Spare Franklin 165

[BobYoung]

I have a spare Franklin 165 with heavy case that I bought a couple of years ago out of a wrecked 108-2. It had a minor prop strike, but the flange dialed out and it had all log books, so I figured it was worth a chance. I just completed rebuild of 9366K, and the engine in it runs good, so I am not going to mess with it. The spare engine's crank was ground to .00010 at overhau 600 hours ago. Here's my dilemma: If I were going to use the crank, I would have it tested and certified, but as I'm not going to use it soon, I don't want to tie up the money having it certified, and then lie around for years. If I were to sell it, of course, the buyer would want it certified. Does anyone know what a certified crank like this is worth. I don't think the other engine parts would bring much as the crank is the most valuable part.

[Luvn737s]

Well, there's a gamble in sending in your crank that might not pass. Once it's yellow tagged (assuming it passes) then the tag is good indefinitely, unless superceded by some life limit or AD.

If it were me, I'd keep the spare 165 for myself.

[BobYoung]

That is the conclucion I have come to. There is noone in this club that is interested, so I'll keep it for parts. In spite of the weeping and wailing about the lack of a new Franklin manufacturer, I don't see any interest in good Franklin parts. If you look at them on ebay there are no takers. That tells me that the Franklin is really holding up well, or that pilots who fly behind them are too tight to keep them up to date. The 108 is 65 years old, and there are a lot of them out there, from a pile of parts to flying jewels. I wonder if they will ever disappear - probably not!

[BobYoung]

The crank on my spare engine was condemned by Aircraft Engines in Dallas - cracks on opposite sides of flange - unrepairable. I was afraid of that, but I still have the other parts that will be a good backup for my flying engine. It was standard at last overhaul, so I can use the cylinder assemblies on the spare to overhaul when one on the plane goes bad. As they say in France, se le gere, but who gives a damn about France!

[resto108]

Get a second opinion.