Flap Jack shaft "boot/trim/weather stripping"

[Shadrach]

My 67F still has the original fabric trim/weather proofing on each side of the jack shaft.  It has not torn but it is brittle and I have to clean and retape it at every annual.  At this point, I think it is detaching on the first post annual flight. I don't think it is doing much in the way of protecting the assembly and I would like to replace it with a more durable and modern solution. The cover is not shown in any of the IPC illustrations that I can find.  I have to believe the modern birds have a better solution.  Has any one solved this issue? I'll try to get some pics. Anyone who has dealt with this, knows what I am talking about.

[Shadrach]

2 hours ago, Shadrach said:

My 67F still has the original fabric trim/weather proofing on each side of the jack shaft.  It has not torn but it is brittle and I have to clean and retape it at every annual.  At this point, I think it is detaching on the first post annual flight. I don't think it is doing much in the way of protecting the assembly and I would like to replace it with a more durable and modern solution. The cover is not shown in any of the IPC illustrations that I can find.  I have to believe the modern birds have a better solution.  Has any one solved this issue? I'll try to get some pics. Anyone who has dealt with this, knows what I am talking about.

[47U]

3 hours ago, Shadrach said:

My 67F still has the original fabric trim/weather proofing on each side of the jack shaft.

Ross… are you sure that’s a factory installation?  Evidence being it’s not in the parts book?  Perhaps an attempt to minimize CO into the fuselage?

[Shadrach]

24 minutes ago, 47U said:

Ross… are you sure that’s a factory installation?  Evidence being it’s not in the parts book?  Perhaps an attempt to minimize CO into the fuselage?

Pretty sure it's original. It looks the part. My dad was the only other owner and I am pretty sure he would remember such an undertaking if they had elected to add it. We've never had an issue with exhaust in the cockpit. the original tape and fabric looks very factory.  It looks pretty ratty now with all of the extra tape but I can an envision a time many decades ago when it was an effective if not primitive solution for keeping crud from entering the belly around the jack shaft.

I take it your C has nothing like this installed?  If you think about the next time you're at your hangar, drop the flaps and take a peak with a flashlight form the outside. If there is anything there, it should be visible from the under side of the wing looking in.

 

@M20Doc @N201MKTurbo

Paging Clarence and Rich...Have either of you seen anything like this?

[Fly Boomer]

6 minutes ago, Shadrach said:

If you think about the next time you're at your hangar, drop the flaps and take a peak with a flashlight form the outside. If there is anything there, it should be visible from the under side of the wing looking in.

I’m having difficulty getting visually oriented with your pics.  Is that looking up where one of the belly panels was?

[Shadrach]

9 minutes ago, Fly Boomer said:

I’m having difficulty getting visually oriented with your pics.  Is that looking up where one of the belly panels was?

Images are of the belly compartment aft of the stub spar. The top image is the easiest to get a bearing on. It's the view looking at the right wing and trailing edge of right flap.  You can see the right main gear in the lower left corner of the image and the retractable step to the right.

[Jpravi8tor]

isnt there something similar boot wise in the gear well?

[Fly Boomer]

4 minutes ago, Shadrach said:

Images are of the belly compartment aft of the stub spar. The top image is the easiest to get a bearing on. It's the view looking at the right wing and trailing edge of right flap.  You can see the right main gear in the lower left corner of the image and the retractable step to the right.

Thanks for the guidance.  I used to be pretty good at this sort of visualization, but this time I guess I’ll have to get under my airplane.

[Shadrach]

6 minutes ago, Jpravi8tor said:

isnt there something similar boot wise in the gear well?

There are " Rat socks" over the retract tube, but they are a different material as I recall.  This stuff looks and feels like a 60s era synthetic.

[Jpravi8tor]

I have been combing through the IPC and cant find squat! @M20Doc should likely have the answer!

 

[Shadrach]

11 minutes ago, Jpravi8tor said:

I have been combing through the IPC and cant find squat! @M20Doc should likely have the answer!

 

yes I struck out as well. nevertheless, I am convinced it was delivered with these pieces.

[Jpravi8tor]

I hav looked at old manuals new manuals with no success, I cant find the rat socks for the gear either!

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Shadrach said:

Pretty sure it's original. It looks the part. My dad was the only other owner and I am pretty sure he would remember such an undertaking if they had elected to add it. We've never had an issue with exhaust in the cockpit. the original tape and fabric looks very factory.  It looks pretty ratty now with all of the extra tape but I can an envision a time many decades ago when it was an effective if not primitive solution for keeping crud from entering the belly around the jack shaft.

I take it your C has nothing like this installed?  If you think about the next time you're at your hangar, drop the flaps and take a peak with a flashlight form the outside. If there is anything there, it should be visible from the under side of the wing looking in.

 

@M20Doc @N201MKTurbo

Paging Clarence and Rich...Have either of you seen anything like this?

Not in any of the Mooney airframes I’ve worked on.

[Shadrach]

3 minutes ago, M20Doc said:

Not in any of the Mooney airframes I’ve worked on.

So there’s just an open hole where the jack shafts run through the fuselage and attach to the flaps?

[N201MKTurbo]

I was going to say to just take it out and throw it away. I don't recall seeing it either. but I didn't want to be the first to say it incase it isn't true. It is hard to prove a negative. 

But, your belly looks cleaner than most down there.

[Shadrach]

48 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

I was going to say to just take it out and throw it away. I don't recall seeing it either. but I didn't want to be the first to say it incase it isn't true. It is hard to prove a negative. 

But, your belly looks cleaner than most down there.

Indeed it’s pretty damn clean for 55 years old. I am 99% sure that they are original so I am baffled that no one has ever seen them on other planes.

I’d call Mooney but I’m betting there’s no one on staff that has any tribal knowledge of the happenings in 1967. 
 

if it is factory, I’m sure they did away with it. Easy place to cut a half hour off of assembly time.

[N201MKTurbo]

You could use something like this:

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/1?q=aramid+cloth+for+sale&prds=epd:9263376530256077947,eto:9263376530256077947_0,pid:9263376530256077947&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjP-OfQnKf7AhUxMEQIHZVCB84Q9pwGCAc

It should last forever.

[M20F-1968]

I have a 67 F and this is not in my airplane nor any other vintage Mooney I have seen.

There are rat socks in the wheel wells and there is the expensive aluminum tape closing off the inside of the cabin on both sides.  Use the $100 a roll kind (3M 100 mph tape), not the stuff you buy at Lowes. 

John Breda

[Igor_U]

6 minutes ago, M20F-1968 said:

I have a 67 F and this is not in my airplane nor any other vintage Mooney I have seen.

There are rat socks in the wheel wells and there is the expensive aluminum tape closing off the inside of the cabin on both sides.  Use the $100 a roll kind (3M 100 mph tape), not the stuff you buy at Lowes. 

John Breda

John,

100 mph tape should Be used on slow Cessnas. For your F, I would suggest using (at least) 200 mph tape. 

One way or the other, my 67F has no such fabric installed in the belly.

[Shadrach]

23 minutes ago, M20F-1968 said:

I have a 67 F and this is not in my airplane nor any other vintage Mooney I have seen.

There are rat socks in the wheel wells and there is the expensive aluminum tape closing off the inside of the cabin on both sides.  Use the $100 a roll kind (3M 100 mph tape), not the stuff you buy at Lowes. 

John Breda

This was sealed with the same type of aluminum tape that is used throughout the whole cabin. However after 55 years I replaced it with 3M aluminum tape. The original tape is still wrapped around the jack shaft as you can see in photos. When you peel it off it leaves behind a hard yellow residue.

[47U]

11 hours ago, Shadrach said:

I take it your C has nothing like this installed?

Now that you mention it…

My C doesn’t have anything like that installed now, but I can’t say it never had something like that.  You may be onto something.  I bought my C from my Dad in 2008, who owned it for 35 years, but I never turned any wrenches on it until it was mine.  

In 2013, at the behest of my IA, I painted the flight control push tubes.  Note the yellow glue residue on the stub spar and bottom of the baggage floor.  Very curious!

 

 

 

[Shadrach]

4 hours ago, 47U said:

Now that you mention it…

My C doesn’t have anything like that installed now, but I can’t say it never had something like that.  You may be onto something.  I bought my C from my Dad in 2008, who owned it for 35 years, but I never turned any wrenches on it until it was mine.  

In 2013, at the behest of my IA, I painted the flight control push tubes.  Note the yellow glue residue on the stub spar and bottom of the baggage floor.  Very curious!

 

 

 

Thanks for this. I have looked at several images of jack shafts online and many of them appear to have witness marks where there was once tape around the shaft like mine.  Your airframe sure looks like it has adhesive residue in the same place where my covers are installed.