Door Seal Replacement Questions

[gear]

I'm in the process of replacing my door seals on my 182. (wish i never started ) Getting off the old seal / glue is a real bitch. Question is - do i need to take this down to bare aluminum before i put the new glue on? Using Acetone to get the old glue off works ok, but it is real hard from keeping the acetone from getting on the side of the door with the paint (and then off comes the paint.

A brass wire wheel would make real short work of it, but something tells me i shouldn't scratch up the aluminum.

Any suggestions?

garth

[Zzz]

I've always heard that a product called "Goof-Off" works really well for removing adhesive residue, and is generally paint-safe. Never tried it, myself.

http://www.goofoffstainremover.com/

[gear]

Hi Zane - I tried that stuff - wouldnt touch it. I think im going to take it down to bare aluminum with a brass wire wheel and then when applying the contact cement, I'll make sure to cover all the bare aluminum with the cement - that should protect it.

garth

[bart]

Be careful using a brass wirewheel on aluminum, you could be setting yourself up for dissimilar metal corrosion problems down the road. I'm no expert on the subject but I've seen the results of this process.

[Zzz]

Hi Zane - I tried that stuff - wouldnt touch it. I think im going to take it down to bare aluminum with a brass wire wheel and then when applying the contact cement, I'll make sure to cover all the bare aluminum with the cement - that should protect it.

garth

Hmm... yeah I'd try a few more chemical means before I got too aggressive with the mechanical abrasion. There's got to be something that glue doesn't like....

[bcdpilot]

MEK should get it off pretty quick wet a cloth and rub it lightly rewetting often

[mtv]

Be careful using a brass wirewheel on aluminum, you could be setting yourself up for dissimilar metal corrosion problems down the road. I'm no expert on the subject but I've seen the results of this process.

Ditto on this. Try MEK.

MTV

[FloatFlyer]

Garth: Good noise cancelling headsets, don't worry about it, go flying or sledding!

[Glidergeek]

Try a die grinder and some of these pads that look like scotch britepads that attach with a Velcro connection. They are aggressive but much less than a wire brush.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/3M-Loc ... vc=IDPBBZ2

[Jaerl]

I used a razor blade and brass brush. Then I cleaned up the rest with paint thinner. I would think you could put new rubber on aluminum if you wanted but I painted the insides of the doors when I did mine. A word of advice, Don't use the solid weather stripping. Use the hollow "O' or "D" type. I used the solid and it took months before I could get the doors to close easily. That's with the latch all the way out too. If your doing the windows too, Home Depot sells the same brand of seals that aircraft Spruce does. Have fun!

[shortfielder]

I tried that a couple years ago. Bought some high dollar "best in the world door seals". What a PITA Too thick for my early model/lighter doors. Maybe OK on newer planes/heavier doors??. I went back to some cheaper thinner seals. MEK or laquer thinnner should get the adhessive off without further damage. If you need to protect the paint on the other side, you might try some Frog tape available at most paint/hardware store. It forms a seal on the edge when it gets wet. It is similar to masking tape but seals better. I still wouldn't be too sloppy about the application of whatever chemical you use.
Gary

[gear]

Well - i got the job done. In the end, I used a brass wire wheel to remove all the crap. I spoke to an aircraft painter. He said they always take the seals off and paint the door first but only for astectics. They acid etch then alodyne and prime. For small areas, he said they prime with a special etch / primer. Anyway, i covered all the bare aluminum with the 3M adhesivive that the door seal people recommended. After applying the seal, you cant see any of the unpainted area anyway.

Got the seals from Aircraftdoorseal.com. They were helpful and said often, with really old installations, they use the wire wheel as well. The seals good, but in some areas are too wide for the door and I had to trim. They definately don't look as good after trimming. The doors are pretty tight to close now - passenger side was really hard, but they should wear in eventually. For the money ($400 ), not sure I'd go this route again.

It was a good learning experience tho. Also got my new Sporty's air vents in, my 150 lb upgross and the oil changed so all in all, was a productive 2 days of work.

garth