Intake rubber accordion boot

[jetdriven]

I’m not sure if any RTV is fuel resistant.  

[tigers2007]

1 hour ago, jetdriven said:

I’m not sure if any RTV is fuel resistant.  

I believe you are correct. Permatex notes that Ultra Black is oil and weather resistant. I don't think there is any single perfect solution out there for this goofy airbox design.

[Shadrach]

10 hours ago, tigers2007 said:

I believe you are correct. Permatex notes that Ultra Black is oil and weather resistant. I don't think there is any single perfect solution out there for this goofy airbox design.

A high strength silicone coupler would be most ideal.

As for reinforcing the standard duct, I think any fuel tank sealant that meets AMS-S-8802 is the best option. There is nothing I can think of that is off the shelf locally that compares in terms of adhesion, flexibility and durability.
 

[H Foster]

I'm on the hunt for an intake boot 600064-000.  I've been calling around all over for this and can't seem to find one.  Lasar has none in stock.  I called them just to make sure and it's a 35 week lead time for the boot once they receive the minimum order quantity of 10.  I've called Don Maxwell and about 15 other places with no luck.

This is what mine looks like, it doesn't look repairable to me.  Any suggestions or alternatives?

[Kelpro999]

21 hours ago, H Foster said:

This is what mine looks like, it doesn't look repairable to me.  Any suggestions or alternatives?

Yikes! Does your engine still have compression?

[H Foster]

Let's just say it runs rough!

[Mister_Bevilaqua]

On 5/31/2025 at 2:49 PM, H Foster said:

I'm on the hunt for an intake boot 600064-000.  I've been calling around all over for this and can't seem to find one.  Lasar has none in stock.  I called them just to make sure and it's a 35 week lead time for the boot once they receive the minimum order quantity of 10.  I've called Don Maxwell and about 15 other places with no luck.

This is what mine looks like, it doesn't look repairable to me.  Any suggestions or alternatives?

 

What is their asking price per unit if you order 10? 

[Ragsf15e]

56 minutes ago, Mister_Bevilaqua said:

 

What is their asking price per unit if you order 10? 

Good point. They are ~$800 each (from the last order).  I know it seems like a lot, but order 7 to get the ball rolling and then sell them at cost plus shipping. I think you’ll sell them easily.

[Mister_Bevilaqua]

8 hours ago, Ragsf15e said:

Good point. They are ~$800 each (from the last order).  I know it seems like a lot, but order 7 to get the ball rolling and then sell them at cost plus shipping. I think you’ll sell them easily.

What does Lasar sell that's actually in stock or still available? 80% of their items are OOS or show as no longer available. I'm not sure why you'd bother to list products that you no longer sell. 

[Gee Bee Aeroproducts]

Group buy will reduce the cost

Good luck 

[Echo]

Reaper is selling a used one on Ebay for that $800 price.  Desperate times require despirate spending...Glad my E has a J cowl conversion and no weak link accordian gasket.  Fun fact, my engine is off an F that may have gone down due to the accordian.

[varlajo]

25 minutes ago, Echo said:

an F that may have gone down due to the accordian

Do tell, do tell!! 

[Echo]

34 minutes ago, varlajo said:

Do tell, do tell!! 

Ben done movie. Go to safety threads.

[Brian2034]

Can this be an owner manufactured part??
Im sure there is a better way to route a duct from the filter to the carb box!

Manufacture a flange to accept  sceet tubing for the flex point, same as most GA aircraft.

 

[MikeOH]

23 minutes ago, Brian2034 said:

Can this be an owner manufactured part??
Im sure there is a better way to route a duct from the filter to the carb box!

Manufacture a flange to accept  sceet tubing for the flex point, same as most GA aircraft.

 

Not saying something couldn't be fabricated, but if you look at the dimensions involved (small distance between flanges vs. rectangular size) using round tubing is not really going to work.

[Brian2034]

3 hours ago, MikeOH said:

Not saying something couldn't be fabricated, but if you look at the dimensions involved (small distance between flanges vs. rectangular size) using round tubing is not really going to work.

My boot is in decent shape but I have looked at modifying, the boot / replacing if the time comes for replacement.  Shouldn’t be to much work to fabricate a flange to go from the square filter bracket to a 3 or 4 inch sceet with carbon fiber then if required another flange on the carb box.

[Echo]

3 minutes ago, Brian2034 said:

My boot is in decent shape but I have looked at modifying, the boot / replacing if the time comes for replacement.  Shouldn’t be to much work to fabricate a flange to go from the square filter bracket to a 3 or 4 inch sceet with carbon fiber then if required another flange on the carb box.

This is not an experimental. I would not wish to purchase your certified plane with that modification.

[MikeOH]

23 minutes ago, Brian2034 said:

My boot is in decent shape but I have looked at modifying, the boot / replacing if the time comes for replacement.  Shouldn’t be to much work to fabricate a flange to go from the square filter bracket to a 3 or 4 inch sceet with carbon fiber then if required another flange on the carb box.

1) I think you are underestimating the difficulty

2) You're going to have to find an A&P to sign this off

3) What's the next IA going say when the next annual comes around?

4) @Echo is correct; this will NOT sell well to most buyers

5) Good luck!

[Brian2034]

At some point parts for 60 year old planes are going too become obsolete and or to cost prohibitive and owner manufactured parts are going to become the norm to keep those aircraft flying.
 Or more and more good aircraft are going to become scrap because parts are more valuable than a flying aircraft.

[N201MKTurbo]

Somebody sent me one of these boots. A warn out one. I took it apart and figured out how they are made. It would take probably $5000 worth of machine shop work to make the fixtures. 
 

But why bother, it seems like AeroDuct will make them whenever Mooney asks for them. So it would be counter productive to make a second source PMA version for something with such a small demand that is still in production.

[cliffy]

On 6/7/2025 at 2:38 PM, Brian2034 said:

My boot is in decent shape but I have looked at modifying, the boot / replacing if the time comes for replacement.  Shouldn’t be to much work to fabricate a flange to go from the square filter bracket to a 3 or 4 inch sceet with carbon fiber then if required another flange on the carb box.

Let not forget the  fairly large and sudden rotational movement at each start and stop of the engine, even in its mounts, and of course the constant rotational vibration while running. That's why its flexible 

What seems at first glance easy- has complications.

As I've said before, we are flying antiques by every measure of the word.

We have the "original" manufacturer willing to still make parts for 60 year old products but at a cost. Name any company in the world still willing to do that!

What is a reasonable cost to keep antiques flying?  We can complain all we want (to our own detriment) but it won't change the dynamics of the situation. We choose to stay in a segment of GA that is essentially slowly going away  by the attrition of airframes as we wreck more of them every year than are made and some aren't even made anymore - MOONEYS!

Other, newer segments of GA are booming, LS, experimental, etc taking the wind out of our segment and the desire to manufacture for our segment. Anything new, now, in our segment is nearer to 1 MILLION dollars to purchase. The field is small for those capable of such a purchase.

Parts costs are a factor of todays pricing not what it cost a half a century ago to make. 

Its analogous to buying a 40 year old Rolls Royce today (of which I'm very familiar). There are many Rolls available for an "affordable" price almost all of which have  numerous "differed"  maintenance items. Just like most of our GA fleet.  You can bring an old Rolls Royce back from the dead to its former glory - but at a cost- as with it too, the parts are priced at today's value and not what they cost 40 years ago. 

We are going to have to admit (at some time) that to play in this game is going to cost a significant amount of money and we will have to loose the "CHEAP BASTARDS" moniker. 

Time marches on.

 

[N201MKTurbo]

10 hours ago, cliffy said:

Let not forget the  fairly large and sudden rotational movement at each start and stop of the engine, even in its mounts, and of course the constant rotational vibration while running. That's why its flexible 

What seem at first glace easy- has complications.

As I've said before, we are flying antiques by every measure of the word.

We have the "original" manufacturer willing to still make parts for 60 year old products but at a cost. Name any company in the world still willing to do that!

What is a reasonable cost to keep antiques flying?  We can complain all we want (to our own detriment) but it won't change the dynamics of the situation. We choose to stay in a segment of GA that is essentially slowly going away  by the attrition of airframes as we wreck more of them every year than are made and some aren't even made anymore - MOONEYS!

Other, newer segments of GA are booming, LS, experimental, etc taking the wind out of our segment and the desire to manufacture for our segment. Anything new, now, in our segment is nearer to 1 MILLION dollars to purchase. The field is small for those capable of such a purchase.

Parts costs are a factor of todays pricing not what it cost a half a century ago to make. 

Its analogous to buying a 40 year old Rolls Royce today (of which I'm very familiar). There are many Rolls available for an "affordable" price almost all of which have  numerous "differed"  maintenance items. Just like most of our GA fleet.  You can bring an old Rolls Royce back from the dead to its former glory - but at a cost- as with it too, the parts are priced at today's value and not what they cost 40 years ago. 

We are going to have to admit (at some time) that to play in this game is going to cost a significant amount of money and we will have to loose the "CHEAP BASTARDS" moniker. 

Time marches on.

 

And people complain because these boots fail after 40 years in service. What crap!

[outermarker]

It is well known that those who have "ram air" on the mid-60's E & F Mooney's barely saw a 1" increase in MP. It was more of a marketing feature. Is there a "kit" to eliminate the boot? I would rather have the comfort of knowing all air is going through a filter than trying to increase MP by 1". 

 

Edited June 9 by outermarker
repeated word

[varlajo]

36 minutes ago, outermarker said:

It is well known that those who have ram "ram air" on the mid-60's E & F Mooney's barely saw a 1" increase in MP. It was more of a marketing feature. Is there a "kit" to eliminate the boot? I would rather have the comfort of knowing all air is going through a filter than trying to increase MP by 1". 

No. By design, the boot is downstream of the point where ram air joins filtered air. You could potentially delete ram air functionality by welding shut the ram air door and/or removing the ram air door cable, but the intake boot will still be needed. @cliffy is correct about the rotational movement and vibration of the engine, especially during start and shutdown, being the reason behind the boot design as it is.  

[Ragsf15e]

1 hour ago, outermarker said:

It is well known that those who have "ram air" on the mid-60's E & F Mooney's barely saw a 1" increase in MP. It was more of a marketing feature. Is there a "kit" to eliminate the boot? I would rather have the comfort of knowing all air is going through a filter than trying to increase MP by 1". 

 

Just leave it closed if you don’t like it.

There is a way to close it up on the early J models that didn’t really get any mp increase from it, and it’s basically just a plate over it.  On an E/F, you’d still have the boot though.

FWIW, I measured speed difference in cruise with mine open and closed and it was ~3 knots.  I used it all the time in clear air and didn’t have any issues in 10 years with my F.