Airtex carpet from the start

tlrussell

tlrussell

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Jun 11, 2014
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St. Petersburg, Fl.
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pa32-300
working on the front first as we wire in new led lights. Terminal block going under center row console.
 

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Is that all glued to the floor? As in the only good time the floor gets inspected for corrosion is when the carpet is replaced?
 
bnt83 said:
Is that all glued to the floor? As in the only good time the floor gets inspected for corrosion is when the carpet is replaced?
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The old carpet was I scraped all the old glue off (that job sucks). this carpet will be Velcroed? in at most. Carpet is a little light in weight we'll see how it holds up. So far the snaps are lining up and fit is pretty good. I ordered it and it shipped within 3 days, great communication.
 
tlrussell said:
Carpet is a little light in weight we'll see how it holds up.
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My plane had a complete Airtex interior installed when it was restored in 03/04. Never again.

The plane has been hangared 100% of the time since. The carpet looks like brand new on the top (because I keep it clean...dirt ground into the fibers is what wears out carpet, not foot pressure alone). However, when you turn the carpet over, all the rubber backing is crumbling. So I'll be replacing it again with something fabricated by the local upholstery shop at the next annual.

Maybe I'm expecting too much since it has been 11 or 12 years but, literally, the carpet looks perfect from above and like hell from below. And it's not just in areas that see traffic...the carpet under the seats, the carpet on the hat rack, it's all disintegrating.

I had issues with the seats as well, but far quicker. They started having issues within 3 or 4 years. They were recovered again about 7 years ago and still look brand new. Not Airtex material this time though.
 
timwinters said:
My plane had a complete Airtex interior installed when it was restored in 03/04. Never again.

The plane has been hangared 100% of the time since. The carpet looks like brand new on the top (because I keep it clean...dirt ground into the fibers is what wears out carpet, not foot pressure alone). However, when you turn the carpet over, all the rubber backing is crumbling. So I'll be replacing it again with something fabricated by the local upholstery shop at the next annual.

Maybe I'm expecting too much since it has been 11 or 12 years but, literally, the carpet looks perfect from above and like hell from below. And it's not just in areas that see traffic...the carpet under the seats, the carpet on the hat rack, it's all disintegrating.

I had issues with the seats as well, but far quicker. They started having issues within 3 or 4 years. They were recovered again about 7 years ago and still look brand new. Not Airtex material this time though.
Click to expand...

101% agree. Try tnwings.com or scs interiors for quality precut stuff.
 
bnt83 said:
Is that all glued to the floor? As in the only good time the floor gets inspected for corrosion is when the carpet is replaced?
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Isn't that the Cessna way? As in you find out the glue they used at the factory was itself a corrosive when you replace it!
 
Fearless Tower said:
Isn't that the Cessna way? As in you find out the glue they used at the factory was itself a corrosive when you replace it!
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Not in mine :dunno:

There were a few pads glued at the ends of the seat tracks. MEK seemed to remove the glue well. Really negligible corrosion in glued areas.



I just pulled out about a dozen of those Cessna "stick-on" sound deadening panels from the belly and found a bit of corrosion under one than needs attention.



FYI - If you own a Cessna with these under the floor, I've been soaking the living **** out of them with ACF-50 the last few years and they came out pretty easy with no residue. :lol: This one appeared to absorb dye from a fuel leak.

 
Fearless Tower said:
I am not sure what year they switched, but the glue Cessna used for interiors back in the 40's and 50's was later found to be corrosive.
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The yellow insulation batting and black CAT tubing seems to cause the most problems from 1968 to 1976 IME.
 
Does anyone make a vinyl or rubberized floor for like a C-180?

If I had my wish, next time we re-carpet I wouldn't use carpet at all.

Something like Rhino bed liner or a rubber material like you can get in a work truck would be perfect for a utility plane.
 
txflyer said:
Does anyone make a vinyl or rubberized floor for like a C-180?

If I had my wish, next time we re-carpet I wouldn't use carpet at all.

Something like Rhino bed liner or a rubber material like you can get in a work truck would be perfect for a utility plane.
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Google "aircraft vinyl flooring" :wink2: All kinds of stuff out there.
 


An example of old Airtex carpet. I don't know the exact age but I'd guess over 10 years old. The top looks fine but the foam padding on the back is terribly deteriorated, crumbly and filling the belly with a black powdery dust that I'm sure holds moisture.
 
I don't really expect foams and carpet to last much more than that.
 
I hate that stinking black foam! I expect more out of my $500 set of airplane carpets...
 
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bnt83 said:


An example of old Airtex carpet. I don't know the exact age but I'd guess over 10 years old. The top looks fine but the foam padding on the back is terribly deteriorated, crumbly and filling the belly with a black powdery dust that I'm sure holds moisture.
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Hey!

When did you sneak into my plane and steal my carpet!?!?

That's exactly what mine's doing...
 
Yep, still in the plane, looks fine when installed but when it's removed for annual, there's a lot of clean up to do...

Let me know how that product works out. I planned to take my carpet to a local upholstery shop next winter and have them fab a new carpet for me, may use this material if it works well for you.

Heck, at $14/yd, and I only need one yard to do the plane, I might just order it and check it out in person rather than "guess" what it looks like. I've thrown away a lot more money and gotten nothing in return, especially when I was singe! ;)
 
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bnt83 said:
Still got it in the airplane? I'm thinking about ordering some of this:

http://www.perfectfit.com/15593/154087/Marine-Carpet-and-Hulliner/Spectropile-Marine-Carpet-72.html


and having it burned. Looks much more economical and doesn't need binding on the edges.
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It's good stuff, and if you order enough for the linear length of the original carpets, you should actually be able to cut two sets out of the same piece. (At least you can for the 172). I tracked down the FMVSS 302 cert from the original manufacturer. All that is necessary for a CAR3 bird. FAR23 birds of course need to submit to more painful testing.

My original carpets were screwed down, so it was easy to just screw down the new carpets.

It's thinner than the original carpets (read l-i-g-h-t-e-r). I think for my bird, I actually bought about 3 yards or so, but I have extra carpets (both under, and over the aux tank).
 
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Back when we were displaying at Oshkosh, Airtex was our next-booth neighbor for about ten years and we got fairly well acquainted with the owner and his partner/main squeeze. We used Airtex throughout when we redid the 182A Heavy and the carpet looks like it did the day I put it in (1989). So do the seats and headliner.

But when Don and Lori took the Cherokee vertically into the bean field in Illinois on their way to The Show in 2001 I guess the folks that bought the company out of the estate took it down the cheapo path. Pity. They USED to make such GOOD stuff.

Jim
 
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