Seat Rail Replacement

[c170b53]

I confess to wondering if it would be easier to remove the floor skin, replace the rails on the bench, then reinstall the assembly.

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Either way you'll scar up your forearm trying to get it fully through the floor's lightning hole. I found the rails fairly easy.

[cessna170bdriver]

I confess to wondering if it would be easier to remove the floor skin, replace the rails on the bench, then reinstall the assembly.

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Either way you'll scar up your forearm trying to get it fully through the floor's lightning hole. I found the rails fairly easy.

Like this...

I agree with Jim; if you riveted the rails to the floor outside the airplane, you would have a similar issue when you riveted the floors into the airplane.

[DaveF]

I have skinny arms, but the edges of the inspection holes still hurt.

[sfarringer]

I have skinny arms, but the edges of the inspection holes still hurt.

BothHands_reduced.jpg

At least you HAVE an inspection hole at that location! ( I don't, and the lack of it has caused a number of extra trips into the tail cone!)

[DaveF]

This is a question about seat rail installation. The forward two mounting holes of the seat rails are riveted through the center section (i.e., main) floorboard into the flange of a bulkhead. On my airplane, the outboard rail sits flush on the floorboard, but the inboard rail sits on the gear box floorboard, which overlaps the main floorboard, so there's a .032" height difference between the forward end of each rail. Is that correct?

Copilot outboard forward rail

Copilot inboard forward rail

[hilltop170]

Seems like a shim would be in order to reduce bending stress.

[Poncho73]

I have skinny arms, but the edges of the inspection holes still hurt.

BothHands_reduced.jpg

People were smaller in the fifties. Apparently we left one behind....for minute I thought you were delivering a baby 170

[c170b53]

I’d have to look at mine, been a few years since I did mine but I don’t remember a step or fishing in the gearbox.

[GAHorn]

Neither seat rail in either airplane does that. Both are flat/flush on the floor. The floorplate beneath the pilot/co-pilots feet, which comes aft from the rudder pedals, lies alongside...but not beneath the seat rails. Here's my 170 pilot's side:

[DaveF]

That's the outboard rail. How about the inboard rail?

The outboard rail sits flush on the floorboard because the forward skin doesn't overlap behind the doorpost. You can see it in my picture and in the background of the picture above that Miles posted. My question is about the overlapping floorboards under the inboard rails, or, rather, *whether" they overlap under the inboard rails.

Thanks.

[GAHorn]

Doh. Do I have to clean up the coffee spill first? ( This is the pilots right seat track at the forward point. Don't know why I can't rotate it right side up. I"ve saved it both ways and this is the only way it'll post.)

[DaveF]

That looks like my airplane (including the coffee spill ) -- the rail sits on top of the overlapped floorboards.

It also looks like this picture I found on the internet.

Thanks again!

[GAHorn]

Seems like a shim would be in order to reduce bending stress.

It's at the foremost area where the track is only used to "release" the seat... it's not a locking-position so unlikely any weight is on it there.

[ghostflyer]

To help stop the arms getting marked or cut when digging around under the floor boards , I mask the edges of the inspection hole with a heavy masking tape . I also leave it there when replacing the inspection covers as it helps to stop dirt edging it’s way under the covers and migrating under the floor .

[DaveF]

Done. New rails on copilot side. Spot-faced a couple of the end holes for screws (pic shows practicing on the old rails).