Need help evaluating a barn find Kitfox Series 5

[efwd]

Well you certainly can't do it the way the previous owner did. You need to finish it. Good luck, enjoy the build.

[bbs428]

Way to go Eric!

Finally it's in it's new home with someone who can get it in the air where it belongs, congratz!

Now the real work begins. It will get ugly and overwhelming real fast. Get it all apart. Label everything. Identify to
the best of your ability what still can be used, what's missing and what new hardware/ 7 mods you want to purchase.
Factory support is top notch so all you need is cash and motivation! Lol.
In my case, it was difficult for me to find what was missing until I got to that particular step in the manual. Seemed
like every two weeks I was placing another order. More astute management will reduce shipping costs which can get
out of hand fast!

Lastly organization is your friend. You will save literally hundreds of hours looking for that part you just saw the other
day. So you order a new one and shockingly - you find the old one.

All the best and enjoy the build.

[alexM]

Kitfox is the only company in the world that has my card on file.

[SilverFox5]

Eric, my brother and I are building a kitfox 5 that was originally sold in 1994. Our kit was never started by the original buyer. We are first time builders but have learned a lot over the last 2 years. There are service bulletins that I'm sure you would have to complete. The rudder peddle reinforcement is just one. But the most critical would the fuel tanks. If this kit was built with the original tanks they should be replaced because they will not hold up to the fuel additives. Each tank is about $450.00 plus shipping. And removing those tanks after being epoxied to the spars and ribs is going to be a major job. We new some of this before we purchased our kit and we got lucky and paid less than half of this asking price. My honest opinion is at $20K plus all the updates I would look at a new factory kit.

Joe
KF5 Rotax 912uls
Freedom, WI

[Eric Page]

There are service bulletins that I'm sure you would have to complete. The rudder peddle reinforcement is just one. But the most critical would the fuel tanks. If this kit was built with the original tanks they should be replaced because they will not hold up to the fuel additives.

Thanks for your post, Joe. After reading it, I went to the Kitfox website and looked through the lists of Service Bulletins and Service Letters. I can't find one regarding rudder pedals that applies to the Series 5 Safari; just Vixens of various serial numbers (SB #38).

WRT fuel tanks, I can only find a Bulletin (SB #60) regarding fuel tank rinsing, and one (SB-42, and a correction, SB-42A) regarding leaking fuel valves with specific part numbers, but there doesn't appear to be a Letter or Bulletin about fuel tank replacement.

Can you help me with a source for the need to do rudder pedal reinforcement on non-Vixen Series 5 aircraft, or to replace Series 5 fuel tanks? Is this just tribal knowledge? It seems like something that the factory would have documented.

Thanks!

[avidflyer]

As far as the old fuel tanks go, there are a lot of planes flying with the older tanks in them. If you can get non oxygenated fuel or run avgas, the old tanks will probably be fine. It is the alcohol in auto fuel that is a problem for the older tanks. Another bit of protection is to slosh the tanks with KBS coating or Caswell's tank sealant. If they were sloshed with Kreem at the factory, that should probably be washed out first with acetone before you put the new sealant in. JImChuk

[Eric Page]

If you can get non oxygenated fuel or run avgas, the old tanks will probably be fine. It is the alcohol in auto fuel that is a problem for the older tanks. Another bit of protection is to slosh the tanks with KBS coating or Caswell's tank sealant. If they were sloshed with Kreem at the factory, that should probably be washed out first with acetone before you put the new sealant in.

OK, got it. I'm at a county airport with self-serve avgas, and have a very convenient supply of high-octane ethanol-free auto gas at a station 10 min away, so I don't think this would be a major concern. I'll definitely look into the tank coating before installing the wings. Thank you.