Painting main gear dust cover?

[toto]

I was able to purchase a replacement dust cover for my bent original -- but the new one appears to be a basic metal circle with what I assume is a light anticorrosion prime coat.  The original is white like the rim in the photo.  Assuming I know nothing about painting things - does this require an additional primer coat?  Can I just buy a can of spray paint at a paint store that will do color matching, or does this require special aviation paint?

I don't really love the look of the Hubba Hubba caps, which seem like the most popular aftermarket option - so I thought I would first try replacing the original part.  And it doesn't seem like painting a small piece of metal should be too hard

 

[Z W]

I've found Rustoleum high-gloss white paint, available at any hardware store, matches the white paint on my gear very well for touch-up purposes. I'd use a spray can for a larger surface like that. Multiple light coats. I wouldn't bother with more primer but maybe just a light scuff sanding on the green.

Or, consider getting some paint stripper and removing the green primer, assuming the piece is aluminum and won't rust. You could use a magnet to check if you can't tell by its weight. A little polish would have a shiny wheel cover like you see on most Mooneys, if you don't want it white, or don't want paint that will get scratched and chipped. Those covers should come off pretty frequently to air up the tires and inspect the wheel bearings. A lot of wear and tear on a painted part.

[DC_Brasil]

After a recent flight a noticed one of those covers were missing from my right main gear (1990 M20J). I tried to find the PN in the IPC with no success. Interestingly the pages the show wheel assembly don't show the dust covers.

Any help with that?

 

[PT20J]

18 minutes ago, DC_Brasil said:

After a recent flight a noticed one of those covers were missing from my right main gear (1990 M20J). I tried to find the PN in the IPC with no success. Interestingly the pages the show wheel assembly don't show the dust covers.

Any help with that?

 

It’s a Cleveland part.

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/lgpages/wheelcovers2.php

 

[toto]

8 minutes ago, PT20J said:

It’s a Cleveland part.

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/lgpages/wheelcovers2.php

 

The dust covers that came on mine are completely flat - I took photos of the bent one here:

 

[toto]

29 minutes ago, DC_Brasil said:

After a recent flight a noticed one of those covers were missing from my right main gear (1990 M20J). I tried to find the PN in the IPC with no success. Interestingly the pages the show wheel assembly don't show the dust covers.

Any help with that?

 

I have the J parts manual and I had a really hard time finding this part too. I ended up finding a new replacement on eBay. 

[toto]

13 hours ago, Z W said:

I've found Rustoleum high-gloss white paint, available at any hardware store, matches the white paint on my gear very well for touch-up purposes. I'd use a spray can for a larger surface like that. Multiple light coats. I wouldn't bother with more primer but maybe just a light scuff sanding on the green.

Or, consider getting some paint stripper and removing the green primer, assuming the piece is aluminum and won't rust. You could use a magnet to check if you can't tell by its weight. A little polish would have a shiny wheel cover like you see on most Mooneys, if you don't want it white, or don't want paint that will get scratched and chipped. Those covers should come off pretty frequently to air up the tires and inspect the wheel bearings. A lot of wear and tear on a painted part.

Thanks for this

My originals are white and the rims are white (and the unbent one on the other side is white) so I’m going to try the paint approach. 

My main tires almost never lose air. I check them about once a quarter and they’re usually perfect. On the same interval my nose tire usually needs air (but the nose takes 49lbs in a tiny tire and the mains are 30).

[PT20J]

The M20J IPC calls out the Cleveland part. Flat covers may have been field fabricated. 

[toto]

17 minutes ago, PT20J said:

The M20J IPC calls out the Cleveland part. Flat covers may have been field fabricated. 

I mean, I suppose it’s possible, but I’ve seen quite a few J’s of my vintage with the flat dust covers. They might all have been field fabricated, but it seems like a lot of trouble.

[DC_Brasil]

Thanks @PT20J

My dust covers are also flat. If they are indeed cleveland, maybe they changed design along the way.

Anyway, they seem to be a very simple aluminum sheet, cut round and with screw holes. Seems to me that $300 for one is one of these things that makes absolutely no sense in aviation. 

I'll try to source used/ salvaged.

[DC_Brasil]

Just found these... 

$279 for a set of two

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/lgpages/hubbahubba06-02572.php

[Paul Thomas]

4 hours ago, DC_Brasil said:

Thanks @PT20J

My dust covers are also flat. If they are indeed cleveland, maybe they changed design along the way.

Anyway, they seem to be a very simple aluminum sheet, cut round and with screw holes. Seems to me that $300 for one is one of these things that makes absolutely no sense in aviation. 

I'll try to source used/ salvaged.

At that price, I may have to start making them! Wow.

I've cut similar aluminum pieces with my fly-cutter but one could get a router/jig set up and crank them out.

[N201MKTurbo]

13 minutes ago, Paul Thomas said:

At that price, I may have to start making them! Wow.

I've cut similar aluminum pieces with my fly-cutter but one could get a router/jig set up and crank them out.

Just order them from Xometry. They will probably be $5 each for 100. You could inspect them, paint them, put a PMA stamp on them and sell them for $300

[N201MKTurbo]

I was at a sheet metal fab place in Massachusetts a few weeks ago. They had this huge CNC laser cutter which they used to cut everything. The thing was fast. You could throw a sheet of 2024T3 in there and it would cut out 100 of those things (with holes) in a couple of minutes.

They had a Xometry plaque in their lobby. I assume they are a Xometry subcontractor.

[Igor_U]

I have a few covers for sale here:

 

Some are dished, Cleveland parts and one is probably home made, being flat. 

[Yetti]

OK hear me out.   $10K for a desktop water jet machine.....      could probably cut the smaller belly panels along with the wheel covers.    https://wazer.com/

[N201MKTurbo]

5 minutes ago, Yetti said:

OK hear me out.   $10K for a desktop water jet machine.....      could probably cut the smaller belly panels along with the wheel covers.    https://wazer.com/

Laser is faster and more precise. 
 

I doubt you could recover the cost of that machine making aircraft hub caps.

[Paul Thomas]

Laser has not been great to cut metal for aviation use; see Van's Aircraft fiasco.

[N201MKTurbo]

3 minutes ago, Paul Thomas said:

Laser has not been great to cut metal for aviation use; see Van's Aircraft fiasco.

These are not structural parts. You could have the laser cut the screw holes undersized and drill them out after cutting. If you are worried about laser hardening at the screw holes. No need to throw the baby out with the bath water.

[Yetti]

18 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Laser is faster and more precise. 
 

I doubt you could recover the cost of that machine making aircraft hub caps.

Vevor to the rescue.   $400.00 for a CNC Router.    The router would cut aluminum fine.       A 500W laser machine is going to be $20K plus.      https://www.vevor.com/wood-engraving-machine-c_11142/vevor-cnc-router-machine-300w-3-axis-grbl-control-wood-engraving-carving-milling-machine-kit-400-x-400-x-75-mm-15-7-x-15-7-x-2-95-in-working-area-1200-rpm-for-wood-acrylic-mdf-pvc-plastic-foam-p_010811202923?adp=gmc&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_id=21983603689&ad_group=&ad_id=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21983614270&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9obIBhCAARIsAGHm1mQ_PSNDPJEkxalYakHVDlIbc9wXr-p1-p8PXvYET7RFkZmJazLtTZoaAqyuEALw_wcB

[MikeOH]

Geez, guys!  These are ROUND, how much time are you really going to save with all this fancy automation over a simple drill press and a fly cutter?

[Pinecone]

46 minutes ago, Paul Thomas said:

Laser has not been great to cut metal for aviation use; see Van's Aircraft fiasco.

They changed how the cut was made, leading to the overheating at the edge of the hole.

Original setup was to start the cut inside the hole, the spiral out to the final cut.  Somehow it got changed to start at the edge.

[MikeOH]

3 minutes ago, Pinecone said:

Original setup was to start the cut inside the hole, the spiral out to the final cut.  Somehow it got changed to start at the edge.

My guess is some "smart guy" realized it would be faster by not wasting time 'spiraling out'; "look at all the machine time we'll save across thousands of holes!"

[N201MKTurbo]

1 hour ago, Yetti said:

Vevor to the rescue.   $400.00 for a CNC Router.    The router would cut aluminum fine.       A 500W laser machine is going to be $20K plus.      https://www.vevor.com/wood-engraving-machine-c_11142/vevor-cnc-router-machine-300w-3-axis-grbl-control-wood-engraving-carving-milling-machine-kit-400-x-400-x-75-mm-15-7-x-15-7-x-2-95-in-working-area-1200-rpm-for-wood-acrylic-mdf-pvc-plastic-foam-p_010811202923?adp=gmc&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_id=21983603689&ad_group=&ad_id=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21983614270&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9obIBhCAARIsAGHm1mQ_PSNDPJEkxalYakHVDlIbc9wXr-p1-p8PXvYET7RFkZmJazLtTZoaAqyuEALw_wcB

  I would just suggest sending it out to somebody who already has the expensive machine. They can make you a bunch of them for little money.

If I needed one, I would mark it up, rough cut it with my air nibbler, get it close with my belt sander and finish with a file. With those hand tools, I could make one in 15 minutes.

[Yetti]

1 hour ago, N201MKTurbo said:

  I would just suggest sending it out to somebody who already has the expensive machine. They can make you a bunch of them for little money.

If I needed one, I would mark it up, rough cut it with my air nibbler, get it close with my belt sander and finish with a file. With those hand tools, I could make one in 15 minutes.

Sorry failed the test.