Russ wrote: > Hey Justin, the information I have is that the engine weighs 245 pounds and > produces between 115 and 130 hp depending on carb and fuel. Is that correct > or not?
Russ, I'd check into the prices for parts for the 0-290 before I jumped. If I remember correctly, three years ago Mike Mims had to pay $70 for ONE top ring for his, and I wouldn't swear it was even new! I'm no expert on aircraft engines, but my understanding is that parts for that particular engine are very hard to come by, and very expensive when you find them. By contrast, every thing you'd need to rebuild a Corvair RIGHT can be bought from one of 3 or 4 places, at VW prices. And also check the weight. There's a large chunk of aluminum that bolts to the generator and is commonly milled off. I'm not sure about the weight but it's something to check on if you really buy one of these. William Wynne likes to tell the story of what happens when a homebuilder tears into an airplane engine and inspects all the parts. The lifters look worn so he trashes them, then starts looking for some "new" ones. He discovers the prices are ridiculous (I've heard $60 a piece for some), so the guy goes back and fishes them out of the trash and reinstalls them. On the other hand, a Corvair guy just tears the thing down to nothing (it's easy) and pitches about 1/2 of the thing in the trash, and buys all new stuff for the rebuild. A full set of lifters for a Corvair is $44. Rings? $48 for a FULL set for all six cylinders! $2500 will completely rebuild and convert a Corvair with mostly new parts (which you paid a mere hundred bucks for to start with). Try that with a certified engine! I could go on for days on this subject, but I'll just point you to two places: My Corvair website at http://home.hiwaay.net/~langford/corvair/ and William Wynne's Corvair conversion manual website at http://www.flycorvair.com/ . It's a no-brainer... Mark Langford, Huntsville, AL N56ML "at" hiwaay.net see KR2S project at http://home.hiwaay.net/~langford
