around 14 gallons during a 15 minute airshow routine. What does the 360 burn?

 

[Ollie]

Well, this thing we have now has a VERY VERY nice AEIO-360 with all the latest and greatest engine mods done to it, it has a very expensive front end. We also have the carbon fiber Wolf cowling sitting next to it, wolf engine mount and the special rod gear conversion. It has the limited avionics you need, hooker harness, fuel tank, smoke oil tank.

I've been doing some research lately. We need to get a fuselage for it, since this one has some flaws in it and I believe is the shorter fuselage.

Steve Wolf is offering his Wolf wings in a kit for only $9,750. Not really a bad price at all IMHO.

It sounds like the answer to your original question is right there. How could you even think about working on any other plane with all those goodies sitting there?!!!

 

[mshunter]

Well, you can see by the answers given, some of us think practically, and some of us think "I want my hair on fire, upside down and 7g's all the time.

The latter is defiantly hard to resist. Which one will hold it's value better? The Mooney or the Pitts?

 

[Pépé le Pilot]

I think it all comes down to your aviation needs. Everyone loves an Aston Martin for commuting, but it's not that practical...
The cool factor on the Pitts is incredible, but would cross the country with it ? That's a VFR aircraft, they can be a handful to fly, the Mooney will take the wife and kids in good speed and comfort, the resale value will be good, especially with that front end and corrosion repair.
But then even if the Pitts ate one my legs I wouldn't care. I got to fly in a S2B and MY GOD this thing is fun. So much in fact I would stick with the Mooney :crazy:

 

[TUCKnTRUCK]

Sorry, before i was asking what kind of" money" as in cash not what kind of mooney... easy to mistake the difference though