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How to fix this?


Tommy

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Take out a bunch of tiny screws, and don't drop any. Put them someplace safe, away from the plane. Peel off old, decaying material. Using the thinner of your choice (MEK works well, just don't breathe the fumes), scrub it down to bare aluminum. Put on new stuff, replace trim, put in many tiny screws (don't drop only! Do the next day if you use MEK, you'll be high and clumsy . . . . ).

Mine is off white, replaced last fall. Looks great! Sorry, no pictures . . .

 

 

Hmm.... pliers and a set of 30-weight ball bearings don't seem like a bad idea after all...

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Oh crap Tommy!! Looks like yours are riveted in!! All those little -3 pop rivers around the jam will need to be drilled out. I'd go back in with PK screws and tinnermen clips.

I grabbed some leather and rope and made my own. Usually a 3/8" to 1/2" piece of foam or rope will work for the inner material, then wrap it with the leather or fabric. Finally stitching one seam close to the edge of the rope. Leave about 1.5" past the edge to fasten it to the aircraft.

Lots of patients with the screws and tinnermens going back together.

Where are you at? I have a friend down in TAZ that flies out of Davenport I believe.

-Matt

Matt, would you recommend going back in with another pop rivet? One size up in diameter?
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This guy on ebay has windlace.   The foam core is at an angle not round.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-8-INCH-CORE-PREMIUM-STITCHED-CLOTH-BLACK-HEADLINER-WINDLACE-BY-THE-FOOT-/121262448442?hash=item1c3bce1f3a

 

It's not a tinnerman clip as that would show to the outside.  but a wood screw "nut" McMaster Carr refers to them as speed nuts.   Although a standard bevel head machine screw and nut would do as would the pop rivits

 

I used needle nose pliers to hold the nut.  Use an awl at an angle to cinch up the windlace and put a hole in it.  Hold in place. remove awl replace with chosen fastner.  repeat.   Should take about 2-3 hours standing by the plane......

 

Leather... hum I bet I could take some scrap and make my own to match the interior.

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Pete, You could probably go back with the same rivet. But you'll need a small strip of aluminum on the back side, so it won't pull thru the leather. The bad part is that backing plate will spin when you try and drill it out. The tinnermens and screws shouldn't spin. I would not recommend rivets.

-Matt

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When you get the old wind lace out...

Save it to use it as a pattern. Cutting notches into the the wind lace support is basic sewing 101.

Best regards,

-a-

That sounds like a good idea.  Wouldn't have thought of it - aircraft upholstery was not offered at my college.  

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  • 4 weeks later...

Update- I replaced this a couple of weeks ago on my door.  It was very doable for an unskilled owner, but a PITA, as predicted above.  It would have been easy if the interior was already completely removed for some other reason. But partly mobilizing a subset of overlapping interior panels for adequate access to the screws and then getting them back in place at the end was not easy at all.   It was held in by a LOT of little screws.  Very hard not to drop a few- was able to fish out most from under floor with a magnet.   I replaced about 80% of the screws to install the new one- there were areas that didn't need quite so many to be secure.  Making the notches to inset around bends was easy and best done while actually putting it in, not based on the template in advance.  It took about 4 hours total by the time I wrestled the interior panels back to where they should be.  

 

On the upside, it looks great compared to a the old one- definitely makes the interior look less sketchy for passengers.   To my surprise, it improved seal around my door enough to make a noticeable improvement in interior noise.  I was disappointed when replacing my foam door seals a couple of months ago made no difference at all.

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