Airtex interiors

[tailpilot]

Has anyone used the airtex interiors? If so how did you like them and was the product what you expected?

[doug8082a]

I have an Airtex interior in mine. It was there when I bought it, so I can't speak to the installation of it. As for the quality, it's very good and I would definitely install one if I were doing it myself. I figure it's 8 years old and has held up very well. I get frequent compliments on it.

I'm sure someone else here can speak about the installation of them.

[mvivion]

I installed an Airtex interior in my airplane shortly after I purchased it. The only part I didn't replace was the headliner. Mine was in sorta okay shape, and my past experience with replacing headliners was a nightmare.

So, the Airtex interior installation went well. Everything fits very well. The side panels are all pretty skookum, and go in very easily, including the door panels.

The seats (I only have the front seats, since I have a sling seat in the rear) were a bit of a challenge, but really weren't that tough to do, just take your time, and they'll come out well. They too, fit very well, it's just that it takes some work to get all the seams straight, etc. The carpet was pretty easily installed as well. Everything fit very well.

I'd do it again in a heartbeat. One admonition, if you are going this route, definitely purchase the deluxe fabrics. The quality is much better, and they'll hold up longer. There's a lot of work here, and you don't want to buy cheap fabrics that you'll have to replace in a few years.

Mine is now 8 years old, I believe, and it is holding up really well.

Now, the other option is to buy the Airtex seat kits, and purchase the side panels from Selkirk. They have VERY nice fiberglass side panels that both look nice and are incredibly durable. They are not cheap, though.

I haven't installed a Selkirk interior, but do have a Selkirk extended baggage compartment, and that went in really easily, and looks great. Very top notch stuff.


Mike Vivion

[N2830C]

Does anyone have any info on the weight of the Airtex interior? Im trying very hard to keep the weight of my plane down.

I talked to selkirk, as I really liked the fiberglass option because of the ease of cleanup, and numerious people have told me they really liked it(they flew 180/185s). Selkirk told me I would have a weight increas(I think like 7-10lbs, dont quote me on that). The weight increase has brought me back to thinking about an airtex interior.

Ive thought about just removing my interior, as one 170 float pilot recommended, but my wife would never fly with me.

[Joe Moilanen]

I installed the Airtex headliner in mine. Was apprehensive about doing it myself but dove into the project and it turned out perfect. It was the grey wool material. I've heard that the other materials are a lot harder to get to fit right. When I had it all installed, I misted any areas with wrinkles using a spray bottle and then hit them with a hair dryer just enough to shink it into shape. Fit like a glove and looks good in a 170.

Joe Moilanen

4518C

[mvivion]

Craig,

If weight is that much of an issue, look at lightweight batteries or accessories.

I doubt that the Airtex interior is any lighter than seven to ten pounds. There's simply a lot of material there.

I got a determination from the Fairbanks FSDO that the Hawker Energy Products lightweight batteries (which are pma'd) can be used as a direct replacement of the standard battery, AS LONG AS they go in the original battery location and box, and that this is, in their opinion, simply a battery swap, and a minor alteration. That will save you ten pounds.

These batteries are being used in a number of aircraft right now, and work well. I've been using them for five winters in a Husky, Cubs and my 170.

This should get George all fired up again, I reckon, but so be it.

Personally, if you're worried about utility, I'd go with the Selkirk interior, cause its more durable and easier to clean. I would not, however, remove the interior. One of the things the interior does, by the way, is provide sound deadening, and another is to prevent one of those moose bones from denting the OUTSIDE of your airplane, from the inside.

Mike Vivion

[N3243A]

Craig,

If weight is that much of an issue, look at lightweight batteries or accessories.

I doubt that the Airtex interior is any lighter than seven to ten pounds. There's simply a lot of material there.

I got a determination from the Fairbanks FSDO that the Hawker Energy Products lightweight batteries (which are pma'd) can be used as a direct replacement of the standard battery, AS LONG AS they go in the original battery location and box, and that this is, in their opinion, simply a battery swap, and a minor alteration. That will save you ten pounds.

These batteries are being used in a number of aircraft right now, and work well. I've been using them for five winters in a Husky, Cubs and my 170.

This should get George all fired up again, I reckon, but so be it.

Mike Vivion

Mike,
We have gone over the Odyessey dry cell batteries by Hawker in this forum earlier this summer and you're right, it did get George all fired up. Do a search for "Odessey and battery" and you can read all about it. Good to see you posting here. Have enjoyed many of your fine articles in the various rags. In particular, I have read and re-read your STOL operations article in the now defunct "Mountain Pilot" section of Northern Pilot. Good Stuff.

B. Christie, '53 170B

[Harold Holiman]

Tailpilot,

I don't know what part of Tennessee you are in, but, here in north Georgia 25 miles south of Chattanooga there is an excellent aircraft uphlostery shop that does excellent work for very resonable prices. If you want to contact me by PM I will get his number for you.

Harold
N92CP

[mvivion]

Mr. Christie,

It is important to note that the HEP (Hawker Energy Products) battery isn't exactly the same as the Odyssey batteries, though Hawker makes both, and I suspect they are identical.

The HEP batteries are pma'd, and are installed in some transport category aircraft as a last ditch power source for their backup flight instruments.

In any case, they work well, and it's a battery. And, they're light. Same goes for tires-it needs to be an airplane tire, and if you want lighter, go to a smaller size that's approved on your airplane, or get an approval for a different size.

And thanks for the compliments.

Mike

[GAHorn]

Fired up? Who? ME?
Seriously, I don't get fired up when PMA'd parts are used in their recommended applications.
Anyway, for those interested the conversation regarding Odyssey batteries Bruce thought I was fired up over can be found at:
http://cessna170.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.p ... sc&start=0

[N3243A]

Well I reread this thread over and got fired up myself. Actually it was the "owner produced" battery box as manufactured by Aircraft Spruce that got things heated up.

[dacker]

I installed a Selkirk interior in my airplane, I really like it! Weight isn't a critical issue to me (I'm not that big and I usually fly around alone anyway). The Selkirk interior gives the airplane a nice utilitarian look, is easy to repair, and at least to me modernizes the interior a bit. It would not be a good interior if you are trying to maintain an original look.
I spent about 40 hours installing it with just a few common shop tools, not rocket science.
I also installed an Airtex vinyl headliner and carpet. Both fit very well, with out too much fuss. The headliner could use another seam at the rear door post, I have a small wrinkle that only I notice. The wool headliner is probably lighter and you can shrink it with heat. Don't try that with the nylon. Hope my experience helps.
David

[GAHorn]

I installed an Airtex interior into a Debonaire (cheap Bonanza, if there's such a thing), and it was no different than any other, except that the owner thought he'd save money and bought the least expensive fabrics. All he got was an Airtex interior with cheap fabrics. Installation costs were the same, and I think he should have gone for the higher thread-count fabrics, etc. Otherwise, it was a nice interior and not difficult to do despite some minor fitting that was necessary.

[zero.one.victor]

My 170 has a vinyl headliner & I don't like it. If I was to do an interior, I'd definitely go for the wool headliner.

Eric

[170C]

I installed an Airtex gray wool headliner in early (Jan) 1990 and have been very pleased with it. After 14 yrs it still looks good. I considered an Airtex interior and found that if I got about everything from glareshield cover to baggage shelf cover that I was approaching some pretty big $$ & still had to either put it in myself ( which I wasn't too eager to do, expecially when it came to making seat covers fit properly) or hiring it done. I found a Mexican gentleman at a local airport who had done a leather interior on a friend's C-172 Hawk SP & it looked really great. He did mine also and I have been very pleased with it. Total cost in 2001 was $3,000 & this included painting my instrument panel, making some panels to velcro over areas of the panel where there once were instruments and or radio's, pockets on the back of my seats, removing all the plastic & painting my later model Cessna articulating seats, side pockets, pockets on the back of one rear seat and 4 pockets in the baggage area + a new glare shield cover with an extension to make it have more of an extension toward the pilot and a set of front seat slip covers. The only thing I would do different if I were doing it again would be to make the portion of the seat bottom & back you sit on and lean against in some type of good fabric, not leather as leather will make you sweat except in cold weather.