P-51D Barnfind with multiple spare engines

OMG .

 

There are enough spares there to make several more planes.

 

The treasure trove of parts is a score all by itself. Makes me wonder 2 things. This reminds me of 0052M. Has it been sitting here all these years with everyone knowing about it waiting for someone to pass away so it will be sold off like 0052M or did everyone just find out?

I also wonder what the mechanism was that allowed importation of an aircraft in private hands with the machine guns still in place.

 

How cool is that.....six .50 caliber machine guns? I'm speculating the firing mechanisms have been removed but since it predates the automatic weapons ban.....who knows?

Tell the truth....if you could get your hands on the warehouse and plane.....would you still twist wrenches on Ferraris? The parts alone are worth millions. $4.5m for the whole lot seems like a great project and business.

 

Wow.... But I want the F4 prototype. 85% restored, the final 15% should not be to expensive!!!

 

I think this plane and the spares have been listed for sale for quite some time. Maybe I am mistaken, but if I am right, it's been listed for at least a year or two.

On an related note, it's not a "barn find," and I absolutely hate that any old car or plane that hasn't been run in a while is marketed as such. It was not "found."

 

When you say its not a barn find, why not? Because it has been listed for some time does not eliminate it as a possibility. My first post referred to 0052M. A Ferrari known of with a known owner from the late 60's to the early 2000's sitting derelict the entire time. Owner died and finally family sold the car. Is this one of those instances? Or when it hit the market was it a previously unknown plane and cache of parts?

 

Removal of firing mechanisms does not make them legal. Owning licensed machine guns is legal and having them on an airplane is legal but importing a fully equipped combat aircraft as the ad implies raises complications. Hence why I expressed curiosity about the importation mechanism.

 

And you would have very well established and respected competition. These are not the only Merlin engines laying around. I believe it was Jack Roush who said there is no shortage of Merlins to keep the planes flying.

 

WOW!

 

Yup....but P-51s were iconic just like the 1965-66 Shelby GT-350s....plenty of engines for them as well. I have always loved the plane....same goes for DC-3s.

I'm sure it is someone's collection that the family is selling off. You don't amass a collection like that by buying parts on ebay. Whoever it was ....was probably pretty well known in the P51 community. I'm sure my wife and family would sell all my toys, tools and spare parts as well if something were to happen to me.

 

Not according to a quote I heard from Jack Roush told to me by a P51 owner who knows Jack. He should know. They don't go for scrap prices anymore so I am sure to some that means rare.

How many does it take to keep a couple hundred airplanes running? Cant bolt them in a Hydroplane, blow them up and throw them overboard anymore.

Looked at another way. I don't think world wide there is a single original airframe not airworthy because of lack of a Merlin. I think there are a lot of airframes sitting in museums etc that will never fly again with engines in them.


Not sure of the accuracy but according to one source there are 294 P51 's and 172 airworthy. About 40 Spitfires. Just say another 100 Merlin powered aircraft. How many engines do they need?

https://www.roushaviation.com/parts-inventory/
http://www.vintagev12s.com/gallery.htm

 

[QUOTE I'm sure my wife and family would sell all my toys, tools and spare parts as well if something were to happen to me. [/QUOTE]

Hopefully, not for what you TOLD them you paid for them...

(old gun collector joke)

 

This “barn find” has been for sale for several years as I recall. Different brokers, etc.

 

The receiver side plates with serial #'s from the .50 BMG Ma Deuce, is the controlled part. All other items are good to go and anyone can own the other components.

 

This from someone with no connection in the aviation world, but with an interest in engines and their history...
"Merlins" are not "easy" to find, but not "that hard" either.
Granted, it might be difficult to find the right mark of the engine you are looking for at the right time (single stage, single speed supercharger; single stage, two speed supercharger; two stage, two speed supercharger); and when you have one in the right configuration, high-altitude rated (Merlin 61 or 63) or low-altitude rated (Merlin 66). For US production, Packard 1650-3 (equivalent to the Merlin 63, rated for high altitude) and V-1650-7 (equivalent to the Merlin 66) etc...
But as there were about 160.000 produced in total, some do surface in the add circuit from time to time; here-enclosed an exemple of a flyable, zero-timed Merlin 35 for about 200.000 $.
Single stage, two speed supercharger; fitted to the Boulton-Paul Balliol and Avro Athena originally.

https://www.aircraftrestorationcompany.com/merlin-engine

Rgds

 

Or a "Dash One" (= V-1650-1, single stage, two speed supercharger, used mainly on the Curtiss P-40 F) that sold for U$ 30.000 on E-Bay this January.
Not the most sought after variant, and not airworthy, but seems very complete:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/113530616236?ul_ref=https%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F711-53200-19255-0%252F1%253Ficep_id%253D114%2526ipn%253Dicep%2526toolid%253D20004%2526campid%253D5337797875%2526mpre%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.com%25252Fitm%25252FPackard-Rolls-Royce-V-1650-1-Merlin-Engine%25252F113530616236%25253Fhash%25253Ditem1a6ef3b9ac%25253Ag%25253AXz4AAOSw8%257ENcMqqI%25253Ark%25253A45%25253Apf%25253A0%2526srcrot%253D711-53200-19255-0%2526rvr_id%253D1936488229507%2526rvr_ts%253D26b2b1bd16a0a68bacc71cfbfff60169&ul_noapp=true

Rgds

 

I heard that there is actually someone somewhere casting new blocks for Merlins, but I've never seen that confirmed. Certainly, with all the Merlin-powered aircraft currently flying, I think about 300 of them, there might be a market for totally-new engines.

 

someone doesn't need the money or they're using someone else's

that airplane's been around

 

Looking at a few other sources it belongs to an older oil man who doesn't need the money, wants ALL the money and it's a package deal.

Its out in the oil patch near Midland.

As I recall the same guy had a bunch of other old German aircraft stacked up in hangars and was involved in some way with the movie "Battle of Britain".

This is the last of several he imported from Guatemala way back when they were done putting down some insurrection.

 

If I had f-u money, I would have a Merlin on a stand and fire that bad boy up weekly. I just love the sound of the start up..

 

Jay Leno has one!