New guy in Vermont, Ridge Runner rebuild

[Cass256 4]

Hello! My name is Cassidy, I recently purchased a model 3 Ridge Runner (Avid champion/Kitfox lite descendant I think?).

 

I found a Rotax 503 with 150 hours used in Massachusetts, bought the plane in Washington without an engine and had it shipped here. Now, the plane wasn't in bad shape, but it was sloppy. The yellow paint was brushed & rattle-canned on, and is quite an eyesore in some places (the underside of the bungee gear were still white!). The rubber had melted and tacked onto many parts of the fabric, and there is a hole in two of the control surfaces. 

For these reasons as well as general peace of mind, I've decided to strip the plane and start from scratch. I'm by no means experienced with building (bigger than RC) planes, but it's proving to be relatively simple so far! 

So far I've removed the fabric from the tail & elevator, as well as the fuselage. Next steps are the wings, flaps, & ailerons. I've decided to go with Oratex 600 to save weight & time.

The motor ran when I picked it up last spring but it's been sitting for almost a year now. It has no logs, so I'm tempted to do a complete overhaul (with the help of my local flight school's A&P), but money & time wise I think it makes more sense to just clean up everything, put new spark plugs in, and fire it up. What do you guys think?

Every metal part is powder coated in white, and is not so pretty in some areas, so I've decided to sandblast down to bare metal & clear coat with either Everbrite's ProtectaClear, or something else durable. I love the look of bare metal but corrosion & wear is my main concern. Originally I was going to have the powder coat redone, but quite a few people advised against it due to it potentially hiding issues. Currently the rudder is blasted and looks great, just waiting to hear back from the blaster about the fuselage itself.

 

I'm really excited to have a taildragger of my own - I got my tailwheel endorsement two months ago in a Citabria and loved it! It may not go fast, but stalls around 30mph and weighs next to nothing (950GW), so I'm looking forward to challenge myself with some short T/O's and landings. 

[1avidflyer 2016]

Welcome to the group.  If you have questions, feel free to fire away with them.  As far as running the Rotax 503, Rotax does say 5 years for seals, maybe their lawyers talking, but if there is no known history on the engine, it may not be a bad thing to tear it down and see what's inside.  No garrentees either way, but wrecking an otherwise good  airplane because of a engine issue can be pretty expensive as well.  Hope you have fun with your project, and keep us informed as you move along with it.  JImChuk

[Allen Sutphin 705]

Almost pulled the trigger on a RidgeRunner kit myself. But decided on rebuilding a Fox. You will have a blast with it! Keep us posted.

[TJay 1046]

Gonna be a light weight little rocket ship I love it.

[dholly 719]

 Neat project.

Mark (Bandit) had a RR, flew it mostly on skis I think. IIRC, he said it was a lot of fun.

[ChrisBolkan 148]

is that a single place? Its going to be a ripper! It looks like so much FUN!

[Cass256 4]

is that a single place? Its going to be a ripper! It looks like so much FUN!

Technically it's got two seats, it's definitely cramped in the back. The forward seat has 3 sets of holes so you can adjust the position, though the second seat isn't really usable if the seat's all the way back. I don't think I'd like to spend more than an hour back there!

Welcome to the group.  If you have questions, feel free to fire away with them.  As far as running the Rotax 503, Rotax does say 5 years for seals, maybe their lawyers talking, but if there is no known history on the engine, it may not be a bad thing to tear it down and see what's inside.  No garrentees either way, but wrecking an otherwise good  airplane because of a engine issue can be pretty expensive as well.  Hope you have fun with your project, and keep us informed as you move along with it.  JImChuk

Thanks! I've also been tossing around the idea of just sending it to Rotax Rick for peace of mind. The cost would nearly double what I've invested in the engine so far when shipping etc. is said & done. Though if I want to be flying any time soon, I should probably send it down asap - just wondering if you guys think it'd be worth it? As much as it'll save time & money, I'm not sure I'd be comfortable doing minimal maintenance & hoping for the best.

 Neat project.

Mark (Bandit) had a RR, flew it mostly on skis I think. IIRC, he said it was a lot of fun.

I'll have to get to know him then! I've been eyeing a pair of skis for the coming winter season :D

 

Thanks everyone! I'll be sure to keep you all up to date as more happens

[Allen Sutphin 705]

Rotax Rick, I know nothing about, but for peace of mind it would be worth it to at least have it inspected and resealed. Whoever does it.

[ChrisBolkan 148]

I think I'd replace the carb boots and belt and all exterior rubber you can find, throw a gasket kit into the carburetors, and remove the exhaust and look in the ports for cylinder damage. If you can still see nice crosshatch in the cylinders, I'd fire it up and see how it runs. if it runs great, I'd drive it for another 150 hours before taking it apart. None of the stuff you will buy to get the engine up and running will be a waste because you will still use it all even if you find a problem along the way and do have to rebuild it.

Just another angle to consider. That engine does not have a rotary valve or rotary valve seals, and it is HIGHLY unlikely that there is anything wrong with the crank seals regardless of how old they are.

 

[Dusty 126]

I think I'd replace the carb boots and belt and all exterior rubber you can find, throw a gasket kit into the carburetors, and remove the exhaust and look in the ports for cylinder damage. If you can still see nice crosshatch in the cylinders, I'd fire it up and see how it runs. if it runs great, I'd drive it for another 150 hours before taking it apart. None of the stuff you will buy to get the engine up and running will be a waste because you will still use it all even if you find a problem along the way and do have to rebuild it.

Just another angle to consider. That engine does not have a rotary valve or rotary valve seals, and it is HIGHLY unlikely that there is anything wrong with the crank seals regardless of how old they are.

 

As above but add a regular huff puff bearing test and regular check of your gearbox oil level as "A" &"B" boxes can have their oil sucked into the engine with little warning if the crank seals are suspect