Looking for PA-32-300 guru's

B

Beaker’s Flyin

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Feb 24, 2021
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Beaker’s Flyin
Hi all,

As the thread title states, I'm looking to see if there are any PA-32-300 guru's amongst the group. I'm in the market for one and have a lead for one that (if I can get the seller to call me back) will be looking to sign a purchase agreement on it with pre-buy contingencies. The only problem is that I'm about 800 miles away from it. I plan on heading down to see it when the pre-buy is scheduled.

I've read quite a bit about the wing AD's both cracking and corrosion. I've also seen a general list of things that have been taken care of during the annuals. I'm looking for some insight on the not so well known issues a PA-32 could have.

Thanks in advance.

B.
 
The front spar attach has a recently released SB. Easy to get a borescope through the front air vents to see if it's corroded.

Corrosion of the main spar behind the fuel tanks is an issue, but hard to see without pulling the tanks, which is a bit beyond the scope of a prebuy. Look for the relevant SB in the logs.

Rear spar attach can also be a corrosion and wear point, but isn't too bad to repair. The others are pricy.

Main spar attach... obviously you're familiar with the AD. Not as much of an issue on the -32s anyway.

Yoke t-bar SB. Can't think of any others. They're simple, honest planes.

Watch out for incorrectly done club seat conversions, you see that occasionally.

The early ones with the fiberglass tip tanks are getting old enough to have leak issues. Actually the wet wing tanks often leak, too, and are quite expensive to have resealed. I had my inboards done a couple years ago and was into 5 figures.

Wing walk requires pulling the wing to repair, so make sure it feels solid.

Good luck!
 
'67 pa-32-300 driver here. Where's the bird located? What year?

It's really just a big Cherokee. One issue with the early models is your fuel selector is 5 positions. I actually like managing fuel as it give me something to do on long xc's. Every 7.5 gallons I'll switch tanks.

Jim mentioned the spars. I'll mention the stabilator bushings and anti servo jack screw.

The vertical stabilizer is prone to cracking and I've seen more than a couple 28/32's with a stop drill, which is not an approved repair if one were to get ramp checked.

On the wings themselves you'll sometimes see skin cracks near the fuselage and the repair is pretty non invasive. But a buckling sound on the wing walk is no bueno. I have heard sometimes a repair can be made without pulling a wing.

Look for pitting in the oleos
 
Since you didn't add an R on the end we have to assume a fixed gear. My biggest issues (I was an R) tended to be nose gear related.
 
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