Late M20J Headliner?

[dcastor]

I wonder if someone with a later model J can take a good photo of the vents used in their airplane and answer how does air get into the duct up there?  In the 1977 J, there is a scoop on the top of the cabin that opens when a dial in the headliner is turned.

 

I'm thinking about replacing my headliner and I wonder if the newer style headliner will work, because it looks like Mooney just used parts left over from the M20F/G and made it fit (poorly) in the M20J airframe...until they got around to a redesign.  Also it seems the vent louvers on the original 77 J are not available from plane plastics.

 

The headliner I'd like to use was on serial numbers 24-0084; 24-0378 THRU 24-0900 (and probably later).

 

Thanks!

 

Dave

[Mooney1401]

I too would like to do my head liner in my 78 J

[KSMooniac]

It is an entirely different ventilation system compared to our '77's, so you can't just replace the headliner and make it work.  The eyeball vents in the newer models are actually fed from 4 individual hoses that are supplied with ram air from the NACA scoop in the dorsal fin.  I don't think there is any good way to feed them with the pop-up scoop.

 

At least two owners here (testwest/Norman and jezzie/Eldon) have retrofitted the later bits onto their '77 J's.  I plan to do the same thing, but it will be a while longer before I start.  You'll need a lot of parts, best scavenged from a salvage plane.

[preinke]

I replaced the whole interior of a '77 with Plane Plastics' parts. There were a couple parts like the rear headliner and I think the slotted vents where you had to send in your old parts  so they could send you new ones. Quality was good , fit could have been better.

 

Paul

'77J KIKV

[testwest]

Scott is right, there are a lot of parts that are different! We started with the parts manual and basically copied the later style. Boy it was expensive, starting with the new dorsal fairing in front of the vertical stabilizer. It is a crapload of work. But it sure works good, basically a hurricane in cruise flight with the valve and a couple of the eyeballs open.

[KSMooniac]

Scott is right, there are a lot of parts that are different! We started with the parts manual and basically copied the later style. Boy it was expensive, starting with the new dorsal fairing in front of the vertical stabilizer. It is a crapload of work. But it sure works good, basically a hurricane in cruise flight with the valve and a couple of the eyeballs open.

 

I'll see your crapload of work swapping vents, and raise you swapping center consoles and nose wheel wells!  

[testwest]

Scott, you win this one! For everyone else, KSMooniac removed his throttle quadrant out of his 77J and put in the newer center console, which also means a new nose gear box.

 

Neither project can be justified on logical grounds, but emotional ones, well.....

 

Actually, affinity for engineering things is a big curse. People who are "normal" have much simpler lives.