What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Very old kit

dnh98221

Member
Next week I plan to look at an RV-4 kit that is perhaps 25 years old and essentially has never been unpacked. Aside from surface corrosion (perhaps), what should I be looking for?
 
Holy cow I don’t have an answer to your question I’m just here to say that sounds incredible.
 
Look for corrosion and completeness of the kit. Rv 4 parts can take along time to get from vans and can be expensive. If it's been stored in reasonable conditions then there is a good chance it's fine. I have an RV 4 kit that sat in Hawaii for a decade and I was surprised how good of condition the parts are in.
 
Next week I plan to look at an RV-4 kit that is perhaps 25 years old and essentially has never been unpacked. Aside from surface corrosion (perhaps), what should I be looking for?

I spent a week or more removing the plastic from the canopy. Possible with elbow grease, mineral spirits and warm sunshine.

May run into the same issue with skins if are plastic-covered.

Corrosion should be visible through the plastic, especially near edges.

Steel parts likely to have excessive rust and even pitting.

All the parts there? Crates actually unopened? No one "borrowed" parts for other projects. Expensive items like wheels and brakes.

Pholigston (sp?) anodized main spars? Web on one of mine were slightly misaligned requiring a shim for skin to fit smoothly.

Finn
 
What to look for

I'm building with old RV-6A kits that were delivered between 1992 and 2000 and were stored indoors. It's been basically fine. The types of corrosion to check for are at the exposed edges of aluminum sheet, especially if there is vinyl cladding, for filiform corrosion. Bare steel may rust, check especially the machined ends of the gear legs and the sockets in the engine mount because they must be close fit and removing rust will cause looseness and problems. Also check that vinyl cladding on aluminum sheeting can still peel off. Once it gets brittle, if exposed to UV, it is almost impossible to remove. Bare aluminum should not be corroded if it has been kept dry and clean and dust free.
Powder coated parts may have rust coming through because the early powder coating was poor quality. It can be stripped off back to bare metal and re-finished.
Hardware should be all OK. There may be some residue to remove from masking tape and label glue that has perished and hardened.
Check also your own abilities to construct an older style kit. There are errors in the plans and the instructions lack detail and content so you need to be resourceful and good at independent problem solving. The new kits are much better and the manuals are vastly improved, like assembling Ikea furniture. So the self check is as important as the kit, I don't know what is your experience, but you must be looking for a challenge.
If parts are missing or become damaged then there is dimensional info in the plans to enable you to fabricate your own parts from scratch.
Good luck, it's may be more fun than following a step by step recipe.

p.s. also check that there is original bill of sale so Vans can note you as the new owner to qualify for engine and prop special pricing and the new policy for parts supply.
 
Last edited:
First RV-6 kit bought in 1991.
I believe you can check the Serial Number through Van's to see if it really is a 25 year old kit or 35 year old.
Missing parts are going to be a slow process to get from Van's though.
Hope It's a good deal.
Quite a bit of difference in build process.
I'm sure you understand the complexity of the build v/s today so no need go there.
Enjoy the build, Lots of work jigging and making it come all together.
Art
 
IIRC the very early ones had fuel tanks assembled differently (rear baffle area)
Also the Empennage/Tail attachment was different. Just something to check into?
 
I recommend upgrading to the long gear legs and associated engine mount. Also be aware the old kits had the long cowling that uses a 12” spinner and a 4” prop extension. 12” spinners are like hen’s teeth now days.
 
snipped
All the parts there? Crates actually unopened? No one "borrowed" parts for other projects. Expensive items like wheels and brakes.snipped
Finn

I suggest you contact Vans and get the packing list for each of the 4 sub kits. That way you can do an inventory to see if anything is missing.

FYI, I agree with the other poster who mentioned errors in the drawings. Vans never corrected the many errors in the RV 4 drawings. The errors were sometimes mentioned in the old RVator magazine, but the drawings were never updated. I helped a friend build his RV 4.

He told me of a number of times where a part had to be made from aluminum stock. He would make the part exactly to the drawing, only to discover that he had been "VANdalized". His term for making parts that did not fit, due to drawing errors.

The very early kits used 1/8' rivets on the skins, which were spaced farther apart. This sometimes caused pillowing of the skins. later kits switched to using 3/32" rivets, spaced closer together. Use the closer spacing.
 
Back
Top