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Old May 7th 06, 01:12 PM posted to rec.aviation.owning
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Default Piper Cherokee wing root seals - just an fyi

Bob Noel wrote:
In the past I've seen people wondering why it was so hard to install new wing
root seals on cherokees. Well, today my mechanic did the job in just about two
hours. No doubt it helped that he's done it before.

It depends on the individual plane. The gap between the wing and
fuselage is not consistent from one Piper to another and even within the
same wing. You can sail along and do a foot in 5 seconds and then take
10 minutes to do the next foot. I use a dishsoap and water mix to help.
I also do it on a relatively warm day.

When we used to install those extruded aluminum with rubber insert
moldings on cars, we would put the rubber insert in a pail of very hot
water for a few minutes. The thing would be like spaghetti and would be
very soft. Snap right in. If done cold, it would take 2 or 3 minutes per
foot.

I always wondered if putting the wing root seal in hot water would help.
I don't think you would get very far before it got cold and unworkable.

Good luck
Mike