The materials are available from many sources as others will state. And,
many door seals are quite easy to glue on. But, the detail work is often
in the preparation and final fitting.

One difficulty is in removing the old seal and adhesive. If you don't
remove the old stuff, the new seal may or may not stick. Some mechanics
leave a lot of the old stuff on because they believe the seals actually
stick better to established (well stuck) old glue. I have not done
enough of them to form an opinion either way. You might want to discuss
the procedure with a mechanic who has done Cessna door seals. I do not
believe that replacing door seals is something that is listed under
owner maintenance, but your mechanic may work with you and "supervise"
the repair. I have to fetch the regulations and take a look.

3M Weather-strip Adhesive (which is no doubt what you will wind up
using) is very difficult to put where you want it. It is stringy and
seems to readily stick to your fingers, the upholstery, the plane's
exterior paint, the seats, the windows, your clothes, and just about
everywhere except the seal channel. It gives no real indication at all
that it will stick to new rubber seals. When you start using it, you
will know what I mean.

Once applied, you have a new seal and a door adjusted to fit the old
seal. It may not close and lock at all. It may bind... a lot. If the old
seal had been "shimmed" out with a layer (or 2 or 3) of rubber or other
material, the door may actually be very loose in those areas. Often,
there is a some amount of adjustment necessary to achieve a balance of
seal vs. force to close/open. Every now and then, the new seal fits fine
with the door right were it was. Be prepared for the door to either:
seal better than it did, seal the same, or actually be worse than
before. New seals often take some time to "set". During that time, you
may need to readjust the door to accommodate the seal fitting itself to
its new position. You also may need to reapply adhesive to parts.

This operation is one that can go to extremes. Some go on quite easily,
seal well, require no door adjustment, and stay on. Others can take a
lot of tinkering to get just right. If the door is already bent (and
many are), no amount of resealing or adjustment may make it seal
correctly. As I recall, certain Cessna inner door frames are prone to
cracking. If this is not fixed correctly, new seals may not make a
difference. It seems that each door-to-airplane seal has its own
"personality".

Good Luck,
Mike

Hankal wrote:
My 1973 172 is getting a liitle drafty.
I may replace the weatherstripping around my doors and my two windows. Does not
look like a big job, just time consuming.
Where can I buy the gasket material and the adhesive.
Of course I would not think of replacing it with Non approved parts.
Thanks
Hank N1441P



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