New Interior Panels from Mooney

[PilotX]

Has anybody priced new panels from the factory? I cannot find any panels for the Bravo and have been repairing and painting them. However I would still like to be able to source some panels. I grabbed a list off out of the parts manual but my google searches only send me to pages where I can request a quote.

 

1 - 130331-509

4 - 130331-023

6 - 130331-021

9 - 130331-033

16 - 130331-047

16 - 130331-049

21 - 130331-503

25 - 10331-025

32 - 130271-085

33 - 130331-027

38 - 130331-531

[PT20J]

Call LASAR or any MSC with the part numbers and they can get you pricing. Be sure to post back what you find out 

[PilotX]

Just now, PT20J said:

Call LASAR or any MSC with the part numbers and they can get you pricing. Be sure to post back what you find out 

I always hit send after thinking I typed everything pertinent to the conversation. I did send that list to Lasar. Think they are getting tired of me asking about parts they don't carry.

[carusoam]

My memory is not that good...

What panels are those?

Instrument panels?

Access panels?

Interior panels?

Side wall panels?

For long body panels of any sort... sending an email to the factory might be a great idea...

Best regards,

-a-

[PT20J]

Just now, PilotX said:

I always hit send after thinking I typed everything pertinent to the conversation. I did send that list to Lasar. Think they are getting tired of me asking about parts they don't carry.

Most MSCs don’t stock a lot of parts - just the common stuff. LASAR has a larger stock than most because part of their business model is to be the go to place for parts and they built the website to make parts ordering easier. Probably no one is going to have interior plastic in stock. But LASAR won’t mind you ordering a part they don’t have on the shelf. Dan will have Mooney ship it directly to you.
Skip

[PilotX]

40 minutes ago, carusoam said:

My memory is not that good...

What panels are those?

Instrument panels?

Access panels?

Interior panels?

Side wall panels?

For long body panels of any sort... sending an email to the factory might be a great idea...

Best regards,

-a-

All interior panels for the Bravo. 

[carusoam]

Let’s see if @Davidv would be familiar with plastic interior panel inventory levels for Long Body Mooneys....

Either way...

Its quite possible that there may be panels in inventory for the Long Bodies...

They might have outlines for a pilot side door in them...   

The usual way to find out is by contacting your MSC... they then relay the request to Mooney...

That old system is getting older... it still works. It is most important for the accountants...

There is also the Mooney website...

It would make a great question to launch over there as well...

Best regards,

-a-

 

[Davidv]

@carusoam is correct, whether it's LASAR or any other MSC, send your request and they should be able to tell you what Mooney has in stock (they can see our real time inventory in their system).  I'd pick the MSC closest to your home base for a bulky item like this. Sometimes there's a delay in getting information if it's out of stock because the MSC needs to email our production engineer about the timeline.  Some parts are easy to make and some not as much.

[LANCECASPER]

14 hours ago, PilotX said:

Has anybody priced new panels from the factory? I cannot find any panels for the Bravo and have been repairing and painting them. However I would still like to be able to source some panels. I grabbed a list off out of the parts manual but my google searches only send me to pages where I can request a quote.

 

1 - 130331-509

4 - 130331-023

6 - 130331-021

9 - 130331-033

16 - 130331-047

16 - 130331-049

21 - 130331-503

25 - 10331-025

32 - 130271-085

33 - 130331-027

38 - 130331-531

Just get yours covered at AeroComfort. They repair them and then cover them in Ultraleather. They've done two Bravos for me and done an excellent job.

[PilotX]

1 hour ago, LANCECASPER said:

Just get yours covered at AeroComfort. They repair them and then cover them in Ultraleather. They've done two Bravos for me and done an excellent job.

 

They have my yokes and glare shield. 

[ZuluZulu]

14 hours ago, PT20J said:

Most MSCs don’t stock a lot of parts - just the common stuff. LASAR has a larger stock than most because part of their business model is to be the go to place for parts and they built the website to make parts ordering easier. Probably no one is going to have interior plastic in stock. But LASAR won’t mind you ordering a part they don’t have on the shelf. Dan will have Mooney ship it directly to you.
Skip

We've been waiting months for an answer (from the factory) on interior plastics for my J so I wouldn't hold my breath.  Maybe big-spending long-body owners can get a faster answer.  

@LANCECASPER - How bad were your plastics when you took them to Hector?

[LANCECASPER]

2 hours ago, ZuluZulu said:

We've been waiting months for an answer (from the factory) on interior plastics for my J so I wouldn't hold my breath.  Maybe big-spending long-body owners can get a faster answer.  

@LANCECASPER - How bad were your plastics when you took them to Hector?

Neither were too bad, but Hector has shown me plastics that arrived in pieces and were repaired and recovered. Much better long term solution than trying to paint yellowed plastics.

[ZuluZulu]

18 minutes ago, LANCECASPER said:

Neither were too bad, but Hector has shown me plastics that arrived in pieces and were repaired and recovered. Much better long term solution than trying to paint yellowed plastics.

I'm still on the fence as to whether I need new plastics before it goes to Hector.  I have a lot of cracks, missing chunks, the front edge of the ceiling (visible from in front of the prop, looking through the windscreen) is in especially rough shape and is mostly missing.  Last time I talked to Hector it sounded like he thought I would need new plastics but now I'm not sure.

[carusoam]

There are age related things that are difficult to recover from....

The interior plastic panels are typically made of ABS...

As they age, they start turning browner..... like baking a loaf of bread...

Unlike bread, the panels a very thin... so the aged surfaces... are pretty much affecting the whole part...

So if the whole part is breaking up... there is only so much supporting and covering you can do...  before generating the $6MM man... 

Hector and his shop do amazing work...

If you can get new plastic pieces... compare the prices and value...

PP thoughts only, not a polymer rehabber...

Best regards,

-a-

[PilotX]

Given the amount of money I am putting into Miss Daisy with the avionics upgrades, some paint and a naugahyde refresh will have to do for a couple of years. Certain I will be flying too fast for anybody to notice...

[PT20J]

ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) plastic panels can be repaired to look like new in some cases. I have repaired my panels and glareshield to like new condition in my 1994 M20J using glass cloth, ABS cement and sometimes additional pieces of ABS material. However, the airplane has always been hangared and, although slightly yellowed, they were in pretty decent shape to begin with.

Over time and exposure to UV radiation, the butadiene reacts with oxygen and this causes yellowing and embrittlement. At some point the stuff just wants to crumble. It doesn’t help that Mooney uses very thin ABS sheets (to reduce weight) and the vacuum forming process further thins the plastic by stretching in some areas. The panels weren’t that strong to begin with.

So, if they are really damaged and fragile you might try Vantage (Plane Plastics) for replacements. Others have reported that their panels are of good quality and thicker than the originals. They also may be slightly larger and require trimming and fitting.

Hope this helps.

Skip

 

[carusoam]

Skip,

you nailed all of the details in once concise post!

• ABS
• Chemistry
• Forming process
• Aging, UV and oxidation, brittleness
• Strength limitation related to weight

@0TreeLemur would like to add that to his list of Stickies.... 

Way to go!

Go MS!

Best regards,

-a-

[0TreeLemur]

9 hours ago, carusoam said:

Skip,

you nailed all of the details in once concise post!

• ABS
• Chemistry
• Forming process
• Aging, UV and oxidation, brittleness
• Strength limitation related to weight

@0TreeLemur would like to add that to his list of Stickies.... 

Way to go!

Go MS!

Best regards,

-a-

Yes sir.  If only that capability existed.

[ZuluZulu]

18 hours ago, PT20J said:

ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) plastic panels can be repaired to look like new in some cases. I have repaired my panels and glareshield to like new condition in my 1994 M20J using glass cloth, ABS cement and sometimes additional pieces of ABS material. However, the airplane has always been hangared and, although slightly yellowed, they were in pretty decent shape to begin with.

Over time and exposure to UV radiation, the butadiene reacts with oxygen and this causes yellowing and embrittlement. At some point the stuff just wants to crumble. It doesn’t help that Mooney uses very thin ABS sheets (to reduce weight) and the vacuum forming process further thins the plastic by stretching in some areas. The panels weren’t that strong to begin with.

So, if they are really damaged and fragile you might try Vantage (Plane Plastics) for replacements. Others have reported that their panels are of good quality and thicker than the originals. They also may be slightly larger and require trimming and fitting.

Hope this helps.

Skip

 

I have looked at Vantage but they only have one of the parts I need for my serial number.  The left-hand forward panel (to the pilot's left) is the only piece they have of any significant size.  If I want the RH door panel or the LH and RH rear passenger panels, or a headliner, I'm out of luck.  It's nowhere even close to the full interior replacement I'm looking for.

[Andy95W]

@ZuluZulu- Give them a call, if you haven’t already.

The Vantage on-line catalog is incomplete and kinda crappy.  The people that answer the phone are extremely knowledgeable and can often quote part numbers by memory.  No guarantees for your situation, but definitely worth a call.

I’ve bought plastic parts from them that weren’t shown but were perfect and exactly what I needed.

Edit- when I dealt with them last they were still Plane Plastics.

[PT20J]

2 hours ago, ZuluZulu said:

I have looked at Vantage but they only have one of the parts I need for my serial number.  The left-hand forward panel (to the pilot's left) is the only piece they have of any significant size.  If I want the RH door panel or the LH and RH rear passenger panels, or a headliner, I'm out of luck.  It's nowhere even close to the full interior replacement I'm looking for.

Their website is a mess and incomplete. Their homepage says they are working to improve it, but it hasn't improved much in the last year so they can't be working on it very hard. Try calling them and discussing your needs. However, having said that, I recently called them about a part for the center console for my plane and they were not very helpful. But others have found them a good source so perhaps I just caught them on a bad day. I'm not sure of the company history, but it looks like Plane Plastics was acquired by Vantage Associates. Perhaps the service has gone downhill since. Maybe others here know the story.

Skip

[1980Mooney]

On 4/22/2021 at 1:29 PM, ZuluZulu said:

We've been waiting months for an answer (from the factory) on interior plastics for my J so I wouldn't hold my breath.  Maybe big-spending long-body owners can get a faster answer.  

@LANCECASPER - How bad were your plastics when you took them to Hector?

So the factory is not supplying parts in a timely manner?...not even for the J which must have been its single biggest seller?!  I thought the “new” Mooney publicized that it was all about supporting legacy aircraft that make up the majority of the existing fleet.  

[ZuluZulu]

10 hours ago, 1980Mooney said:

So the factory is not supplying parts in a timely manner?...not even for the J which must have been its single biggest seller?!  I thought the “new” Mooney publicized that it was all about supporting legacy aircraft that make up the majority of the existing fleet.  

Some small metal parts I recently needed were produced and shipped from the factory within about a month and change from my order, but I have heard nothing back about interior pieces for months.

[ZuluZulu]

On 4/23/2021 at 5:16 PM, PT20J said:

Their website is a mess and incomplete. Their homepage says they are working to improve it, but it hasn't improved much in the last year so they can't be working on it very hard. Try calling them and discussing your needs. However, having said that, I recently called them about a part for the center console for my plane and they were not very helpful. But others have found them a good source so perhaps I just caught them on a bad day. I'm not sure of the company history, but it looks like Plane Plastics was acquired by Vantage Associates. Perhaps the service has gone downhill since. Maybe others here know the story.

Skip

Got any tips for winning a callback to numerous voicemails? It’s almost as if they don’t want to sell parts. 

[PT20J]

1 minute ago, ZuluZulu said:

Got any tips for winning a callback to numerous voicemails? It’s almost as if they don’t want to sell parts. 

Try emailing tonya.weinhoffer@vantageassoc.com, although she didn’t return my last email. 

Skip