I recently bought a 1969 Super Viking for a pretty good price. I'm a mechanic and in the middle of doing a pretty detailed annual which is almost complete. All of the control surfaces need to be recovered eventually just for cosmetic reasons. However I'm trying to decide if I should just use this as my winter project and recover the whole thing. Or at least the wings, control surfaces, and cowling. The fuselage could still hold out for a long time as it is still in pretty good shape. My question is, does anyone have a good S.W.A.G. on how much this actually adds to the value? I haven't found any Vikings of this vintage with new dope and fab for sale to be able to compare prices. In the end, I wouldn't be recovering it for any type of financial gain, only for added pride in my airplane. However it would be nice to at least get back the cost of the materials if I ever were to sell it. Thanks!
Recovering vs Value
- Thread starter N4191B
- Start date
I've worked on the fabric on my Viking and it is one of the best and worst features on the plane. The material cost to work on fabric is relatively cheap - you'll get your money back if you do a good job - but there is a huge amount of time and labor involved.
The condition of the fabric will be key to whether you sell your Viking. Too many Vikings get scrapped because of the labor cost to recover them.
BTW Unless the wings are showing signs of fabric separation I would just repaint them.
jp
The condition of the fabric will be key to whether you sell your Viking. Too many Vikings get scrapped because of the labor cost to recover them.
BTW Unless the wings are showing signs of fabric separation I would just repaint them.
jp
lwford
New member
It took me 32 weeks to recover my plane. I can't say that it adds any value but it sure as hell will age YOU! To put it mild it is one big undertaking and too much for one man. All I can say is I did it and I'm in a very select few who finished. The total material bill was $5008 bucks. The time spent PRICELESS. I would charge 35k if I ever did another by myself it is that intense. To do the proper job the plane must be disassembled which makes the work easier. My sugguestion to you is do the ailerons and flaps to see if you want to go further. The bottom of the wing is the toughest to do. The factory has the big jig to rotate them and I copied that out of wood. Make sure you use a HVLP with fresh air hood or you won't be around to finish the job. Yes it is that intense. The plus side is that you get to look at the wood and the steel ,there is always the unexpected. I used the PolyFiber method and am pleased with the results. It looks great and just might add 5k to the selling price. After all that work it is not for sale and I plan to keep it till the end. Lynn and his crate 