172 plastic interior parts

Can anyone tell me what the material is that the mid 70s Cessnas used
for the interior plastic? We have a couple of cracked pieces we would
like to repair. I also remember reading a good article in one of the
aviation mags that went through the rebuilding of a really bad
instrument panel plastic cover in the last year or so... Anybody
remember which one it was?

Thanks!

Dave Burton wrote:

Can anyone tell me what the material is that the mid 70s Cessnas used
for the interior plastic? We have a couple of cracked pieces we would
like to repair.

Texas Aeroplastics sells repair materials.

George Patterson
I childproofed my house, but they *still* get in.

In article , Dave Burton
wrote:

Can anyone tell me what the material is that the mid 70s Cessnas used
for the interior plastic? We have a couple of cracked pieces we would
like to repair. I also remember reading a good article in one of the
aviation mags that went through the rebuilding of a really bad
instrument panel plastic cover in the last year or so... Anybody
remember which one it was?

Gerry Mader of REDAM makes a product called POLYFIX that will repair
any thermoplastic. Wicks used to sell it. It comes in different size
kits, depending on the number of linear square inches of material are
in the kit.

Gerry Mader of REDAM makes a product called POLYFIX that will repair
any thermoplastic. Wicks used to sell it. It comes in different size
kits, depending on the number of linear square inches of material are
in the kit.

We repaired all the plastic cracks in our 1970 Cardinal with ABS
plastic (Royalite is ABS plastic) and cement then spray-painted with
SEM vinyl paint. The panels looked almost like new (one has to look
real hard to find the repaired area).

Here is the url to order ABS sheet

http://www.selectproducts.com/product/abslaminates.html

1. MEK (paint thinner)- about $2/qt 2.

2. ABS cement (Oatey blue can found at Lowe`s) - about $4/can

3. ABS sheet - about $10/sheet

4. Fiberglass cloth - about $4/package

5. Plastic primer (We got some local brand at an automotive store).
Note: Later on, we just 'roughened' the plastic with bit of MEK and
skipped the primer.

6. SEM or Krylon vinyl/plastic paint: We got the Krylon from Walmart
for the headliner and upper plastic panels and ordered SEM from
automotive stores for lower panels. SEM paint seemed to be more
durable but take more coats and cost a bit more than Krylon.


We fixed large cracks with fiberglass cloth and ABS cement. MEK is
great to roughen the ABS before laying down the cloth, and to soak the
cloth before brushing on the cement (MEK can cause liver damage so
make sure that the work area is well-ventilated). Strips of ABS can be
glued over the crack area for strength. For large missing areas, we
built several layers of fiberglass cloth/ABS cement and filled the top
areas with thicker cement made by dissolving small pieces of ABS in
MEK. For small cracks, we just used a dab of ABS cement. Once the
patched areas are dried, just sand, prime and spray paint.

(Dave Burton) wrote:

Can anyone tell me what the material is that the mid 70s Cessnas used
for the interior plastic? We have a couple of cracked pieces we would
like to repair. I also remember reading a good article in one of the
aviation mags that went through the rebuilding of a really bad
instrument panel plastic cover in the last year or so... Anybody
remember which one it was?

Thanks!



I remember seeing the article, but don't know for sure where it was. My
guess is EAA Sport Aviation. It's too technical for AOPA or Flying, which
are the others I read regularly.

Mike

(Dave Burton) wrote:
Can anyone tell me what the material is that the mid 70s Cessnas used
for the interior plastic? We have a couple of cracked pieces we would
like to repair. I also remember reading a good article in one of the
aviation mags that went through the rebuilding of a really bad
instrument panel plastic cover in the last year or so... Anybody
remember which one it was?

IIRC the plastic was called Royalite.

EDR wrote in message ...
(Dave Burton) wrote:
Can anyone tell me what the material is that the mid 70s Cessnas used
for the interior plastic? We have a couple of cracked pieces we would
like to repair. I also remember reading a good article in one of the
aviation mags that went through the rebuilding of a really bad
instrument panel plastic cover in the last year or so... Anybody
remember which one it was?

IIRC the plastic was called Royalite.

Royalite is a brand name, and the plastic, as far as I can
determine, is ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) and can be patched
with scraps of similar stuff using the yellow ABS solvent cement
available at your hardware store or building supply; it's used for
plastic pipe connections. Don't use the white PVC pipe goop.
Small cracks can be repaired with a scrap of fiberglass cloth and
the ABS cement on the backside of the panel. A goopy filler for bigger
cracks can be made by mixing the cement with some ABS shavings from a
piece of ABS pipe or any other ABS plasic junk. Computer printers,
telephones, some toys, are just a few examples of stuff often made of
ABS. The hard plastic panels in many cars will be ABS.

Hoping this helps,
Dan

It was EAA Sport Aviation. I joined last year around this time and it was in
the first issue I received. Check issues from May, June and July of 2003.

Marco


"Mike Adams" wrote in message
news:0HRpc.30946$5a.29723@okepread03...
(Dave Burton) wrote:

Can anyone tell me what the material is that the mid 70s Cessnas used
for the interior plastic? We have a couple of cracked pieces we would
like to repair. I also remember reading a good article in one of the
aviation mags that went through the rebuilding of a really bad
instrument panel plastic cover in the last year or so... Anybody
remember which one it was?

Thanks!



I remember seeing the article, but don't know for sure where it was. My
guess is EAA Sport Aviation. It's too technical for AOPA or Flying, which
are the others I read regularly.

Mike




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In article , says...

Can anyone tell me what the material is that the mid 70s Cessnas used
for the interior plastic? We have a couple of cracked pieces we would
like to repair. I also remember reading a good article in one of the
aviation mags that went through the rebuilding of a really bad
instrument panel plastic cover in the last year or so... Anybody
remember which one it was?

Thanks!


You can still get those parts, apparently.
Just a few days ago I saw a 172M (1975?) that came out of the shop, and they
had completely rebuilt the panel. It looked NEW. All of the little plates with
the lettering on them - you know, the 'BCN' engraving that's always worn down
to where you can't even find it any more! I asked the guys about it, and they
said they simply ordered the parts from Cessna.

G Faris

(G Farris) wrote in message ...

You can still get those parts, apparently.
Just a few days ago I saw a 172M (1975?) that came out of the shop, and they
had completely rebuilt the panel. It looked NEW. All of the little plates with
the lettering on them - you know, the 'BCN' engraving that's always worn down
to where you can't even find it any more! I asked the guys about it, and they
said they simply ordered the parts from Cessna.


Awful prices for that stuff from Cessna. Try this:

http://www.planeplastics.com/

They make them a bit thicker so they don't bust so easily, and
they cost much less.

Dan