flap and elevator indicator trim panel

[outermarker]

I have a 65 E with a badly brittle and broken flap/elevator trim panel. I called Mooney and they said "nope, sorry." I called a few interior plastic shops and got the same answer, "nope, sorry." So, this is a cry for help. I even called a few salvage yards and got the same answer. What do you guys do when a replacement is needed?

I could use a new fuse cover also.

albert

Edited April 5, 2017 by outermarker
photos added

[N201MKTurbo]

Find some screen printing supplies or a screen printing company and give them a nice piece of plastic and go to it. You might even get a vinyl sign guy to print and cut one.

Edited April 4, 2017 by N201MKTurbo

[N201MKTurbo]

Got a picture?

[RLCarter]

I'm guessing you need the plastic, give these guys a try Plane Plastics (dont think they show on the site), I have a 65 E and purchased all 4 pieces that cover the nose wheel well from them...the one you need will only be the plastic and will have to be trimmed way down but the cut outs for the indicators are there, will also have to transfer the aluminum placard over as well

[Steve65E-NC]

     I have this same part.  Mine is in pretty good shape, but I have thought about the problem as this part gets a lot of "wear and tear".  If yours is in any kind of shape at all, and Plane Plastics will not respond, then you might want to talk to a local fiber glass shop.  They might be able to make a mold from your old one as braced up and reinforced from the back side,  and then fab a new one for you with a few layers of glass.  Don't know about FAA response  to this material substitution, maybe burn tests on the fiberglass??   Molds from existing parts, an even existing boat hulls, are frequently done.

     Also, I as mentioned before, you might want to look at the one Plane Plastics has from a later model to see if you can upgrade to that.  Also, I think Plane Plastics might be willing to tool up and vacumn form one for you, but there may be a tooling cost.  I have had good luck with them and their parts.

[Shadrach]

Post a pic. Your existing piece is likely repairable.

[M20F-1968]

PM me.  I may have one or two of these.  I have a 1968 F model, but with DER approval, made a new nose wheel cover which utilizes the J model indicator.  Much more elegant.  Making the fiberglass part was alot of work, with hand layups of fiberglass, and much refitting and sanding to make a model part.  Now I have a part that I can use as a model to make others.  See my profile for pics.

John Breda

[Steve65E-NC]

Albert,

  At Sun n Fun yesterday I had a lengthy conversation with Ms April Mills, Customer Service Rep, at the Vantage Plane Plastics booth.  I took her to Mooney Space and showed her your photo of the trim/flap indicator mount.  She explained the market evaluation process they go through to decide which parts to manufacture.  Apparently the STC  to manufacture any particular part costs them many thousands of dollars.  She suggested that you contact her to see if this part might be a candidate.  If they are just making a particular part, as a owner fabricated part, this equation might change.  But they would need a verification original part from anyone who wants to participate in this process.  Suggest you reach out to her if you are still looking.  I am sure she will recall our conversation.   

 

[carusoam]

If she is willing to go owner produced part... that would be great!

This would cut out the non-technical, not required, and expensive g middleman.

Best regards,

-a-

[Yetti]

Forming aluminum sheet and owner produced part would be the way I would consider.  Lots of tapping with a hammer can be therapeutic. Using a router and hardwood to create the forms.  If you created the proper forms, a big ole hydraulic press would work well.

Some auto body tools would also be helpful.    You might be able to find an auto body shop with some craftsmen that could tap one out in about 15 minutes.   It might be complex enough on the right angle that alum sheet won't work.  The auto body person might want to use steel.

If they have an english wheel they should be able to create you a nice forever fix.

Edited April 9, 2017 by Yetti

[rbridges]

sorry for the blurry pic.  I posted this before, and someone said my plastic was a kit that could be purchased.  I had a new trim plate fabricated because mine got pretty beat looking.

edit--here's my previous thread before the repaint.  Someone mentioned that it's part of a plane plastics kit.

 

[outermarker]

@ Steve65E...I have contacted April and she did ask for the part. I don't even see a part number for this, but the drawing is nice and looks like what I posted, it's from a parts manual that goes up to '64. Anyone have a part # that I can search with?

 

Edited May 2, 2017 by outermarker

[Dale Logsdon]

15 hours ago, outermarker said:

@ Steve65E...I have contacted April and she did ask for the part. I don't even see a part number for this, but the drawing is nice and looks like what I posted, it's from a parts manual that goes up to '64. Anyone have a part # that I can search with?

 

Tell April you need a Plane Plastics p/n  "UK740020-503"

Edited May 3, 2017 by Dale Logsdon

[outermarker]

Will do, thanks for the help. I really didn't think this would be so difficult, I guess I'm learning about replacing parts on old airplanes...

[outermarker]

I took off the trim panel or shall I say it just kept breaking into small pieces until all I had to do was release the two cables. I will say that I don't like having to bend the two cables 90 degrees. That places a lot of stress on the bottom of the trim panel. Has anyone done something different? 1965 was the first year Mooney offered the electric gear. I have three part number(s) inked on the flap trim panel. I suppose one number superseded another with the base number remaining the same...740020-xxx.

One number I couldn't make out the last digit, which seemed to be either a 5 or 3. These are the numbers on my part:

740020 - 50(3)?

740020 - 50(5)?

740020-953

740020 - 961

 

Edited May 11, 2017 by outermarker

[rbridges]

2 hours ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

Hey, @rbridges.  I’ve begun an interior refresh on our ‘65 M20C.  Part of it will entail adapting the ‘66 and later Plane Plastics ABS nose wheel well covers in place of the burlap bag type nose wheel well covering that was used in ‘65.  Ours is original, badly stained and dirty, and needs to go. Anyway, the reason I am reviving this old thread is to see if you can provide any more information on the trim and flap indicator plate that you had fabricated that you reference above?   Ours looks ok, I guess, but once everything around it is redone it will stand out as an eye sore. 

The cabin door is done and gives you an idea of the look I am going for in white and black to match the new exterior paint.  All of the original interior browns and tans have to go.  Nasty.  

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide regarding having a new trim and flap indicator plate fabricated.

Jim

 

PM sent. If you're wanting to change the Johnson bar itself, I got a rechromed one from LASAR. Looks great but is relatively slick without the rust. Lol

[M20F-1968]

My nose wheel cover was shot as well.  (It was the only original Royalite part I needed to copy as the rest of my interior was retrofittted from an Ovation).  

I started with the broken part, used wood, clay, tape and whatever I needed to create the shape I needed.  Then started hand laying-up fiberglass over the old part.  You lay-up 

3 or four layers, then sand as need, then repeat many, many tines until you have a workable part.  For the original new part I just used hardware store fiberglass resin.  Then, when I had a good finished part, I used that as a mold to make a flame retardant part from flame retardant resin.  A picture is attached.  All it takes is time, patience, fiberglass and sand paper.  (I substituted a J model Trim and flap indicator for the original with a DER approval).

John Breda

[Guest]

1 hour ago, M20F-1968 said:

My nose wheel cover was shot as well.  (It was the only original Royalite part I needed to copy as the rest of my interior was retrofittted from an Ovation).  

I started with the broken part, used wood, clay, tape and whatever I needed to create the shape I needed.  Then started hand laying-up fiberglass over the old part.  You lay-up 

3 or four layers, then sand as need, then repeat many, many tines until you have a workable part.  For the original new part I just used hardware store fiberglass resin.  Then, when I had a good finished part, I used that as a mold to make a flame retardant part from flame retardant resin.  A picture is attached.  All it takes is time, patience, fiberglass and sand paper.  (I substituted a J model Trim and flap indicator for the original with a DER approval).

John Breda

Very nice work John!

[carusoam]

Incredible work, Doc John!

thanks for sharing the details.

Best regards,

-a-

[DGates]

Just received this fro Lasar.  Part number 740020-501 date of manufacture 10-5-17 .  Factory part by all appearances.  Roughly $200.

 

[DGates]

On 5/9/2017 at 2:50 PM, outermarker said:

I took off the trim panel or shall I say it just kept breaking into small pieces until all I had to do was release the two cables. I will say that I don't like having to bend the two cables 90 degrees. That places a lot of stress on the bottom of the trim panel. Has anyone done something different? 1965 was the first year Mooney offered the electric gear. I have three part number(s) inked on the flap trim panel. I suppose one number superseded another with the base number remaining the same...740020-xxx.

One number I couldn't make out the last digit, which seemed to be either a 5 or 3. These are the numbers on my part:

740020 - 50(3)?

740020 - 50(5)?

740020-953

740020 - 961