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Fabric Doors

7 posts in this topic

Posted

Has anyone done without the aluminium on the cabin doors and just go fabric like the Cub? Pros or cons with the idea.........

Thanks,

larry

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Posted (edited)

Has anyone done without the aluminium on the cabin doors and just go fabric like the Cub? Pros or cons with the idea.........

Thanks,

larry

Never have seen that done - My preference is the full Lexan - not only for visability, but to cut down on noise. 1/8 inch is better, but adds weight. We would have done that on the J3 we just covered, but couldn't because owner wants to keep it as an original antique.

ED in MO

Edited by Ed In Missouri

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Posted

You'd have a very breezy cabin. The door frames don't fit that tight. They need the overlap to seal.

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Posted (edited)

You'd have a very breezy cabin. The door frames don't fit that tight. They need the overlap to seal.

RIGHT-ON ! Had not thought of that. J3 Cubs are really breezy and noisy! Jolly Good Show !!!

ED in MO

Edited by Ed In Missouri

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Posted (edited)

Yes, I agree. I had thought of just a foam seal in the winter to take care of excessive air. In the summer, the doors are always open anyway. I'm looking at weight and time savings potential. The doors that I currently have, have a lot of bondo that I was hoping to get rid of.

Edited by larr

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Posted

I think you might want to just reskin the door . Not sure why one would use bondo. The aluminum is noticably lighter than the lexan but like Ed says, it is nice to have the visibility out the bottom of the door. I did a full lexan door on the passenger side but a half and half on the pilot side so I could add a pocket made out of fabric. The full lexan door on the pass side is great for flying solo which I do a lot. The gaps are huge if the alum or lexan did not lap out over the door frame. I am still trying to tweek my door seals; every little thing makes a difference in the winter. One of the biggest is the slight gap at the front of the hinge pins to get them in and out. Mine blows in a lot more on the pass side than the pilot side I think due to to prop rotation direction with mine being right hand turning.

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Posted (edited)

Yes, I agree. I had thought of just a foam seal in the winter to take care of excessive air. In the summer, the doors are always open anyway. I'm looking at weight and time savings potential. The doors that I currently have, have a lot of bondo that I was hoping to get rid of.

I pulled the aluminum off of my KF2 doors to go with full Lexan - The builder must have used a full can of Hysol or that other glue inside where the skins meet the door frame - dont know why someone would do that - I would have used a small bead of silicone if I wanted a better seal - would have been lots easier to remove too - used a torch, but guess heat gun might have worked in a week or so.

Maybe this was the old factory policy for the 2, but dont remember seeing it in my 1 and 4, 5 manuals.?

ED in MO

Edited by Ed In Missouri

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