Good Source Aftermarket Door Seals

[klpilot]

Hello All,

I'm in need of some good replacement door seals. There's a lot of chatter that the Cessna ones aren't great. I'm thinking of using:

https://www.aircraftdoorseals.com/

Anyone have any recommendations for early(1965) Skymaster door/window/baggage seals?

Thanks!
Kirk

[Mich3773]

Hi Kirk,

I've used the Aircraft Door Seals material on a C172 and C172RG. I purchased it from Aircraft Spruce. The door gasket was 1/2 inch square. The baggage door gasket was 1/2 inch wide by 1/4 inch deep. I think it was made from TPV rubber.

The airplane doors had been leaking for a long time and the previous owners had tried lots of things to seal them, including domestic house weather-stripping, and masking tape! Several hours of work was required to remove the old seal and clean the old adhesive from the door. The new seals weren't cheap. They were easy to install, but after installation, some areas of the door, especially the corners, continued to leak air. Shortly after installation on the baggage door I noticed the seal was abraded from vibration, even on protected areas next to the hinge.

In summary, the seals cost a lot of money and effort, and didn't prevent air leaks. I think your success with a seal will depend on how closely your door and door frame conforms to the original dimensions, rather than what you buy.

I think silicone or silicone foam is a better choice of material for door seals. It would be interesting to contact Brown Aircraft Supply to see what they could offer you.

I recently bought window seals for a C337H from Commodore Aerospace (Don Neiser), but don't plan to install them until the fall. Don may be able to help you.

Good luck, and please post to let us know what you buy and how it goes.

[n86121]

Over 25+ years I have tried everything.

What finally worked was buying 1/16th x 1/2 inch wide closed cell phone tape, found on ebay. I applied the tape to both the door frame and the door,
so when the door closes the seal forms BETWEEN the two touching, attached layers of tape.

The 1/16th allows you to build layers where needed, and not where it causes trouble.

I ran a thin piece of something (paper? String?) along the seal,
in between the two layers of touching tape, until it was held at every point.

Now I can fly the aircraft under water and it remains tight.

[Skymaster337B]

Pics please.

[n86121]

I have attached four photos.
The tape is neoprene 1/16th x 1/2 with one side adhesive,
'closed cell' which can be found on ebay.

Of course my photos are out by 90 degrees, ...but 'work with me people..'

Easy!

The sticky side forms a good seal with the door frame and door.
When you press the two halves together, they forma good seal with each other.

I even found an original Cessna door seal new in bag on ebay.

But this works just fine, and is easy to fix as well.

D

[hharney]

Is that an STC or field approval