I?m a new club member looking to buy a 1970 or later C-150. I?ve located a 1976 model (which I haven?t looked at yet) which the owner says is in great shape mechanically but the paint and interior are in poor condition. The aircraft has 4900 TT and the engine has about 1000 SMOH. The owner says the plane hasn?t flown much in the past year, but he does fly it about 30 min a month just to keep everything exercised. Compressions are all above 70. Here are my questions to you owners out there.....
1. Should I be worried about the lack of flying recently on the engine? 2. If I decide to do a strip and paint, is $6000 a reasonable amount to budget? 3. If I decide to refurbish a worn out interior, is $2000 in the ball park for new carpet, seats, and plastic?
I?m not mechanically inclined, so all the fix up on the airplane will have to be done by the pros. Any input will be greatly appreciated!
3. If I decide to refurbish a worn out interior, is $2000 in the ball park for new carpet, seats, and plastic?
A carpet kit from TNWings [tnwings.com] is $315. Most people can do it themselves. It's just a remove-and-replace job. As for the seats, send an email to Shelby at TNWings and ask about the cost. He's a club member and does a fabulous job. Several forum members have had their seats redone by Shelby. About the plastic panels, if they're not too broken up, they can be removed, washed, and repainted. If you know how to use a screwdriver and a spray can, you can do it. Some forum members can give you the costs of replacing the panels. They're not cheap, and some trimming/fitting will be necessary.
1. Should I be worried about the lack of flying recently on the engine?
Mine was not flown for the year before I bought it. I spent too much time worrying whether it was a reliable engine. Here are the results from the last oil change.
We cut the filter, nothing in there that wasn't supposed to be there.
Oil metals test, all of the metals were within tolerance.
I would have the oil changed when you get the annual done. But other than that, I wouldn't worry about the engine just because of its age. I'd worry if other warning signs are found.
Get a prebuy if you decide to go forward with it. A good A&P will be able to tell you a lot from that prebuy.
Good luck.
Pat
Never run out of altitude, airspeed, and ideas at the same time.
First, Welcome to the club! I hope you've spent the last month reading posts and researching what you should be doing when looking to buy your first plane. There are lots of mistakes (some of them very costly) that can be avoided just by reading what's been posted in these forums. There are literally hundreds of experiences here both good and bad that will arm any first time buyer with what he needs to know in order to find that perfect (for you) airplane.
Give us the details, and sit back and watch as club members relate the pro's and cons of buying this particular airplane. You won't agree with everything that's said here. Some will provide enthusiastic support, while others will caution you about possible pitfalls, but one thing is certain. You will be better informed and much more knowledgeable about what will be a good deal for you!
Another welcome to you Jeff. If you look back about 3 or 4 pages under Buying out of state by Martin Sant, you will follow a good example of a story on how this forum works. He asked for a buying buddie and Bryan went to check out a plane for him. The story has a happy ending with another post "Tweety Bird Flys home". This club has members that are willing to help and know what they are talking about! Leave us know your progress on finding that plane of yours. Hope to see you in Clinton!--- TIM
1. Should I be worried about the lack of flying recently on the engine?
Depends on a lot of factors... sometimes it does more harm to the engine by doing "30 min runs" frequently rather than flying it for at least an hour to get the oil temps up to normal and cook off all the moisture in the oil, as opposed to preserving the engine for long term storage as outlined in the TCM manual. Also, about 1000 hrs is when most C-150's with 0-200's are looking at a "top" overhaul, which is R&R the cyl's for exchange or reinstall the same one's being reworked. This varys greatly, however. You should expect some engine work soon. Also, the enviroment the plane was kept factors greatly. If a dry southwest reigon you'll be better off than a high humidity area like say Florida or somewhere on the coast where there's salt water. Look at the airframe for corrosion as well.
2. If I decide to do a strip and paint, is $6000 a reasonable amount to budget? That could be an average, like I say, depending on where you are located. Here in Calif. the going rate to paint a 150 size plane is around $10K, more or less, and the good paint shops have a 1- 1 1/2 year waiting list. Other parts of the country are a lot less expensive. Then, are you going to completely strip the plane and bring it back up to a showroom finish? or do a quicky "scratch 'n shoot" job? Remember, you pay now or you pay (more) later. Another thing to consider is the windows and all the plastic and fiberglass. Most paint shops include refinishing them, but if severely cracked it's better to get new one's- and the old "repaired" one's look junky against your new paint. Now is the time to replace a windshield, and the back one's if needed , before going to the paint shop.
3. If I decide to refurbish a worn out interior, is $2000 in the ball park for new carpet, seats, and plastic? Carpet kits run about $300-350, seats can be big money, maybe $300 each to cover. Or you can get salvage yard seats or find some on eBay for a lot less.The problem there is finding the color you want, then you hope they're in good shape and so on. Better to re-do yours.Plastic can be removed and cleaned and painted- Texas Aero Plastics and Vintage Plane Plastics will give you a ballpark depending on how much you replace.
Post a photo of the plane. What's the radio package? There are hundreds of 150's for sale out there, so be thorough in your pre-buy.Find a good mechanic to give it a look-see, to avoid anything more serious than a mid-time engine and cosmetics. Good luck! -Brian
Oh, one more thing- the plane you describe was almost EXACTLY like my brothers plane, only his was a 1975M. He lost interest in it and allowed it to sit. It had about 1100 SMOH, and under 3K TT.The paint was fair ( but better than my Aerobat), but he had good carpet and radios. That plane was in last months AOPA Pilot as a featured profile- so it's possible to make any plane a beauty again. N3723V now lives in Arizona, and it looks beautiful. -Brian
Regarding the paint, it may depend on what part of the country you're in, but here in Northern California I was quoted $8000 for a complete strip, alodine, and three color paint by a reputable paint shop. I've seen shops in the midwest (i.e. Mena, AR) advertise considerably lower prices.
Good Luck!
"Now I must hurry on, for there they go... and I am their leader"
Thanks everyone. Yes I have been reading (researching) posts in my quest for a good airplane. My kids think I'm addicted to the computer so I better find an airplane quick. Attached is a photo of the "Ugly" airplane I referred to. The seller (an FBO) is going to send me the results of a compression check and an oil analysis before I make a decision to go look at it (the airplane is in Illinois and I'm near Atlanta so it's not exactly down the street). If the airframe and engine meet my expectations, I'll work on the exterior and interior as a project over the next few months. (Steve I looked at your airplane online and it's looking much better. However, Yuba City is a bit far for me to drive to look at first hand. If I can't find one a bit closer to GA, I'll keep yours in mind.)
Check this out! Once the link comes up, click "Continue" to view the current registration status. There's more to the story than is being told here! The current "owner" applied for registration less than three months ago, and had the application extended in November, and is apparently operating the aircraft on a temporary airworthiness certificate, possibly just for resale. Be very careful about this one! Take your time and do your research! It could be nothing but an admin problem, or this bird may have prior "history"!
![[Linked Image from visitedstatesmap.com]](https://www.visitedstatesmap.com/image/ALAZARFLILINIAKSKYLAMNMSMONENJNMOHOKPATNTXWIsm.jpg)
