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Any Value in Old Cylinders These Days?

Ironflight

VAF Moderator / Line Boy
Mentor
So the old timers around here will remember the days when Old Lycoming cylinders were taken to a cylinder shop to be overhauled, or to have a valve replaced, or to be re-honed. A complete engine overhaul would have four chromed cylinders, cracks were welded - everything was repaired. A used cylinder had some value!

Nowadays, I?ll admit that with a complete ?Cylinder-in-a-box? (cylinder, valves, piston, etc) Costing about $1400, its sort of a no-brainer to me to just put in everything new at overhaul time. Which leaves us with a bunch of old jugs sitting around! Are there any shops that want them bad enough to at least cover shipping? I made a desk lamp out of an old one once - nice lamp too, but I don?t need four of them!

Right now I am sitting on eight O-360 cylinders, all at TBO, and curious if their only value is hangar ballast....

Paul
 
I recently replaced a cracked O-320 cylinder on the local flight school Warrior. They opted for an overhauled unit. Not sure of the cost difference.
 
Check with El Reno aviation in Oklahoma. There main business is rehab old cylinders. They might buy them outright.
 
Paul, if you can?t find any other way to dispose of them, I?ll gladly take one off your hands next time our paths cross. Hangar art...
 
I have been wanting a (parallel valve) head/jug for some airflow testing. Might be $$ for shipping though, how much does one weigh?
 
When I replace all 6 cylinder power assemblies on my RV-10 IO-540 about 3 years ago, I sold the old assemblies on ebay for around $400 for the lot and was happy I got that out of them.
 
I've spent 4 out of the last 8 weeks working in an engine shop since I'm off work from my regular job. The proprietor says he pays $25 for a cylinder core.

Just another data point...
 
I have been wanting a (parallel valve) head/jug for some airflow testing. Might be $$ for shipping though, how much does one weigh?

I have 6 of them in the garage. More than willing to donate one for your experimentation. Your knowledgeable input is always appreciated. Let me know the next time you are up my way.

Larry
 
I have 6 of them in the garage. More than willing to donate one for your experimentation. Your knowledgeable input is always appreciated. Let me know the next time you are up my way.

Larry

Thanks, Larry, my plane is back from the paint shop and you are close! I will check ahead with you.
 
Market for old cylinders

If they are at TBO, but still working, there is a market for them with the airboat guys in the Everglades. I sold a set that way with eBay.

Reinhard
 
Ly-Con

When I had some engine work done at Ly-Con years ago, they took some old engine parts, including some old cylinders in on trade. If you need something, they might work a deal.

Give them a call. It never hurts to ask.

Brian
 
On parallel valve cylinders, whose heads are fairly prone to cracking, I would go with new cylinders at overhaul. But I would certainly repair one midlife, if the head wasn't cracked. On slant valve 360 cylinders, which were not very prone to head cracking, I would overhaul them in lieu of new at overhaul, if it was saving me money. New seats, valves, guides and bore over to p.010 and you are good to go for another life on that series, as far as I am concerned.
Good Luck,
Mahlon
 
On parallel valve cylinders, whose heads are fairly prone to cracking, I would go with new cylinders at overhaul. But I would certainly repair one midlife, if the head wasn't cracked. On slant valve 360 cylinders, which were not very prone to head cracking, I would overhaul them in lieu of new at overhaul, if it was saving me money. New seats, valves, guides and bore over to p.010 and you are good to go for another life on that series, as far as I am concerned.
Good Luck,
Mahlon

This gets me thinking the current cylinders on my O-360-A1D... the engine was a Lycoming factory rebuild in 1996 with new cylinders; I bought the engine in 2005 with 1660 hours, did a field overhaul and had the jugs overhauled by ECI for another run. Now I'm again at 1660 hours on my 2005 overhaul and in a similar situation Paul was in a few years ago; the cylinders are aging and oil consumption has crept up. Compressions are decent but getting some leakage around the exhaust valves.

The el-cheapo part of my brain says "They're still good! Send 'em to Gibson for overhaul!"... but then I think about the fact that they now have 3300 hours on them and would be looking at a 3rd run on this set of cylinders. That sorta tempers my cheapo temptations and maybe go with a whole new set from Lyc or Superior.

But on the upside, I'd have 4 cool new flower planters for my wife, sweet!!
 
oversized pistons

The two aftermarket makers of EXPERIMENTAL pistons that I know about, Combustion Technologies and NSF Pistons, both make P10 (0.010") oversized pistons.

Do not know of many people that go with the oversized pistons or of any other larger oversized pistons available for our engines.
Interesting - any idea why this is? I used to overhaul motorcycle engines as a teen, and this was our bread and butter. Worked great, but perhaps these old two stroke engines were just designed this way.

BTW, I enjoyed the 12 minute video on the Combustion Technologies website showing how they make the pistons.
 
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Interesting - any idea why this is? I used to overhaul motorcycle engines as a teen, and this was our bread and butter. Worked great, but perhaps these old two stroke engines were just designed this way.

See Mahlon_R's post #13 above.
 
Thumper

I always thought it would be a fun project to take a cylinder and use it as a basis for a thumper motorcycle engine. 1.5L single into a bobber frame. I mean, who needs fillings in your teeth anyway?
 
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