Well I've had the Stinson for seven years now and my stewardship of this fine airplane is up. It's in better shape now than when I got her. She is ready for the new owner..
1949 Stinson 108–3 $26.500 165 Franklin with stronger 220 Franklin crankshaft. 3.870TT. 870 SMOH and new prop. Recently overhauled Bendix magnetos, annual due April 2016, Vortex Generators, Garmin 495 GPS & SL30 nav/com with glide-slope, traffic proximity alert system, AT50A transponder, 4 place intercom, David Clark headset, Wingtip strobes. ABW 3200 tail wheel. Original Wheel pants. 700x6 main wheels with 850x6 available, Shoulder harnesses. All parts and service manuals and pilot operating handbook for the aircraft. Small toolkit and tie-down kit. Great backcountry airplane.
I've had her in the Idaho backcountry the last six years in a row and it's been a lot of fun. Most of my flying now is Just me and the dog.
So I am going back to my little Cessna

It will make a good plane for someone! I'm going to miss it.




















Now it's time to get that 120 back in the air!

Beautiful plane. Got my eye on this one.

What is the TBO and rough estimate for what an overhaul would cost for the Franklin?

Is availability for parts and service an issue?

Would welcome yours or anyone's thoughts on here.

edit...just re-read my post...I am not sure how to phrase this question without opening up an opportunity for folks to bad mouth or say why Franklins are awesome or why they suck. Just looking for feedback from people that have first hand knowledge of owning and/or operating Franklins.

I've been dealing with Franklin Engine over the last 12 years and haven't really had a problem finding anything that I needed in a timely manner. Franklin engine parts in Texas is a very good spot to get just about anything you need, and they are good about shipping next day air even for a small order. My local area has a lot resources for Franklin and Stinson parts and we have a local engine rebuilder here in town who is also a Stinson owner. Franklin cylinders are different from most cylinders in that they are a sleeved cylinder so you replace the sleeve at overhaul not the cylinder. There are no oversize pistons or piston rings rings like in a Lycoming in continental everything is a standard size. The 165 Franklin Has a 1200 hour TBO it's a bit on the low side but with a little care they go a lot longer. The worst thing for these airplanes is for them to sit and not be used or skip on the recommended maintenance intervals, that seems to be the biggest problem. The valves need to be checked every hundred hours to see if they are adjusted right and it's a easy thing to do. I have a book that was published a few years ago from the Southwest Stinson club that is a great resource for the care and upkeep on the108 Stinson. As for the cost of an overhaul I don't know, it would probably be best to get a hold of a Franklin rebuilder and find out what the last three or four rebuilds cost.

SOLD!!! Good luck to the new owner, whoever you are! It's a good airplane, enjoy it!

robw56 wrote:

Where were these photos taken? Beautiful strip and background!

hotrod180 wrote:

robw56 wrote:

Where were these photos taken? Beautiful strip and background!

Garden Valley I think..