Engine condition choice

[Sam Buchanan]

I am looking for an 0-360 for a homebuilt. Is it generally better to buy a run out and overhaul it, or a running mid time engine and hope not to need to overhaul it. My desire is most bang for the $$ and to fly, not tinker. Has anyone had experiences that they would do again, or not again !
Thanks,
larry

This is the classic $18,000 question.

A component of this discussion that has to be settled first is how long do you want to fly this engine? Expecting the engine to be serviceable for just a few years before selling the plane is different from wanting an engine that will give you twenty years of reliable service.

This is a prime example of applying the quote from the old Fram oil filter commercial "You can pay me now or pay me later".

I purchased a 1200 hr O-320 with good logs from a salvage yard in 1998 for my RV-6. My plan was to roll the dice and hopefully get a few years service before overhaul. The engine ran pretty well, even flew it from Alabama to Arizona and back. But the second summer a couple of cylinders went soft and I decided to do a top overhaul. After pulling the cylinders I could see two cam lobes were completely shot. The engine received a major overhaul and I have flown it for 19 years with excellent service.

But.....the original cost of purchase plus the cost of overhaul was close to what I could have purchased a new engine from Vans. So the question for someone who wants an engine for extended use is......do I postpone overhaul costs or just pop for the new engine up front and fly many years with only routine servicing? In the long haul, it may very well come out about the $$ame either way.

Your choice.