Cherokee Interior Project

bigfatflyer · December 2024

Hi folks,

I am co-owner of a 1964 Piper Cherokee 180. The interior is original, and beyond tired, just simply embarrassing at this point.

We have been researching different avenues for interior replacement and I have a few questions.

We are lucky to be only about 1 hour away (drive time) to a settlement of Amish craftsmen that do excellent upholstery work at a reasonable price.

That said, we will probably use them to upholster the seats in leather and the side panels in matching vinyl.

I want to use aluminum sheet for the side panels. Anyone have experience doing that, and if so what thickness you would recommend???

For the carpeting, we would certainly use AirTex to source that.

Also, we would plan to use a felt headliner from Airtex. Any advice on the use of the contact cement??? It looks runny and messy from the vids I have watched.

I watched a video where a fella used velcro to attach his side panels, versus screws. I like this idea, but don't know what the pitfalls might be. Any insight???

I have read Scott Sherer's wonderful articles on interior replacement. Much appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

griff390 · December 2024

https://piperowner.org/talk/discussion/157186/cherokee-interior-project

Big;

The are a number of options for interiors. Scott's articles are excellent. Here's another article from the archives that I wrote a couple years ago.

https://piperowner.org/diy-interiors-owners-guide-to-what-to-expect/

Probably the biggest caveat to DIY interiors is attaining the required FAA burn certificates. Not just the outer materials, but incidentals like the foam and glue must have the burn certificates as well. See my article.

If you have your heart set on having the Amish stitch up an interior for you, my recommendation would be to find a company that sells the raw materials with the burn certs included. You can start with Airtex, but check other aviation suppliers. Boat or automotive interior shops may also have the material with certificates.

Bring the raw materials to your Amish friends, let them make the interior for you, put the burn certs in your logbooks, and you're legal.

As far as aluminum side panels, are you planning on the backing being aluminum, or the actual panel itself? I like the idea of an aluminum interior panel, but it would be cold in the winter, and noisy no matter what season. Fabric absorbs noise, but it will bounce around the cockpit off bare aluminum.

Just something to think about.

Tokirbymd · December 2024

Many replace the old cardboard side panels with aluminum. I would check out SCS for carpet- IMO the Airtex foam backing breaks down too fast and it is flimsier than SCS.

empannin · December 2024

Before you remove the old side panels mark the heads of the fasteners with something bright like this and take pics so you know what and where the fasteners were. Never throw anything out until well after the project as you might need it as a template. Also mark areas of high risk for fasteners with cables/wiring running behind.

Keep us updated on your progress!

bigfatflyer · April 22

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to follow up with my interior redo project. After much thought and several sleepless nights, and after comparing the cost of replacing the interior ourselves versus leaving it to the professionals, we chose the latter. In fact, we priced a complete Airtex interior, and the quote from the interior shop we chose was within $200 of the cost. The biggest issue was the distance from 9A4 to KLRU. It was an adventure getting the plane out and back, but we had so much fun with great friends along the way. The transit fuel cost was high, but I am very pleased with the results, and feel it was totally worth it. After about 10 hours of flying back with the interior, our butts were still happy. 😊 Have a look at the photos for the results. All seats and panels are cowhide leather and the quality of workmanship is top notch. Business card is part of the photos below. Give Dee a call if like what you see and need a new interior, highly recommended.