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RV-10 Door Seal

D

DJP

Well Known Member
I have an RV-10 that has been flying for several years with the stock Vans door seals. I really like the finished look that the McMaster Carr door seal adds to the aircraft. I purchased the seal material but installation is not as easy as I though. Everyone that has installed this type of seal says that they had to remove large quantities of material around the cabin door lip to get it to fit correctly. My question for anyone that removed this material either during the building process or after is how did you do it? What type of tools did you use? I know that dust is going to be a problem but I can deal with that by taping off the door area from the inside and doing one side at a time. I just need to know what kind of tool does the best job with the least amount of mess. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
While I suspect that you could modify your finished plane. It would be extremely difficult and would require significant refinishing and paint. To modify the door perimeter you would have first cut the edge down significantly, then rebuild it back out around 2 inches with fiberglass. It's difficult enough with the Cabin cover removed, I can't imagine doing the mod on a finished aircraft. I believe that there is an aftermarket seal out there that fits better than the Vans provided part and would not require grinding and glassing.
 
DJP, welcome to experimental aviation.
The after market seals from McMaster is what I used and the truth is, everyone seems to approach the installation a bit different. Some builders cut back and build up with fiberglass and others just cut back.
Tools that you need are a grinder/cutter with an abrasive blade and a belt sander. It can be done with hand tools but those power tools will make it pretty easy. As to repainting, If you remove the material carefully you won't need to repaint anything, after all the seals cover the edge about a 1/4 inch down for a nice finished look.
It will be very dusty and quite a lot of work. In order to accommodate the seal you have to cut and install the seal and try for fit. If it does not fit, repeat the process until the door fits again. If you cut too much you will have to build up fiberglass and repeat the above process.
There are several options available for door seals but the McMaster seal is the best looking one.
 
McMaster Carr seal

1120A311 for the 3/16" edge 3/8" bulb
1120A411 for the 1/4" edge 3/8" bulb

either one will work, depends if you want your lip 1/4" thick or 3/16" thick.
 
Belt sander

I almost exclusively used at 12" belt sander with 80 grit belt. It made quick work of the lip. Mine was durring build not retrofit.
 
Come Visit

There are several Rv-10s around here with the McMaster seal.
I am in Concord, if you want to take a look at it come on down.
 
First, we used a RotoZip saw to cut down to the curve but not cutting the curve off. Then, I used a rotary tool with a sanding drum to get it flat enough on the outside for the seal to be flush with the door. No need to get it perfect, that seal is pretty forgiving. The lip was pretty thin after doing this so I used filler on the inside to build it back up to the point where the seal fit nice and snug. This also flattened out the inside, where part of the curve still existed.

I think you could probably pull this off without having to repaint the inside of the door frame if you've got the patience. :) If I were you, I'd first apply painters tape to protect the painted surface then apply tape the filler won't stick to (packaging tape) over that. Make sure the tape edge is just inside the back edge of the seal so all filler is covered by the seal. You won't be able to make it look very flat on the inside but I don't think it would look bad that way.

Here's the best photo I have of mine. If you view it in "Original" size, it's large enough to see the detail of the lip. http://unrein.smugmug.com/Category/Interior/21822058_c45jR8#!i=1739982682&k=LWqwxfZ
 
Bill,
Thanks SO much for sending the link to the pictures and video, it was a HUGE help. I now have a very good idea of aprox how much material I am going to have to remove and from where. Exactly how I am going to do that is still a question mark. I think grinding will make for more dust so I would prefer to trim first with some kind of a carbide tool and then grind.
Don
 
N427EF said:
There are several Rv-10s around here with the McMaster seal.
I am in Concord, if you want to take a look at it come on down.
Click to expand...
Ernet,
I may just do that, come over and take a look at yours. Are you going to be around this weekend?
Don
 
Check your PMs

I sent you a couple of messages with phone number email and hangar location. You have to log in to see you messages upper right corner.
 
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