What about a "lineX" type floor covering?

[Heflin]

Instead of carpet, like my 170 has. Of course, anything would look better than the puke yellow carpet in my B! With all of the muddy, grassy feet that enter and exit the cockpit, it seems that a floor covering of the type that we get for our pickup beds would be the trick.

You would have to keep it off of the seat rails, of course, and I don't know what you would do about inspection plates, but has anyone ever done this? And would it even be legal?

Rob
N48031-10,000+TTAF '56 170B

[GAHorn]

I don't know what "lineX" is, ...but several utility Cessnas have been known to leave Wichita with a rubber-type floor mat material rather than carpet. Whatever you use should meet the burn-test requirements.

[N1478D]

Maybe talking about the Rhino type truck bed linings.

[Heflin]

Yes, the spray on bedliner material.

Rob

[GAHorn]

What a mess if you should later decide (or be required) to remove it.
I would recommend instead, that you fabricate custom floormat type carpet out of rubber. If you use paper to make a pattern, (or old carpet) you could cut out floormat to fit exactly as carpet does. That way you can remove it for inspection and not alter your airplane otherwise.
You can purchase rubber mat from hardware, carpet, and automotive stores. It comes in long rolls as "carpet runner" also.

[Heflin]

Great idea, gahorn! You are right, it would be almost impossible to remove the bedliner material if you ever needed to. I do have the old carpet, all intact. It would be easy to trace a pattern on the material of choice.

Thanks,
Rob

Oh, anybody know who redoes the interior panel trim? Mine is all puffed up and pulling away from the walls. I have removed most of it and would like to look at redoing the panels.

[edgar]

I saw a c-182 jump plane once that had all the side panels and head liner removed and had spray in spickel trunk paint ( like a 65 mustang gray and white or gray and black ?) It looked really good and they told the faa never said a word abuot it when they checked the plane,, I dont know If i WOULD DO IT... TO HARD TO REMOVE... BUT IT LOOKED REALLY NICE AND CLEAN AND LITE...

EDGAR.....

[Mike Smith]

I have the line-x on my truck bed and it's great in that application. One reason I would not do it on an airplane is the weight of it. I would imagine it's quite a bit heavier than just carpet, though it might be lighter than a rubber liner thicker than about 1/8". Getting it off later might be a chore, also they have to spray and paint it on so you might have to pay extra for them to come out to the airport to do it. Some people have put it on the interiors of Jeeps and hummers as a dual sound proofing and dirt/mud protection. But if you look at it and realize it's about 1/8" to 1/4" inch deep you might get a feel for how heavy it might be in your airplane. I agree with gahorn about getting rubber floor mats.

Good Luck,
Mike Smith
1950 C-170A

[funseventy]

I have a lovely rubber mat in my 170B. it is a gray diamond plate material that I bought from Nott-Atwater, a rubber supply house in Spokane. I had it in my 180 also. It comes in three feet wide and as long as you want. It is heavy when you get it, but once you've trimmed out all the necessary stuff its not to bad for weight. I love it for floats, skis, or just muddy conditions on wheels. I can send you pictures of the finished look if you like.

Kelly

[Heflin]

Thanks for the info, fellas!

Kelly, yessir, I'd like to see that liner. Like I say, if I flew out of a paved strip in Arizona, I'd go back to carpet. But down here in Mississippi, we get 60 inches of rain a year, and flying off of my grass strip leaves the carpet in a muddy, grassy mess. I do most of my flying in the winter months, looking for ducks, so you can imagine the mud that accumulates on that carpet.

I just thought something besides carpet would tidy it up a bit.

Rob

[GAHorn]

The sidewalls are merely sheet metal, covered with fabric which has foam backing sewn to it. Then it is all glued to the sheet metal with 3M 1300L adhesive. The sheet metal is then screwed to the doorposts, stringers, and bulkheads with PK screws.