Secret to removing the panels adjacent to the nose gear without damaging the paint?

[Ragsf15e]

Hello, my annual is coming up soon and I’m trying to get myself ready.  I had an F and now a K (252), but the panels near the nose gear look about the same.  I’ve always struggled to remove them in the past (at least without scratching the paint and cursing).  Some of the screws are hidden up under the gear doors or under the aft end of the doors.  My IA has wanted to see the fuel pump and selector, so off they came.  Does everyone take those off at annual?  If so, any tricks to keep from dinging up the airplane?  I do have a small 90 degree ratchet screwdriver but still…

[PT20J]

I find it easiest to remove the rod ends from the gear doors and then remove all the inboard screws and slip the doors off. Then you can just remove the rest of the screws attaching the exhaust cavities and take them off without anything in the way.

[N201MKTurbo]

If you have jacks, you can jack it and retract the wheels. It’s about the same effort as removing the rods, so it depends what you are up to. If it is annual time, I will jack it, otherwise, I’ll take the rods off.

[Ragsf15e]

Ok, thanks to you both.  I have been doing the rod end thing each annual.  However I just realized from your descriptions that I should remove the screws along the nose gear doors first. THEN remove the rest of them and the panel. I was doing it the other way around and as the panel comes off it scratches everything up.  Thanks!

[EricJ]

4 hours ago, Ragsf15e said:

My IA has wanted to see the fuel pump and selector, so off they came.  Does everyone take those off at annual?  If so, any tricks to keep from dinging up the airplane?  I do have a small 90 degree ratchet screwdriver but still…

Checking and cleaning the fuel screens there should be part of every annual, and it's the only way to get to them.

Sounds like you've got the methodology sorted to getting the panel off.   It's not that bad once you have it down.

[PT20J]

The exhaust cavities are supposed two be sealed to the firewall, so you should reapply sealant when you reinstall them.

My airplane doesn't have any parts requiring service in there. I loosen enough screws to insert a borescope in the area from the aft end to look around and check for any issues with the boost pump or brake master cylinders.

[ArtVandelay]

Pumps don’t give any indication of failure just looking at it, there’s a drain that will leak fuel when pump needs an overhaul, there’s a drain screen just downstream should only be in case of pump failure. When mine started to leak I inspected it and it was perfectly clean. On my J the only paint I remember having to damage was around the screws

[N201MKTurbo]

17 hours ago, PT20J said:

The exhaust cavities are supposed two be sealed to the firewall, so you should reapply sealant when you reinstall them.

My airplane doesn't have any parts requiring service in there. I loosen enough screws to insert a borescope in the area from the aft end to look around and check for any issues with the boost pump or brake master cylinders.

There are lube points in there that you can’t get to any other way. They are the ones I find that haven’t been lubed since the factory. They ate the rudder torque tubes.

[Utah20Gflyer]

On 2/25/2025 at 6:42 PM, N201MKTurbo said:

If you have jacks, you can jack it and retract the wheels. It’s about the same effort as removing the rods, so it depends what you are up to. If it is annual time, I will jack it, otherwise, I’ll take the rods off.

This is what we did last annual.  The mechanic asked me to take that panel off and I looked at it and asked “We are about to do the gear swing, how about we take it off with the gear up?”   He agreed and we saved 5 minutes of disassembly and reassembly.   If you have to swing the gear anyway, why not? 

[EricJ]

I have to disconnect the nose gear doors, anyway, to get to the screws for the panel just behind the nose wheel well, so I just do everything with the doors loose.   That's pretty easy to do.

[Ragsf15e]

When I started this thread, I thought it was just my airplane or my own issue.  It appears that those screws could have been designed easier to remove for all models and levels of competence!  Even with the doors loose or gear up, I sometimes have one of the tiny screws at the back of the well hidden.

[PT20J]

These things were designed 72 years ago when metal GA airplanes were a rarity and west Texas labor was cheap.