Repairing fiberglass wheel pants

The fiberglass on our "Fancy Pants" main gear wheel pants has been
deteriorating for some time. The holes in the fiberglass through which the
dzu-type connectors pass are "wowed" out -- and now some of them are
completely broken out.

As a result, several of the metal backing plates have fallen off, and we
made our last flight today with just a single dzu connector holding the
right rear clamshell together. (Fancy pants are not single-piece units,
like the factory wheel pants, but two clamshells that connect together.)

I have removed the pants and taken them to my A&P, who is most comfortable
working with sheet metal. I suspect he will want to rivet a "stripe" of
sheet metal over the wowed out/broken holes, cover this with a thin "veneer"
of putty, re-drill the holes -- charge me a small fortune -- and pronounce
them airworthy once again.

I am wondering if this is the proper way to go. Can these things be
re-fiberglassed, or is that a lost cause? Is adding metal reinforcements
smart, or simply inviting failure in other parts of the pant?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Other than what I suggested in my e-mail, you may want to call Laminar
Flow and ask them what they think. They may have an approved repair
method that they can suggest. Either way, I'd still do it myself.

--- Jay



--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
http://www2.ari.net/jmasino ! ! !
http://www.oceancityairport.com
http://www.oc-adolfos.com

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:_9n4d.234979$Fg5.205968@attbi_s53...
The fiberglass on our "Fancy Pants" main gear wheel pants has been
deteriorating for some time. The holes in the fiberglass through which
the
dzu-type connectors pass are "wowed" out -- and now some of them are
completely broken out.

As a result, several of the metal backing plates have fallen off, and we
made our last flight today with just a single dzu connector holding the
right rear clamshell together. (Fancy pants are not single-piece units,
like the factory wheel pants, but two clamshells that connect together.)

I have removed the pants and taken them to my A&P, who is most comfortable
working with sheet metal. I suspect he will want to rivet a "stripe" of
sheet metal over the wowed out/broken holes, cover this with a thin
"veneer"
of putty, re-drill the holes -- charge me a small fortune -- and pronounce
them airworthy once again.

I am wondering if this is the proper way to go. Can these things be
re-fiberglassed, or is that a lost cause? Is adding metal reinforcements
smart, or simply inviting failure in other parts of the pant?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

You'd need to consult the FAR's to get the scoop, but I believe you can make
non-structural repairs yourself on things like wheel pants. As someone who
has worked with fiberglass (it is awful), I'd find a local EAA type who is
familiar with composite construction. S/he could probably take a look and
explain the repair process to you in 15 minutes. From what you describe,
you're probably looking at several 1-2 hour sessions to prep the pants, lay
up new glass, prepare the surface for paint, and then paint (which I'd hire
out). If you don't wanna do the work, take the pants to a local auto or
boat shop that handles fiberglass work and they will be able to take care of
it with no problem.

KB

Jay Honeck wrote:

Can these things be re-fiberglassed, or is that a lost cause?

Fiberglass can be patched. The compound is a mix of epoxy and glass fibers and is a
bit of a mess to deal with. You can get it at any auto paint shop. Avoid buying it at
K-mart or auto parts stores, since it's likely to stay on the shelf too long there.
Apply it with the same sort of plastic applicators used for Bondo work or with putty
knives. Use disposable plastic gloves to avoid reaction to the epoxy.

Sand the existing structure with 60 grit or rougher paper in the places you want this
stuff to bond. Apply it, let it set two or three days, and sand smooth. If you let it
set up longer, it will be harder to sand -- sand too soon, and your paper will clog
up rapidly. The resulting surface will have lots of little pits. Take care of that
with Bondo. Use finer paper to sand down the Bondo. Finish with ~200 grit. The best
paper is some new stuff that Home Depot sells called Norton's 3X. Works fast.

Is adding metal reinforcements
smart, or simply inviting failure in other parts of the pant?

Adding metal reinforcements in the form of dimpled washers embedded in the glass to
keep the attachment hardware from punching through is, in my opinion, an excellent
idea.

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to have
been looking for it.

Take it to a boat shop. At worst you will need an AP to sign off on it. He
can inspect it before puttting it back on.




"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:_9n4d.234979$Fg5.205968@attbi_s53...
The fiberglass on our "Fancy Pants" main gear wheel pants has been
deteriorating for some time. The holes in the fiberglass through which
the
dzu-type connectors pass are "wowed" out -- and now some of them are
completely broken out.

As a result, several of the metal backing plates have fallen off, and we
made our last flight today with just a single dzu connector holding the
right rear clamshell together. (Fancy pants are not single-piece units,
like the factory wheel pants, but two clamshells that connect together.)

I have removed the pants and taken them to my A&P, who is most comfortable
working with sheet metal. I suspect he will want to rivet a "stripe" of
sheet metal over the wowed out/broken holes, cover this with a thin
"veneer"
of putty, re-drill the holes -- charge me a small fortune -- and pronounce
them airworthy once again.

I am wondering if this is the proper way to go. Can these things be
re-fiberglassed, or is that a lost cause? Is adding metal reinforcements
smart, or simply inviting failure in other parts of the pant?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I repaired my cowling where the two halves fasten together around the
spinner. It can be quite time consuming to do it right so you won't
have to do it again! I learned as I went, and feel that anyone willing
to be patient can do it. The repairs have lasted 4 years now, with no
cracking. I suggest using either glass or better yet, Kevlar 49, and
a good epoxy resin. At highly stressed places, using just a filler
with no cloth imbedded, I found does not work well. It starts to crack
sooner rather than later. You may need to extend the cloth well into
the unbroken part of the pant to get enough strength, or even cut away
some of the remaining fiberglass so things fit well. If you're willing
to pay an experienced fiberglass man, that will work too, but to do it
right could cost more than a new pant, unless you do it yourself.

Regards,
Bruce Cunningham


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message news:_9n4d.234979$Fg5.205968@attbi_s53...
The fiberglass on our "Fancy Pants" main gear wheel pants has been
deteriorating for some time. The holes in the fiberglass through which the
dzu-type connectors pass are "wowed" out -- and now some of them are
completely broken out.

As a result, several of the metal backing plates have fallen off, and we
made our last flight today with just a single dzu connector holding the
right rear clamshell together. (Fancy pants are not single-piece units,
like the factory wheel pants, but two clamshells that connect together.)

I have removed the pants and taken them to my A&P, who is most comfortable
working with sheet metal. I suspect he will want to rivet a "stripe" of
sheet metal over the wowed out/broken holes, cover this with a thin "veneer"
of putty, re-drill the holes -- charge me a small fortune -- and pronounce
them airworthy once again.

I am wondering if this is the proper way to go. Can these things be
re-fiberglassed, or is that a lost cause? Is adding metal reinforcements
smart, or simply inviting failure in other parts of the pant?

Remember, I did glass repair, body work, and straight and custom
painting for several years, so I can work pretty quickly. You might
figure on doing a little at a time over a couple of weeks. Now is the
best time of year to do this type of work because it is not excessively
hot or humid. It is more comfortable for you to cover up more, and paint
loves 75 degrees with 50% humidity.

Thanks for all the tips, Mike (and all).

My A&P is going to have a crack at them tomorrow, reinforcing the stressed
areas with sheet aluminum and re-drilling the holes.

He's estimating "no more than $1000" (ouch!), but I'm hoping for far less.
He's an experienced fiberglass and sheet metal guy, and new ones would cost
well over $2500.

These are the times that owning an airplane doesn't look quite as attractive
as renting...

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

In article ,
"G.R. Patterson III" wrote:

Jay Honeck wrote:

Can these things be re-fiberglassed, or is that a lost cause?

Fiberglass can be patched. The compound is a mix of epoxy and glass fibers
and is a
bit of a mess to deal with. You can get it at any auto paint shop. Avoid
buying it at
K-mart or auto parts stores, since it's likely to stay on the shelf too long
there.
Apply it with the same sort of plastic applicators used for Bondo work or
with putty
knives. Use disposable plastic gloves to avoid reaction to the epoxy.

Sand the existing structure with 60 grit or rougher paper in the places you
want this
stuff to bond. Apply it, let it set two or three days, and sand smooth. If
you let it
set up longer, it will be harder to sand -- sand too soon, and your paper
will clog
up rapidly. The resulting surface will have lots of little pits. Take care of
that
with Bondo. Use finer paper to sand down the Bondo. Finish with ~200 grit.
The best
paper is some new stuff that Home Depot sells called Norton's 3X. Works fast.

Is adding metal reinforcements
smart, or simply inviting failure in other parts of the pant?

Adding metal reinforcements in the form of dimpled washers embedded in the
glass to
keep the attachment hardware from punching through is, in my opinion, an
excellent
idea.


CAUTION!

Make sure that you wear disposable gloves when handling epoxies, as the
stuff is toxic and cumulative.

Wash with COLD water and real soap, NOT detergent! The toxic ingredient
works like poison ivy -- you want the soap/water to keep ypur pores
closed when cleaning up. Detergents tend to dissolve it into your skin,
rather than allowing it to rinse off.

I have known Long-Eze builders who break out in a rash if you even
whisper "epoxy."

Jay Honeck wrote:
He's estimating "no more than $1000" (ouch!), but I'm hoping for far less.
He's an experienced fiberglass and sheet metal guy, and new ones would cost
well over $2500.

If a mechanic told me that it would be "no more than $1000" to fix wheel
pants, I'd go get them and take a crack at it, before he touches them.
Thats' just plain (or plane) crazy.

--- Jay



--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
http://www2.ari.net/jmasino ! ! !
http://www.oceancityairport.com
http://www.oc-adolfos.com

If a mechanic told me that it would be "no more than $1000" to fix wheel
pants, I'd go get them and take a crack at it, before he touches them.
Thats' just plain (or plane) crazy.

While I agree with you, the odds of me having days -- or even hours -- free
to take a crack at fixing them are slim and none.

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