Front louvers for Cherokee/Archer overhead vents?

The louvers in the overhead vents in our '74 Archer are so badly beat up
that they no longer work. These seem to be impossible to get. I can find
replacements for the rear overhead vent louvers (longer and narrower than
the front pair) in Aircraft Spruce and Wicks, but no one offers anything for
the front. Our A&P says that you can get them from Piper, but for
ridiculous prices (I joked that they were probably $150 each and he said
that if I could find them for that little I should jump on them). The rears
are $17 each! I've found some plastic eyeball vents that can probably be
adapted, with some difficulty, but has anyone seen a better substitute that
works well? The Piper Owners Group's website is down, but I will check
there when it gets back up. Thanks.

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)

Bob, the best I've found is to simply bust the old ones out, enlarge the
holes, and install the longer louvers.

I haven't done that -- yet -- but only because my original louvers are still
hanging in there, barely.

I *do* have experience cutting the holes for these louvers, though. With a
dremel tool it's not too bad, in a tedious sort of way, and if your plastic
is not too ancient and brittle. If it is, you'll find that it will simply
shatter when you try to handle it.

At which point, you might as well replace the whole ceiling plastic air
duct/light/speaker assembly. Doing this took me about 8 hours, although I
could probably do it in four now.

By the way -- check out the Cherokee Pilot's Association website (and
"Cherokee Chat" -- their members-only chat room) -- it is great for this
kind of stuff! It's at www.piperowner.com .
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Have you tried to match them with any past or present automotive pieces
from a bone yard?

I checked the Piper Owner's Society, which we are members of. The only
thing I found in their chat files was a Seneca overhead vent grill (which
may or may not be the same part). The price quoted was $1100 each! The
long vents from the rear will not fit in the front, so our A&P tells me.
There is not a long enough flat surface in the front duct for the longer
louver to fit correctly, even if the hole is elongated. Also, I believe the
front grill is wider than those in the rear. Our plastic is in great
condition. I suspect it was replaced when the interior was done a few years
ago. OTOH, they apparently used the original grills, probably because they
couldn't get new ones at a reasonable price. The guy who makes the plastic
eyeball vents is sending me a sample. If I can make it work, I'll post a
message on the Piper chat sites.

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:SJzSb.191495$na.317899@attbi_s04...
Bob, the best I've found is to simply bust the old ones out, enlarge the
holes, and install the longer louvers.

I haven't done that -- yet -- but only because my original louvers are
still
hanging in there, barely.

I *do* have experience cutting the holes for these louvers, though. With
a
dremel tool it's not too bad, in a tedious sort of way, and if your
plastic
is not too ancient and brittle. If it is, you'll find that it will simply
shatter when you try to handle it.

At which point, you might as well replace the whole ceiling plastic air
duct/light/speaker assembly. Doing this took me about 8 hours, although I
could probably do it in four now.

By the way -- check out the Cherokee Pilot's Association website (and
"Cherokee Chat" -- their members-only chat room) -- it is great for this
kind of stuff! It's at www.piperowner.com .
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I suspect it was replaced when the interior was done a few years
ago. OTOH, they apparently used the original grills, probably because
they
couldn't get new ones at a reasonable price.

Yep, that's what I did. I had to carefully cut that old, stupid
piece-o'-crap louver vent out of the old plastic, and then oh-so-carefully
insert it into a custom-cut hole in the new plastic, knowing that if I broke
it, I was toast.

It looks like crap, works like crap, and I would love to replace it with
something better. Please keep me posted on the "eyeball vent" guy...

Thanks,
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Bob Chilcoat" wrote:
I checked the Piper Owner's Society, which we are members of. The only
thing I found in their chat files was a Seneca overhead vent grill (which
may or may not be the same part). The price quoted was $1100 each!

That's not bad for something made out of solid unobtainium.

I'll tell you what I did in my Seneca. The pilot side front louver thingie
finally just fell out in several pieces, leaving a rectangular hole about 2
inches by 3 inches. It just so happens that the little yellow ruler that
AOPA sends out each year to members, of which I have at least 8, fits just
right in that hole, about half in and half out, and blocks and redirects the
air flow quite nicely.

In the summer when it's hot I remove the yellow ruler completely for a ram
air cooling effect on my face, also quite nice.

It looks a little hokey, but it is a perfect match for the towel I use to
block the air leaks at the door and the duct tape holding some of the other
interior pieces together.

I'll sell you one of my extra yellow rulers for just half the cost of the
new Piper part, $550.

"Bob Chilcoat" wrote in message
...
I checked the Piper Owner's Society, which we are members of. The only
thing I found in their chat files was a Seneca overhead vent grill (which
may or may not be the same part). The price quoted was $1100 each! The
long vents from the rear will not fit in the front, so our A&P tells me.
There is not a long enough flat surface in the front duct for the longer
louver to fit correctly, even if the hole is elongated. Also, I believe
the
front grill is wider than those in the rear. Our plastic is in great
condition. I suspect it was replaced when the interior was done a few
years
ago. OTOH, they apparently used the original grills, probably because
they
couldn't get new ones at a reasonable price. The guy who makes the
plastic
eyeball vents is sending me a sample. If I can make it work, I'll post a
message on the Piper chat sites.

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:SJzSb.191495$na.317899@attbi_s04...
Bob, the best I've found is to simply bust the old ones out, enlarge the
holes, and install the longer louvers.

I haven't done that -- yet -- but only because my original louvers are
still
hanging in there, barely.

I *do* have experience cutting the holes for these louvers, though.
With
a
dremel tool it's not too bad, in a tedious sort of way, and if your
plastic
is not too ancient and brittle. If it is, you'll find that it will
simply
shatter when you try to handle it.

At which point, you might as well replace the whole ceiling plastic air
duct/light/speaker assembly. Doing this took me about 8 hours, although
I
could probably do it in four now.

By the way -- check out the Cherokee Pilot's Association website (and
"Cherokee Chat" -- their members-only chat room) -- it is great for this
kind of stuff! It's at www.piperowner.com .
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

I *do* have experience cutting the holes for these louvers, though. With a
dremel tool it's not too bad, in a tedious sort of way, and if your plastic
is not too ancient and brittle. If it is, you'll find that it will simply
shatter when you try to handle it.

A better idea for cutting the plastic is a heated X-Acto knife. Most hobby shops
can sell you one that screws onto the tip of a small soldering iron.

George Patterson
Love, n.: A form of temporary insanity afflicting the young. It is curable
either by marriage or by removal of the afflicted from the circumstances
under which he incurred the condition. It is sometimes fatal, but more
often to the physician than to the patient.

A better idea for cutting the plastic is a heated X-Acto knife. Most hobby
shops
can sell you one that screws onto the tip of a small soldering iron.

Wow -- GREAT tool. I've never heard of that, but it would certainly make
less of a mess than the Dremel tool. Probably easier to control, too.

Well, maybe. Now that I think about it, I suppose it depends on how much the
plastic flows, and sticks to the blade. I've tried cutting certain
plastics with heat that simply melted and reformed right behind the blade...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

Well, maybe. Now that I think about it, I suppose it depends on how much the
plastic flows, and sticks to the blade. I've tried cutting certain
plastics with heat that simply melted and reformed right behind the blade...

I had to be very careful with the one I had. I would turn it on and test the cut
until it got to a temperature that worked well. After 15 minutes or so, it would
get too hot to work well, and I'd unplug it for a while. Dunno what happened to
it; I lost track of it after I ran out of time for building models.

George Patterson
Love, n.: A form of temporary insanity afflicting the young. It is curable
either by marriage or by removal of the afflicted from the circumstances
under which he incurred the condition. It is sometimes fatal, but more
often to the physician than to the patient.