A few years ago, I was considering buying a Stinson 108 series. The
Franklin engines in them are difficult to find some parts for,
particularly exhaust valves. I began investigating the new Franklins,
made in Poland. New company doesn't make the 165 hp engines used in
Stinsons, but does make a 225 hp that is the same physical size, and fits
in the mounts.
There was a guy in Virginia who was, at that time, the sole U.S.
distributor for new Franklin. I don't know if he is still the
distributor, or even around these days.
When I talked to him, he had a very attractice price for the new engine.
But, the job was only half done. He had no accessories or props. His
story was that I should look around for a Maule prop from the days when
Maule used Franklin engines. Same kind of goofy solution, according to
him, for starter, alternator, etc.
I can't remember whether he claimed to have an STC for the new Franklin
engine in Stinsons, or was pushing the 337 route of approval.
I came away from a couple of conversations with him convinced that I would
be entering a quagmire if I tried to do business with him.
I don't know if this is the same guy now pushing new Franklins, and the
guy about whom somebody wrote yesterday with a new Franklin in a Coupe.
>From the investigation I did years ago, it seemed that the new Franklin
engines, themselves, were OK. PZL is an old line aircraft manufacturer,
and there was no reason that I could see not to assume that their engines
were good. The problem to me was that they had gotten hooked up with a
guy in the U.S. who could certainly have gotten his ducks in a row better,
before he started peddling the engines here.
So, that's my story, for what it's worth. The engine was certainly a
bargain back then, I think around $10,000 or so for a brand new engine in
excess of 220 hp.
If the regulatory problems are thoroughly investigated, and are solved,
and the engine is easily approved for a coupe, I wouldn't hesitate to get
one, if I was convinced that PZL is still committed to production. I
don't know this because I've had no interest in the recent few years to
keep track of what is going on with that company.
I also agree with many of the posted comments about excess power. You
only have to use it when you need it. Let's face it, unless you overhaul
with new Milleniums, you've got 50 year old cylinders, re-worked who knows
how many times, in our C-85s and 90s. Even O-200s are decades old, and
the cases and cranks can only be repaired so many times.
A brand new engine has many benefits over any overhaul of these old
engines. In their day, Franklins were reputed to be very smooth running
and reliable engines. They had shorter TBOs than Continentals of the
1940s and 50s, but today that doesn't mean as much, as few of the old
Cont. engines ever make it to theoretical TBO anyway, considering how
little these airplanes actually fly on an average annual basis.
With the advances in metallurgy, and particularly, the chemistry of modern
oils, the TBO is probably about the same, from a practical viewpoint.
Jerry Eichenberger
Columbus, Ohio
N2906H
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