Where to start?  I bought '747 in Concord, CA in 2004. It had 1112 hrs TT airframe & engine. I flew it back to Lancaster and took it all apart; everything. I put new tricked-out LyCon prepped Lyoming cylinders, new vacuum pump, all new Garmin avionics (340, 2 430s, 327), baffles/seals, mags/harness/plugs . . . I then flew 747 to Baraboo, WI for the 2004 AYA Convention. 

Late 2004-early 2005.  After the Convention (and before I moved to Auburn), I installed a Jaguar Cowling. I've made hundreds of small changes and improvements since then. I've thought about making a list of the changes and seeing how many people could spot them. 

I have tried a LOT of ideas looking for 'one-more-knot.' Some worked, most didn't. I've done a lot of testing with dye in an attempt to understand the fluid flow on the plane. The best speed to date, with a 67" fixed pitch prop, at 1000 MSL, and 2850 rpm, is 160 knots TAS.

I took 747 apart in 2010.  I wanted an IO360.  It took Lycon 3 yrs to build it and me to pay for it. I'm anxious to see what the IO360 will do.

Current (2020) price is $175,000 including shipping and handling. Send an email to AuCountry (at) yahoo (dot) com