I have been organizing my shop and assembling the tools necessary to build an RV kit. Hunting online (using VAF other sites) for used equipment has already netted a significant savings in the tool department. I am not in a hurry to get a build done. What I want to do is enjoy the process of building and, if it takes me longer to build than normal--so be it.
Part of the enjoyment has been hunting for deals. Which has brought me to the idea that I can likely assemble a complete airframe by sourcing pre-owned kits that people couldn't complete for various reasons. I originally wanted an RV-9A because of it's performance with the IO-320, but second-hand 9A kits are not very common. The most common Vans Kit on the second-hand market seems to be the RV-7A wit the IO-360 being the most common powerplant configuration.
SO:
1: What are the pitfalls of building from second-hand kits (I'll be primarily focusing on kits that are either un-touched or have had very little work completed). Are there regulatory compliance problems I need to look out for or factory support problems I might be walking into? I'm sure I am not the first person to try this idea, so what are the headaches I'm walking into if I go that way.
2: If I divert from the 9A to the 7A, the latter of which optimally uses the larger more expensive powerplant, for the sake of second hand kit availability, am I flushing all my potential savings down the drain anyway? I'd anticipate putting my savings from airframe and powerplant back into avionics, but if building a new 9A with IO-320 is going to be the same as a secong-hand 7A with IO-360 I might want to reconsider.
3: Is there really any reason to/not-to fly a 7A with a IO-320?
Part of the enjoyment has been hunting for deals. Which has brought me to the idea that I can likely assemble a complete airframe by sourcing pre-owned kits that people couldn't complete for various reasons. I originally wanted an RV-9A because of it's performance with the IO-320, but second-hand 9A kits are not very common. The most common Vans Kit on the second-hand market seems to be the RV-7A wit the IO-360 being the most common powerplant configuration.
SO:
1: What are the pitfalls of building from second-hand kits (I'll be primarily focusing on kits that are either un-touched or have had very little work completed). Are there regulatory compliance problems I need to look out for or factory support problems I might be walking into? I'm sure I am not the first person to try this idea, so what are the headaches I'm walking into if I go that way.
2: If I divert from the 9A to the 7A, the latter of which optimally uses the larger more expensive powerplant, for the sake of second hand kit availability, am I flushing all my potential savings down the drain anyway? I'd anticipate putting my savings from airframe and powerplant back into avionics, but if building a new 9A with IO-320 is going to be the same as a secong-hand 7A with IO-360 I might want to reconsider.
3: Is there really any reason to/not-to fly a 7A with a IO-320?