Inflatable Door Seals

[gwav8or]

At one time, my '67 F had an inflatable door seal.  The door has a tube sticking out of the door panel that appears to have been connected to the door seal and it looks to have had an attachment that would have been used to inflate the door seal.

The seal around the door is unusable.  It's dry rotted, collapsed and brittle.

With winter being here, there is a lot of air that comes through the door where the door seal should be.  It's kinda cold! lol

I'm considering replacing the door seal with one from Bob Fields but wondering if it's worth it.  How difficult is it to remove the old seal?  What solvent would I use?  How difficult is it to reinstall the inflatable door seal?

Link to the door seal I'm considering for reference. https://aerocessories.aero/products/mooney-all-variants?variant=31403794071618

[Oscar Avalle]

I installed Bob’s door seal. Call him. He may even give you a discount if the original seal (most likely) was his.

It is easy to install. I did it myself under the supervision of an AP.

[Kelpro999]

No experience with the inflatables, sure would be nice to find something as simple and effective as the original 

[Jsno]

I installed a seal from Aircraft Door Seals LLC.  Bought it from knots to you.  Much cheaper than pneumatic.

Removed old door seal and used a plastic scraper to remove as much old seal and glue as possible. Cleaned with acetone,(carefully).  Then used the 3M Yellow glue to install.  Lubed the seal, closed it slowly while making sure it tucked in correctly. smashed it closed and left it for a week in hot weather.  Works perfect.

[Kelpro999]

1 hour ago, Jsno said:

I installed a seal from Aircraft Door Seals LLC.

Does it attach to door or fuselage?

[Kelpro999]

Okay I see it 

[LANCECASPER]

20 hours ago, Oscar Avalle said:

I installed Bob’s door seal. Call him. He may even give you a discount if the original seal (most likely) was his.

It is easy to install. I did it myself under the supervision of an AP.

Bob Fields died years ago but @tomgo2 on here owns the STC and sells the seals. https://aerocessories.aero/collections/mooney-collection

 

A lot has been written about this on Mooneyspace: https://mooneyspace.com/search/?q="inflatable door seal"&quick=1&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy&search_and_or=or

[PT20J]

I believe the current Mooney seal is Brown Aircraft T-9088 https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/brownaircraft_05-21893.php. It replaces the old foam core stuff. The most important thing about installing the seal is getting it placed properly. The door frame and the door don't match up exactly especially in the corners and at the bottom and it is important that the seal press against the frame all the way around.

[Jsno]

22 hours ago, Kelpro999 said:

Does it attach to door or fuselage?

It attaches to the door.

[gwav8or]

What solvent should be used to remove the glue from the old seal?


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[PT20J]

3M General Purpose Purpose Adhesive Cleaner works well. Let it soak and rub it off with a rough rag. Depending on how much glue was used (often overapplied; all you need is a thin coat on both surfaces) it may take several passes. Xylene is one of the main components of the 3M product, so that might work, also.

https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=SSSSSuUn_zu8l00xl8mxn82xPv70k17zHvu9lxtD7SSSSSS--