Seat tracks 1962 M20C

[Yugow]

Hello! This is my first post here, but this forum has already been the source of a lot of useful information  I live in Canada and have recently bought a 1962 M20C. The problem that I have is that its seat tracks are worn: if i give it a good shake the pilot seat can unlock and move all the way backwards - not very safe...

Me and the mechanic have been unable to find seat tracks for a 1962 M20C, as apparently they're not the same parts as post-1962 models.

Do you have an idea of where I might be able to find this part? Or have another solution to this problem? Like would it be possible to change the whole seat tracks system for that of a later model/another brand? I am pretty desperate...

Thanks for your help!

Edited April 28 by Yugow

[MikeOH]

Sorry, but I can't help with where to buy seat rails.

While I don't know if they are the same, any chance you can swap with the passenger side rails (assuming they are in better shape) with the pilot side as a temporary solution?

[Yugow]

unfortunately the copilot rails are worn to the same degree

[Fly Boomer]

1 hour ago, Yugow said:

unfortunately the copilot rails are worn to the same degree

Start by calling a few MSCs.

[Greg Ellis]

There are quite a few salvage yards that may have something that you can use.

Air Salvage of Dallas (www.asod.com) and Texas Aircraft Salvage (Texasairsalvage.com) come to mind.  I know they are far from you but they may have something that they can ship to you.

[Utah20Gflyer]

I’m going to get in the wild side here and suggest an owner produced part?  Take off the old one and take it to a machine shop and ask them if they can fabricate a new one minus all the wear.  
 

 

[Greg Ellis]

18 minutes ago, Utah20Gflyer said:

I’m going to get in the wild side here and suggest an owner produced part?  Take off the old one and take it to a machine shop and ask them if they can fabricate a new one minus all the wear.  
 

 

I wonder if the same rules apply in Canada that apply here.  Can he do an owner produced part up there.  I don't know.  But it would be a great way to get it done I think.

[Yugow]

1 hour ago, Utah20Gflyer said:

I’m going to get in the wild side here and suggest an owner produced part?  Take off the old one and take it to a machine shop and ask them if they can fabricate a new one minus all the wear.  
 

 

Yes I'm thinking about this option too, the part doesn't look very complicated to machine...

It's from the legal point of view, i'm quite a newbie aircraft owner, and don't know if this kind of thing would be legally OK or not

[Andy95W]

I’ve seen some worn seat rails before, but never any that would let the seat slide back on it’s own.

What I HAVE seen, in that regard, is gunk in the holes on the seat rails.  Dirt/carpet fuzz/other gross stuff gets jammed inside those holes and prevents the pins from seating fully. Usually it isn’t even noticeable- until you dig it out with a pick, then alcohol and q-tips (if necessary).

I can’t guarantee this will fix your issue, but it’s definitely worth taking some time and trying.

[Fritz1]

LASAR and Don Maxwell come to mind, get illustrated parts catalog and figure out part # for starters, BAS salvage is a good source, the thing about the salvage parts in this case is that they may be as badly worn as yours and the installation is a lot of work, cleaning the existing holes is a good idea in the meantime.

[cliffy]

Also make sure the seat mechanism is fully functional and lubed correctly so it does its job in sliding down 

as far as it should. I've seen those jammed up due to wear, dirt and no lube and wouldn't fully engage with 

the track. Make sure the springs are not worn or too soft to pull the pins down. 

Check seat alignment left to right on each seat to make sure both of the pins are squarely over their holes before the handle is released

The seat can be bent slightly and one pin doesn't enter its hole at the same time as the other.

[Yugow]

3 hours ago, Andy95W said:

I’ve seen some worn seat rails before, but never any that would let the seat slide back on it’s own.

What I HAVE seen, in that regard, is gunk in the holes on the seat rails.  Dirt/carpet fuzz/other gross stuff gets jammed inside those holes and prevents the pins from seating fully. Usually it isn’t even noticeable- until you dig it out with a pick, then alcohol and q-tips (if necessary).

I can’t guarantee this will fix your issue, but it’s definitely worth taking some time and trying.

That's an interesting theory! I noticed the problem only a very short time before the plane went to the annual, where they told me the seat tracks were worn. But I haven't had a chance to check if the problem could just come from some of this gross stuff jammed in the rail holes

[PT20J]

+1 for checking everything related to the seat mechanism and clearing the rail holes from debris. Replacing the rails should be a last resort. Since you are in Canada, you might want to consult with Clarence Beintema at Tri City Aero Maintenance, Breslau, Ontario. Tri City is a Mooney Service Center and Clarence is very knowledgeable.

[M20F-1968]

The seat rails are all made from the same extruded aluminum supply stock.  The difference is how they are finished milled and cut for size and length.  I would find someone knowledgeable at the factory to help you identify a new part that can be modified to fit into your installation.  I suspect it will be a PITA to find someone to do the work of looking into current stock (if there is any) to find something workable.  The best solution is if the factory will sell you undrilled seat rails and the find a local machine shop to to the machine work to duplicate them.

John Breda

[N201MKTurbo]

32 minutes ago, M20F-1968 said:

The seat rails are all made from the same extruded aluminum supply stock.  The difference is how they are finished milled and cut for size and length.  I would find someone knowledgeable at the factory to help you identify a new part that can be modified to fit into your installation.  I suspect it will be a PITA to find someone to do the work of looking into current stock (if there is any) to find something workable.  The best solution is if the factory will sell you undrilled seat rails and the find a local machine shop to to the machine work to duplicate them.

John Breda

I don't think the factory could sell an unmodified seat rail. Once you have a production certificate, you cannot sell any parts you don't have production authority for. They might get them to tell you who they buy them from and maybe buy your own.

[Bartman]

I would remove the seats and inspect.  You may find cracked seat frames.  If you can wiggle the seats and disengage the pins, it can be caused by worn rollers.  There are many threads about different sources and materials, but if you are thinking about replacing the rails, you would want to replace the rollers.  While the seats are out, you can easily clean the holes in the rails with a drill bit using just your fingers.  I replaced my 40 year old rollers and am very pleased with the results.  

Finally, I would also swap the seats.  I did this and found the seat padding more comfortable.  You may have to swap the seatbelts too.

[M20F-1968]

On 5/5/2025 at 9:25 AM, N201MKTurbo said:

I don't think the factory could sell an unmodified seat rail. Once you have a production certificate, you cannot sell any parts you don't have production authority for. They might get them to tell you who they buy them from and maybe buy your own.

You can at times by undrilled skins.  It is worth a try to ask for undrilled seat rails so they can be match drilled ti what is in the floor.  They likely will not sell them without the holes for the seat pins but you would not want them to as those holes must be accurately drilled so the pins fit in correctly.

John Breda

[kortopates]

You can at times by undrilled skins.  It is worth a try to ask for undrilled seat rails so they can be match drilled ti what is in the floor.  They likely will not sell them without the holes for the seat pins but you would not want them to as those holes must be accurately drilled so the pins fit in correctly.
John Breda

i don’t understand the concern. Mooney builds up the airframe with pre-drilled seat rails. When i replaced my 4 seat rails the pre-drilled seat rails fit perfectly. After all they were identical copies to the ones i removed.

As for buying them, your not going to find them on the shelf ready to ship but Mooney is still producing parts and one should be able to put an order in and get them in 6 weeks to 3 months and in my experience Mooney almost always ships them sooner than originally promised for the parts they make.

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[Shorty]

On 5/10/2025 at 7:09 AM, Bartman said:

I would remove the seats and inspect.  You may find cracked seat frames.  If you can wiggle the seats and disengage the pins, it can be caused by worn rollers.  There are many threads about different sources and materials, but if you are thinking about replacing the rails, you would want to replace the rollers.  While the seats are out, you can easily clean the holes in the rails with a drill bit using just your fingers.  I replaced my 40 year old rollers and am very pleased with the results.  

Finally, I would also swap the seats.  I did this and found the seat padding more comfortable.  You may have to swap the seatbelts too.

Thanks. I was trying decide the best cleaning method. I would hope that cracked seat frames aren’t the issue since it doesn’t seem to have issues staying locked into other holes. 
 

as far as seat rails go, I was just trying to determine worst case scenario.