I have a bunch of used Cessna door hinges. Feel free to call me at 308-390-5974. I think I can get you set up

Safety wire will keep those hinge pins from backing out

Yep exactly what Rob said and then soak that hinge in some penatrene or honey goo or whatever and salvage the door post half of it. If you bust up the hinge bolted to the door post I have 2 sets up here you can grab, don't have the door side of the hinge though unfortunately.

Well, I managed to get the pilot side door done today but it didn't come easy. I'm not sure how the damn hinge pins became so fused but I had to drill them then punch out the bits I missed with the drill bit. Of course, where I missed the hinge pins with the drill bit I managed to get the hinge itself, so both hinges are significantly compromised, one on the door and fuselage parts, the other on just the door portion.

Today's panel required a fair bit of trimming and heating and bending to get into position because of the window latch so I totally forgot to look inside the door when I had the panel and insulation out. I'm not sure how involved replacing the door side of the hinge might be but it looks from the outside as if it is riveted in place. My pay grade stops at screws, nuts and bolts, so I may have to punt to my mechanic. I'm pretty comfortable that the plane is air-worthy now so I don't mind flying it to the mechanic, but I don't think I'll ignore it and pretend it isn't screwed up.

The next challenge I can see is the front left panel. I removed the old one today so that I could get at the bolt for the fuselage part of the door hinge and I realized there are four hydraulic lines tucked in behind the old panel for the manual pump for the amphib system. It won't be a simple matter of squeezing the new panel in place and screwing it into position, I guess I'll have to make a hole to accommodate the hydraulic lines.

Something tells me the old fabric panels made sense because they were more forgiving than my new fiberglass ones.

Good times, I feel like I'm learning a lot.

Well, despite ham-fisting a couple of hinges, I'm pretty happy with the way things turned out.

Here is what came out:



Here is how it looks now:


The old plastic looks similar enough to the new plastic that I don't feel an immediate need to replace the stuff that didn't really need replacing.


I went pretty slow, trimming bit by bit, and was pretty happy with the fit.


I was able to reuse the stock insulation everywhere except the front two panels. The insulation was fused to the panels so I don't have any insulation there now. Now that I'm a little more comfortable with this type of work I'll probably put in some Selkirk foam though I admit, the yucky old black tar looks pretty intimidating to remove.

I will refinish the arm rests after I fly for a while. Weather seems to be turning here so I'd like to get a few hours flying in the near future.

I have 4 cheap mesh pockets, one for each door and each forward panel. I know mesh isn't the best for holding stuff like the control lock or fuel sampler, but for $8 I figure I'll give them a try. I also have a budget Amazon sheepskin seat cover that I'm going to try on the seat. Just the top, not the sides. Since it is not permanent I'm not too fussed about burn certs.

I used self-tappers that I had on hand to install the door panels but used nice stainless screws on the rest after my Aircraft Spruce screw order arrived. I only used two screws in each panel because I had a hell of a time lining up holes in my panels with existing holes on the aircraft. I'll get my mechanic to put in a couple more on each panel because I'm still not comfortable drilling holes.

I found some 1/8" rod on Amazon and will make temporary hinge pins. The hinges on the pilot door are a bit beat up but I figure they will hold for a few hours. With doors and windows closed the pressure should keep the door in place, not try to rip it off.

Couple questions:
- The vinyl with the ensolite backing has a fair bit of weight to it and lies nice and flat. Should I leave it or add the velcro that was included to hold it in place?
- Is there any reason to keep the used panels? They are pretty ugly but the backing seems solid and they could maybe be re-used by someone else?

Looks great Allen.
Rob was looking for some panels, maybe he could use them?

A1Skinner wrote:Looks great Allen.
Rob was looking for some panels, maybe he could use them?

Thanks for thinking of me, different Airframes though so I’m sure there’s some differences in the panels. I think I’m going to make my own panels out of Kydex now.

Nice work on your interior Albravo!

robw56 wrote:

A1Skinner wrote:Looks great Allen.
Rob was looking for some panels, maybe he could use them?

Thanks for thinking of me, different Airframes though so I’m sure there’s some differences in the panels. I think I’m going to make my own panels out of Kydex now.

Nice work on your interior Albravo!

Ok Rob. I forgot that Als plane has the rear window. Looking forward to seeing how the Kydex works for you.