We originally started the project a number of years ago. First was the recovering of the seats and panels. The automotive shop did a pretty good job except for the carpet, which really should be replaced now.
After that is was on to our plastics. Our overhead console was breaking apart and so was the fuel valve cover. I ordered those from Plane Plastics (www.planeplastics.com). The overhead console was quite a bit of work as you would expect but it really wasn’t too bad and was formed relatively well. I still haven’t found a way to hold the speaker grill in place that won’t shake loose after a few months. I used the dremel tool quite a bit to form the various holes and cutouts for the air vents, overhead light, switch, and shade brackets. It’s held up quite well.
I used Rustoleum Paint for Plastic in Shell White (211364) for the overhead console and plan to use it on the rest of the interior parts if the other partners agree. It seems to have held up well in the last couple of years. I bought a set of placard stickers also from Plane Plastics for the new parts. I used some scrap pieces of plastic and scraps of the placard stickers to test the combinations and thought I had it all right. However when it came time to clear coat the fuel valve, the stickers shriveled. I applied many more coats to ensure even the shriveled stickers stayed stuck but I'm going to have to figure out how to clear coat without shriveling the stickers. I used Coverite 21st Century dark red paint to paint the fuel valve with a top coat of Coverite 21st Century gloss clear coat. Because I also build and fly radio control aircraft, I went with Coverite because of it’s known extreme durability and solvent resistance. After all, it stands up well to hot nitromethane fuel from model airplanes without signs of dissolving or cracking.
Lessons learned from this stage:
- The Coverite dark red on the fuel valve is a little off from the rest of the interior plastic red. This could be partly due to the part being molded in black, which tends to darken the color despite numerous coates.
- We've got to find a way to clear coat the stickers without making them shrivel.
- Satin clear coat might be better for the airplane than the gloss. It looks too shiny.
