M20J Interior removal

[redbaron1982]

I was going through the service and maintenance manual hoping to find a guide on how to remove the interior plastic trims (mines are not in great shape and want to patch and paint them) but I couldn't find anything. 

Am I looking in the wrong place?

I want to know the correct process as the trims now don't seem to be correctly attached/installed, and would like to reinstall them the correct way. 

[PT20J]

The plastic panels are fastened in with a multitude of screws. If you look at it for a while, it will be pretty evident what order to remove them. 

[OR75]

start by removing the seats (front and back)

then hat rack 

it will start to make sense 

most difficult is the headliners 

 

 

[Elias]

As someone stated before , once the seats are out the job gets easier.  In the main cabin start with pilot side panel.  You will have to remove the decorative trim tha runs across both panels. Also if the rear seat is a bench you will have to remove it as well in order to remove both rear  panels. If your intent is to repair, pain and reinstall be careful because, by now they are very brittle and will crack very easy. 

[redbaron1982]

Thanks all for the replies. I will give it a try next weekend!

[LANCECASPER]

Great idea to take a multitude of pictures while removing the interior. They will come in handy when re-assembling. 

[Hank]

4 minutes ago, LANCECASPER said:

Great idea to take a multitude of pictures while removing the interior. They will come in handy when re-assembling. 

And bag separately the screws from each panel. Helps when reinstalling.

[LANCECASPER]

1 hour ago, Hank said:

And bag separately the screws from each panel. Helps when reinstalling.

It also looks good when you push the screws into a piece of cardboard and spray the heads the same color as the panels.

[RoundTwo]

I just did this in July. The trickiest part is separating the two headliner pieces. There are about 4 screws connecting the front section with the rear. The screw heads face the windscreen, so you come at them from over the top of the lowered headliner and as soon as they’re out, both pieces easily come out through the front door.

[1980Mooney]

On 1/1/2024 at 9:13 PM, redbaron1982 said:

I was going through the service and maintenance manual hoping to find a guide on how to remove the interior plastic trims (mines are not in great shape and want to patch and paint them) but I couldn't find anything. 

Am I looking in the wrong place?

I want to know the correct process as the trims now don't seem to be correctly attached/installed, and would like to reinstall them the correct way. 

 

23 hours ago, redbaron1982 said:

Thanks all for the replies. I will give it a try next weekend!

First of all - This is not a project that can be done in a weekend.  The more you get into it the more you will find to do.

If I am not mistaken posted below are pics of your plane interior (1985 M20J) from the Aircraft.com advertisement in 2021 when you purchased it.  It is similar to mine except you have individual rear seats.  The panels are cheap "Royalite" ABS.  Over 40 years of sun and heat it gets brittle.  If yours was hangared and up north its entire life it might be in better shape than a plane sitting in the sun down south.  As @Elias says, you can expect to inflict damage as you remove the panels - bending will crack or break them.  I know from experience because I have removed and reinstalled mine so many times that I can't recall.

 

You have lots of good suggestions here.

But what are your intentions as @Elias wondered?

• Do you plan on just fixing cracks?  There are other topics on the choice of adhesives.  Personally, I have always used 5 minute epoxy and some fiber glass fabric on the back of the panels but others have their favorites - that is a whole different discussion.  
• Do you plan to paint all the pieces?
• Have you looked at the insulation? - I assume SB 208 was done SBM20-208B.pdf (mooney.com)
  • You may find new corrosion on the tubulars depending on when 208 was done and how well they treated everything
  • You may find old insulation in the hat rack or in the ceiling panel that you want to replace
• The windlace around the door and backage door looks worn - do you plan to replace?
  • That is a bitch of a job with even more smaller screws and the only time to do it is when the entire interior is out.

Just a thought before you launch into this - Winter is the worst time to do this.  The ABS is less forgiving in cold weather (i.e. will crack easier), even in Houston.  Paint dries slower.  Glue/epoxy sets slower

1. As @LANCECASPER said take lots of pictures first both before starting and each step of the way
2. As @Hank says bag and label separately by panel or section everything that you remove/dissemble.
3. Remove the glare shield
4. Remove the front seats
5. Remove the rear seats (yours are different than mine so I don't know the procedure)
6. Remove the shoulder harnesses - ( don't lose the spacers or washers - keep the belts separated)
7. Remove the hatrack face - then pull out the base.
   1. The curved top in the hat rack is a problem because the piece with the coat rack hook is in the way (it covers the air ducts
      1.  I recall that I had to curve the center top down more in order for it to clear the duct cover.
8. Remove the long leather covered strips on both sides.
9. On the pilot side remove and bag all the screws
   1. Pull up the leather covered armrest - there is a hidden screw under the armrest (that goes into an aluminum bracket) that will prevent you from pulling the panel out.
   2. There is an "H" shaped spacer between and holding the front pilot side panel and the rear pilot side panel
      1. You will need to remove the screws in the rear panel in order to allow you to bend it forward a bit so that the front panel lose from the H channel - if not you may crack both panels - originally it was flexible enough to twist but not likely now.
10. The screws that go through both panels where they overlap and through the long lower panel are longer and thicker
    1. Over 40 years owners/shops may have mixed up or replaced them with longer sharply pointed screws
       1. Be extremely careful with long sharp screws on the side panels - avionics cabling may be run and strapped along the tubulars
          1. I had an avionics shop do some work where they removed the pilot side panels and during re-installation of the side panel, they drove a long screw right into a cable.
    2. Also over 40 years, screws going through the overlaping ABS panels or lower panel that used to bite, may have wallowed out the back panel hole and lost their bite.
       1. I have glued Tinnerman nuts on the back the last panel in order to get a strong bite on the screws.
11. The copilot side panels are similar.
    1. The door panels are pretty easy.
12. If you have headset jacks in the rear panels be careful when removing the panel and disconnecting the jacks.
13. After you take out the side panels, you will find a white U shape channel around each window opening
    1. Over time it may have shrunk some and gotten pretty hard
    2. Remove the U channel if painting the side panels (referred to as "beading" in next post/links)
       1. Keep track of which channel goes to which window opening. - with time they only want to fit the one they came off
       2. The channel gives some strength to the ABS panel framing the window - when it is removed it is easier to crack the ABS frame.
       3. You can put new U channel on if you want - I did it once - now I just push the old channel back on after making a repair to the ABS panel.
14. The headliner panels are almost a 2 person job.  
    1. The problem, as @RoundTwo pointed out, is that only a few screws hold them up.
       1. If you disconnect the front screws, and not the rear screws simultaneously (on either headliner section), the weight of the headliner will bend it down and may crack/break the two connections still attached.
          1. I have used some long cardboard bent in an L or sticks to prop up one side while working on the other when working alone.
    2. Before removing the front headliner you have to remove the panel with the air flow selector (4 screws but you have to disassemble the airflow selector switch)
    3. As the front headliner comes down you need to disconnect the headliner lights, the speaker and the Sonalerts (may be as many as 4 alerts)
    4. You also have to remove the two front duct connectors.
       1. DON'T LET THE HEADLINERS FALL OR YOU WILL RIP OUT DUCT AND WIRING
    5. The rear has lights and two duct connectors.
15. The luggage area panels also come out - side and headliner with one exception.
    1. That panel around the ducts where the coat rack hook is, will bend down but not come off.
       1. It appears to be riveted to the fuselage skin on the pilot side - I could not remove it.
       2. I had to paint it in place masking off the rest of the interior and making a "spray booth tent" around it.
16. Reinstallation is a reverse of the process.
    1. Tip - get a narrow awl to help align holes during re-assembly.
    2. The headliner holes are a real bitch to align while you are balancing everything in the air.
    3. AFTER THE HEADLINERS ARE BACK IN PLACE, TEST THE LIGHTS, SPEAKER AND SONALERTS AND AIR SELECTOR BEFORE REINSTALLING THE SIDE PANELS

I predict, that if you start this job and only work on weekends and maybe a few nights, plan to have your plane down for a month.  You may find corrosion on the tubulars that needs attention.  You may want to do something more to your insulation.  You will break things - especially the plastic - requiring more gluing and repainting.

@RoundTwo - how long did it take you?

Here is a video and a couple MS posts with pics that may help.  Some of the posts include discussion of panel upgrades but they have a lot of pics of the interior out.

 

 

 

 

Good luck.

 

Edited January 4, 2024 by 1980Mooney

[1980Mooney]

Here is a pic of the windlace replacement.

[Fly Boomer]

7 hours ago, 1980Mooney said:

 

First of all - This is not a project that can be done in a weekend.  The more you get into it the more you will find to do.

If I am not mistaken posted below are pics of your plane interior (1985 M20J) from the Aircraft.com advertisement in 2021 when you purchased it.  It is similar to mine except you have individual rear seats.  The panels are cheap "Royalite" ABS.  Over 40 years of sun and heat it gets brittle.  If yours was hangared and up north its entire life it might be in better shape than a plane sitting in the sun down south.  As @Elias says, you can expect to inflict damage as you remove the panels - bending will crack or break them.  I know from experience because I have removed and reinstalled mine so many times that I can't recall.

 

You have lots of good suggestions here.

But what are your intentions as @Elias wondered?

• Do you plan on just fixing cracks?  There are other topics on the choice of adhesives.  Personally, I have always used 5 minute epoxy and some fiber glass fabric on the back of the panels but others have their favorites - that is a whole different discussion.  
• Do you plan to paint all the pieces?
• Have you looked at the insulation? - I assume SB 208 was done SBM20-208B.pdf (mooney.com)
  • You may find new corrosion on the tubulars depending on when 208 was done and how well they treated everything
  • You may find old insulation in the hat rack or in the ceiling panel that you want to replace
• The windlace around the door and backage door looks worn - do you plan to replace?
  • That is a bitch of a job with even more smaller screws and the only time to do it is when the entire interior is out.

Just a thought before you launch into this - Winter is the worst time to do this.  The ABS is less forgiving in cold weather (i.e. will crack easier), even in Houston.  Paint dries slower.  Glue/epoxy sets slower

1. As @LANCECASPER said take lots of pictures first both before starting and each step of the way
2. As @Hank says bag and label separately by panel or section everything that you remove/dissemble.
3. Remove the glare shield
4. Remove the front seats
5. Remove the rear seats (yours are different than mine so I don't know the procedure)
6. Remove the shoulder harnesses - ( don't lose the spacers or washers - keep the belts separated)
7. Remove the hatrack face - then pull out the base.
   1. The curved top in the hat rack is a problem because the piece with the coat rack hook is in the way (it covers the air ducts
      1.  I recall that I had to curve the center top down more in order for it to clear the duct cover.
8. Remove the long leather covered strips on both sides.
9. On the pilot side remove and bag all the screws
   1. Pull up the leather covered armrest - there is a hidden screw under the armrest (that goes into an aluminum bracket) that will prevent you from pulling the panel out.
   2. There is an "H" shaped spacer between and holding the front pilot side panel and the rear pilot side panel
      1. You will need to remove the screws in the rear panel in order to allow you to bend it forward a bit so that the front panel lose from the H channel - if not you may crack both panels - originally it was flexible enough to twist but not likely now.
10. The screws that go through both panels where they overlap and through the long lower panel are longer and thicker
    1. Over 40 years owners/shops may have mixed up or replaced them with longer sharply pointed screws
       1. Be extremely careful with long sharp screws on the side panels - avionics cabling may be run and strapped along the tubulars
          1. I had an avionics shop do some work where they removed the pilot side panels and during re-installation of the side panel, they drove a long screw right into a cable.
    2. Also over 40 years, screws going through the overlaping ABS panels or lower panel that used to bite, may have wallowed out the back panel hole and lost their bite.
       1. I have glued Tinnerman nuts on the back the last panel in order to get a strong bite on the screws.
11. The copilot side panels are similar.
    1. The door panels are pretty easy.
12. If you have headset jacks in the rear panels be careful when removing the panel and disconnecting the jacks.
13. After you take out the side panels, you will find a white U shape channel around each window opening
    1. Over time it may have shrunk some and gotten pretty hard
    2. Remove the U channel if painting the side panels
       1. Keep track of which channel goes to which window opening. - with time they only want to fit the one they came off
       2. The channel gives some strength to the ABS panel framing the window - when it is removed it is easier to crack the ABS frame.
       3. You can put new U channel on if you want - I did it once - now I just push the old channel back on after making a repair to the ABS panel.
14. The headliner panels are almost a 2 person job.  
    1. The problem, as @RoundTwo pointed out, is that only a few screws hold them up.
       1. If you disconnect the front screws, and not the rear screws simultaneously (on either headliner section), the weight of the headliner will bend it down and may crack/break the two connections still attached.
          1. I have used some long cardboard bent in an L or sticks to prop up one side while working on the other when working alone.
    2. Before removing the front headliner you have to remove the panel with the air flow selector (4 screws but you have to disassemble the airflow selector switch)
    3. As the front headliner comes down you need to disconnect the headliner lights, the speaker and the Sonalerts (may be as many as 4 alerts)
    4. You also have to remove the two front duct connectors.
       1. DON'T LET THE HEADLINERS FALL OR YOU WILL RIP OUT DUCT AND WIRING
    5. The rear has lights and two duct connectors.
15. The luggage area panels also come out - side and headliner with one exception.
    1. That panel around the ducts where the coat rack hook is, will bend down but not come off.
       1. It appears to be riveted to the fuselage skin on the pilot side - I could not remove it.
       2. I had to paint it in place masking off the rest of the interior and making a "spray booth tent" around it.
16. Reinstallation is a reverse of the process.
    1. Tip - get a narrow awl to help align holes during re-assembly.
    2. The headliner holes are a real bitch to align while you are balancing everything in the air.
    3. AFTER THE HEADLINERS ARE BACK IN PLACE, TEST THE LIGHTS, SPEAKER AND SONALERTS AND AIR SELECTOR BEFORE REINSTALLING THE SIDE PANELS

I predict, that if you start this job and only work on weekends and maybe a few nights, plan to have your plane down for a month.  You may find corrosion on the tubulars that needs attention.  You may want to do something more to your insulation.  You will break things - especially the plastic - requiring more gluing and repainting.

@RoundTwo - how long did it take you?

Here is a video and a couple MS posts with pics that may help.  Some of the posts include discussion of panel upgrades but they have a lot of pics of the interior out.

 

 

 

 

Good luck.

 

Wow!  Great post.  This will be my encyclopedia for interior removal.

[redbaron1982]

7 hours ago, 1980Mooney said:

 

First of all - This is not a project that can be done in a weekend.  The more you get into it the more you will find to do.

If I am not mistaken posted below are pics of your plane interior (1985 M20J) from the Aircraft.com advertisement in 2021 when you purchased it.  It is similar to mine except you have individual rear seats.  The panels are cheap "Royalite" ABS.  Over 40 years of sun and heat it gets brittle.  If yours was hangared and up north its entire life it might be in better shape than a plane sitting in the sun down south.  As @Elias says, you can expect to inflict damage as you remove the panels - bending will crack or break them.  I know from experience because I have removed and reinstalled mine so many times that I can't recall.

 

You have lots of good suggestions here.

But what are your intentions as @Elias wondered?

• Do you plan on just fixing cracks?  There are other topics on the choice of adhesives.  Personally, I have always used 5 minute epoxy and some fiber glass fabric on the back of the panels but others have their favorites - that is a whole different discussion.  
• Do you plan to paint all the pieces?
• Have you looked at the insulation? - I assume SB 208 was done SBM20-208B.pdf (mooney.com)
  • You may find new corrosion on the tubulars depending on when 208 was done and how well they treated everything
  • You may find old insulation in the hat rack or in the ceiling panel that you want to replace
• The windlace around the door and backage door looks worn - do you plan to replace?
  • That is a bitch of a job with even more smaller screws and the only time to do it is when the entire interior is out.

Just a thought before you launch into this - Winter is the worst time to do this.  The ABS is less forgiving in cold weather (i.e. will crack easier), even in Houston.  Paint dries slower.  Glue/epoxy sets slower

1. As @LANCECASPER said take lots of pictures first both before starting and each step of the way
2. As @Hank says bag and label separately by panel or section everything that you remove/dissemble.
3. Remove the glare shield
4. Remove the front seats
5. Remove the rear seats (yours are different than mine so I don't know the procedure)
6. Remove the shoulder harnesses - ( don't lose the spacers or washers - keep the belts separated)
7. Remove the hatrack face - then pull out the base.
   1. The curved top in the hat rack is a problem because the piece with the coat rack hook is in the way (it covers the air ducts
      1.  I recall that I had to curve the center top down more in order for it to clear the duct cover.
8. Remove the long leather covered strips on both sides.
9. On the pilot side remove and bag all the screws
   1. Pull up the leather covered armrest - there is a hidden screw under the armrest (that goes into an aluminum bracket) that will prevent you from pulling the panel out.
   2. There is an "H" shaped spacer between and holding the front pilot side panel and the rear pilot side panel
      1. You will need to remove the screws in the rear panel in order to allow you to bend it forward a bit so that the front panel lose from the H channel - if not you may crack both panels - originally it was flexible enough to twist but not likely now.
10. The screws that go through both panels where they overlap and through the long lower panel are longer and thicker
    1. Over 40 years owners/shops may have mixed up or replaced them with longer sharply pointed screws
       1. Be extremely careful with long sharp screws on the side panels - avionics cabling may be run and strapped along the tubulars
          1. I had an avionics shop do some work where they removed the pilot side panels and during re-installation of the side panel, they drove a long screw right into a cable.
    2. Also over 40 years, screws going through the overlaping ABS panels or lower panel that used to bite, may have wallowed out the back panel hole and lost their bite.
       1. I have glued Tinnerman nuts on the back the last panel in order to get a strong bite on the screws.
11. The copilot side panels are similar.
    1. The door panels are pretty easy.
12. If you have headset jacks in the rear panels be careful when removing the panel and disconnecting the jacks.
13. After you take out the side panels, you will find a white U shape channel around each window opening
    1. Over time it may have shrunk some and gotten pretty hard
    2. Remove the U channel if painting the side panels
       1. Keep track of which channel goes to which window opening. - with time they only want to fit the one they came off
       2. The channel gives some strength to the ABS panel framing the window - when it is removed it is easier to crack the ABS frame.
       3. You can put new U channel on if you want - I did it once - now I just push the old channel back on after making a repair to the ABS panel.
14. The headliner panels are almost a 2 person job.  
    1. The problem, as @RoundTwo pointed out, is that only a few screws hold them up.
       1. If you disconnect the front screws, and not the rear screws simultaneously (on either headliner section), the weight of the headliner will bend it down and may crack/break the two connections still attached.
          1. I have used some long cardboard bent in an L or sticks to prop up one side while working on the other when working alone.
    2. Before removing the front headliner you have to remove the panel with the air flow selector (4 screws but you have to disassemble the airflow selector switch)
    3. As the front headliner comes down you need to disconnect the headliner lights, the speaker and the Sonalerts (may be as many as 4 alerts)
    4. You also have to remove the two front duct connectors.
       1. DON'T LET THE HEADLINERS FALL OR YOU WILL RIP OUT DUCT AND WIRING
    5. The rear has lights and two duct connectors.
15. The luggage area panels also come out - side and headliner with one exception.
    1. That panel around the ducts where the coat rack hook is, will bend down but not come off.
       1. It appears to be riveted to the fuselage skin on the pilot side - I could not remove it.
       2. I had to paint it in place masking off the rest of the interior and making a "spray booth tent" around it.
16. Reinstallation is a reverse of the process.
    1. Tip - get a narrow awl to help align holes during re-assembly.
    2. The headliner holes are a real bitch to align while you are balancing everything in the air.
    3. AFTER THE HEADLINERS ARE BACK IN PLACE, TEST THE LIGHTS, SPEAKER AND SONALERTS AND AIR SELECTOR BEFORE REINSTALLING THE SIDE PANELS

I predict, that if you start this job and only work on weekends and maybe a few nights, plan to have your plane down for a month.  You may find corrosion on the tubulars that needs attention.  You may want to do something more to your insulation.  You will break things - especially the plastic - requiring more gluing and repainting.

@RoundTwo - how long did it take you?

Here is a video and a couple MS posts with pics that may help.  Some of the posts include discussion of panel upgrades but they have a lot of pics of the interior out.

 

 

 

 

Good luck.

 

Thanks a lot for the super detailed explanation and tips! I was surely underestimating the task, my idea was to remove everything in one weekend, work at home during the week to paint and fix (as needed) the panels, and then the next weekend to reinstall everything. But I see how things can start taking longer if anything breaks, or if I found something that needs additional care.

My main objectives for doing this are:

 * Repaint all the panels, they seem to be in decent shape from cracks, but they are yellowish so fresh paint would greatly improve the look.

 * Reinstall the panels correctly. Now, for instance, the black kick panels are kind of loose. If you push them (without much force) against the exterior skin, you can see them move at least 1 inch.

 * The trim around the windows (silver strip) is not straight at all. I'm not sure if when they install the plastics the last time they over-tightened the screws and deformed the trim. I would like to improve that as well.

 * One very small, but big, detail, I guess during the wing spar corrosion repair, the shop didn't connect again the DME antenna. So my DME now is INOP. The coax is lying in the belly. I understand this cable is routed through the passenger side wall, and I need to remove the side panels to reinstall it.

According to the previous owner, SB 208 was performed, he sent me pictures of the interior all removed and the insulation removed.

 

 

[1980Mooney]

39 minutes ago, redbaron1982 said:

Thanks a lot for the super detailed explanation and tips! I was surely underestimating the task, my idea was to remove everything in one weekend, work at home during the week to paint and fix (as needed) the panels, and then the next weekend to reinstall everything. But I see how things can start taking longer if anything breaks, or if I found something that needs additional care.

My main objectives for doing this are:

 * Repaint all the panels, they seem to be in decent shape from cracks, but they are yellowish so fresh paint would greatly improve the look.

 * Reinstall the panels correctly. Now, for instance, the black kick panels are kind of loose. If you push them (without much force) against the exterior skin, you can see them move at least 1 inch.

 * The trim around the windows (silver strip) is not straight at all. I'm not sure if when they install the plastics the last time they over-tightened the screws and deformed the trim. I would like to improve that as well.

 * One very small, but big, detail, I guess during the wing spar corrosion repair, the shop didn't connect again the DME antenna. So my DME now is INOP. The coax is lying in the belly. I understand this cable is routed through the passenger side wall, and I need to remove the side panels to reinstall it.

According to the previous owner, SB 208 was performed, he sent me pictures of the interior all removed and the insulation removed.

Here are a couple more topics with pictures that show interior panel repair - one is an F but essentially the same as yours.

The others address the window "beading" - the strip that you say is silver on yours.  You can't really over tighten the screws.  The ABS panel deforms to match the aluminum tabs behind the flimsy ABS panel.  The beading has probably shrunk from sun and heat.   The link to the beading - Window Beading (vantageassoc.com) - the wide part goes on the back side - as you curve it around the window corners you may need to make a couple cuts on the back side so the it can make the radius.  If it is warm enough it may stretch.

The Kick panels that move an inch when pressed are because the hole in the kick panel is worn out.  Some just start using larger diameter screws.  I suppose you could build it up with epoxy and redrill - But I glued a Tinnerman nut behind the panel for strength.  

• Every panel will need its own "TLC".  It is more like art....

Regarding the DME coax, you said it is laying in the belly.  It sounds like you need to remove the belly panel and reconnect it.  I don't understand what you mean about the coax behind the side panels unless it is damaged by a screw in the side and needs to be replaced.

 

[1980Mooney]

Also - those long trim strips on each side (covers along both front and rear panel on pilot side) were originally held in by springy steel clips.  The holes on the ABS may have enlarged or the clips may have broken over 35-40 years.  Past shops or owners may have improperly put some glue or contact cement behind them in order to keep them attached. 

If yours are loose, I found that Velcro works well and makes for easy removal.  Same with the arm rests if they are loose

[redbaron1982]

1 hour ago, 1980Mooney said:

Regarding the DME coax, you said it is laying in the belly.  It sounds like you need to remove the belly panel and reconnect it.  I don't understand what you mean about the coax behind the side panels unless it is damaged by a screw in the side and needs to be replaced.

I did remove the belly panel, one end of the cable is connected to the antenna, and it goes into the belly. The coax has some loops there tied to the structure of the airplane with time tie wraps and never gets to the tail cone section.

I didn't find any avionics wiring going into the tail cone section from within the belly. From a picture I have of when the interior was removed, all the avionics wiring runs along the pilot side wall (between the interior and exterior skin). So my understanding is that I need to remove the interior (at least the pilot side), bring the coax up from the belly and run it back into the tail cone section so I can reach the remote DME unit and reconnect it.

[OR75]

obviously, the DME antenna is in the belly (same as the transponder, CI-101 ball type antenna or KA61 blade type antenna)

the coax normally runs from the antenna / belly to either side behind the side panel and runs to the avionics rack in the tail cone  

[redbaron1982]

10 minutes ago, OR75 said:

obviously, the DME antenna is in the belly (same as the transponder, CI-101 ball type antenna or KA61 blade type antenna)

the coax normally runs from the antenna / belly to either side behind the side panel and runs to the avionics rack in the tail cone  

Well, now the coax is in the belly, with the connector there. So that's why I want to bring it up either side and run it back to the tail cone.

[OR75]

4 hours ago, redbaron1982 said:

Well, now the coax is in the belly, with the connector there. So that's why I want to bring it up either side and run it back to the tail cone.

i guess they either forgot to reconnect it, or the DME is INOP and did not bother removing the cables 

[1980Mooney]

On 1/4/2024 at 8:29 AM, redbaron1982 said:

Thanks a lot for the super detailed explanation and tips! I was surely underestimating the task, my idea was to remove everything in one weekend, work at home during the week to paint and fix (as needed) the panels, and then the next weekend to reinstall everything. But I see how things can start taking longer if anything breaks, or if I found something that needs additional care.

My main objectives for doing this are:

 * Repaint all the panels, they seem to be in decent shape from cracks, but they are yellowish so fresh paint would greatly improve the look.

 * Reinstall the panels correctly. Now, for instance, the black kick panels are kind of loose. If you push them (without much force) against the exterior skin, you can see them move at least 1 inch.

 * The trim around the windows (silver strip) is not straight at all. I'm not sure if when they install the plastics the last time they over-tightened the screws and deformed the trim. I would like to improve that as well.

 * One very small, but big, detail, I guess during the wing spar corrosion repair, the shop didn't connect again the DME antenna. So my DME now is INOP. The coax is lying in the belly. I understand this cable is routed through the passenger side wall, and I need to remove the side panels to reinstall it.

According to the previous owner, SB 208 was performed, he sent me pictures of the interior all removed and the insulation removed.

 

 

Here is another current topic on repairing ABS interior plus pictures.