Super-D Interior Foam and Fabric

P

philav8or

New member
The foam-like material found in the front part of my cockpit has begun to disintegrate and fly around the airplane in flight. Has anybody redone the section in the front (next to the side of your legs under the panel) which is covered by a type of vinyl fabric in an early 90's Super D before? I have heard from one A&P that this can be a painful process which he doesn't care to try again. Any recommendations?

-Phil
 
The insulation on the boot cowl part? It does seem to be a bit of work, removing anything that passes through first. Fitting new stuff, and then reinstalling everything. Probably better done oneself, and then have the mechanic inspect an sign off, if you're mechanically inclined.
 
Removing the metal belly pan will allow the boot cowl to flex outward. This will give you a little more room but it is still an awkward area to work.
 
Facing this problem in my 2001 7GCAA. I'm probably going to carefully cut and remove the vinyl in sections to use as a pattern, then remove as much of the foam as possible with a shop vac before removing the remainder of the foam and adhesive with a solvent or industrial cleaner. Will probably replace with Super Soundproofing (self adhesive) from Aircraft Spruce using sections cut from the pattern. Expect to use 1/8" on cowl and probably 1/2" on the firewall. I've used Super Soundproofing before and the adhesive is excellent.

It's going to be a PITA task and I'm still in the looking/planning/dreading stage so my approach may change.

Tom-
 
Thanks for the tip on the Super Sound Proofing... I have an aspiring A&P who I am going to trade some flight instruction in exchange for doing this project... I figure I am getting a good deal!
 
On my '78 Decathlon I was having the same problem. I shop-vac'ed until blue in the face over and over, only to have it start again after a few flights. During annual (I'm an A&P/IA), I bit the bullet and ripped out the entire interior, thinking it was high time to get rid of the crap-brown naugahyde, not that I'm not impressed with how long it lasted! Well, that horrible decomposing black foam is behind all of the interior panels and I filled my shop-vac vacuuming it all up. So, if your foam is decomposing and causing problems in the boot cowl/firewall area, it's decomposing throughout the entire interior. I'll figure out what to replace it with when I go back together with the new interior, but I'll most likely use whatever the factory is using, as long as it's not that disgusting foam!

I haven't addressed the pad behind the firewall yet, but I'm thinking I'm just going to pull the engine and boot cowl so I can install the new pad and replace/rewire the instrument panel. I know this doesn't help you trying to get rid of the foam in situ, but I wish you luck! I've seen a lot of Decathlons for sale ad pictures where the firewall upholstery is missing and in its place is that silver stick-on soundproofing. I see that and I know they had the same problem. As an IA, I would frown on that and probably not be willing to approve without knowing the pads had some kind of FAA approval.

On another note, I had some areas of fabric where the dope was peeling, cracking and detaching because of what looked like chemical contamination from the inside. Once the interior was out those were areas where the decomposed foam was piled and packed against the fabric. I can't prove that that's the source of contamination, but I'm scratching my head over what else it could be... I am now glad to be rid of the foam insulation!
 
I'm having the same issue of the foam breaking down in my 92 Decathlon. I'm leaning towards doing the work on my own and having the work signed off at my home field. Has hindsight given anyone great perspective on factory foam vs Super Soundproofing? Any installation tips? American Champion has been helpful, and I'm planning to get some more details prior to starting, but they recommended removing the boot cowl as a best-practice.

Thanks for any thoughts
 
Same problem here on my 99 7GCAA. Foam rubber underneath the vinyl is deteriorating and is not sturdy enough to re-glue the vinyl. American Champion sells the wrap-around kit with pre-cut areas for vents for about $200. Sadly, it's still the same old material that they have been using for years. The good news is that it should last 15-20 years if installed properly.

The question I have is: what is the best way to remove the old foam from the boot cowl sides and firewall. Solvent or mild abrasive? As a previous poster mentioned, it's a pain in the neck to get in there and work not to mention having to remove everything bolted to the firewall.

Any suggestions for adhering the new material? 3M spray adhesive or contact cement brushed or rolled...? I figure someone out there has done this or had/seen it done that could shed some light on this.

When I buy the material from ACA I'm hoping they can give me some tips and advice to try during the install- which of course I'll share here.

My only other recourse is to find an interior shop that will do this. $$
 
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