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Clear inspection plates

SchulerJL

BENEFACTOR
Peoria, Illinois
I would like to replace my inspection plates with a clear inspection plate around my horizontal stabilizer. Is this a standard purchase item or do I have to make them? If I have to make them, what do I make them out of?


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Stoddards in Anchorage has them. Seen the area that contacts the fabric painted black to hide the ugly cut edge of the fabric.
 
Speaking of inspection plates ... Does anyone have a secret to keeping the round inspection plates under the wing in place?
I have lost one and several others keep shifting out of place!


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org
 
The plates I got with my Cub are the best. The two rivets holding the spring are closely spaced on the dome, and there is a "stop-rivet" on the spring to keep it centered.

But they are no longer available. The Spruce covers are ok, but here is the trick:

Use Steve Pierce's metal rings when you re-fabric. Drill a hole in the cover so a #4 P-K screw will hold the plate to the ring. Obviously, the screw goes forward. Some use a screw aft as well. If you are not recovering, a Tinnerman nut works over the celluloid ring.
 
Ok be honest- how many with the clear plates actually look in there in a regular basis and keep the lps, grease, etc. cleaned off so you can actually see through them? I’m with Mike- I think they’re ugly after a few years- at least most I see up here are. And if they’re so important, why don’t the same guys that drive cubs for a living have them on their 185’s, beavers, etc...?
 
The plates I got with my Cub are the best. The two rivets holding the spring are closely spaced on the dome, and there is a "stop-rivet" on the spring to keep it centered.

But they are no longer available. The Spruce covers are ok, but here is the trick:

Use Steve Pierce's metal rings when you re-fabric. Drill a hole in the cover so a #4 P-K screw will hold the plate to the ring. Obviously, the screw goes forward. Some use a screw aft as well. If you are not recovering, a Tinnerman nut works over the celluloid ring.

Bob, The orginal Piper panels are available. https://www.univair.com/piper/piper-j-3/view-all/u12761-002-piper-inspection-hole-plate/
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A #45 hole drilled through the inspection plate, fabric reinforcement ring and into the spring tab on the back of the inspection plate and a #4 PK screw will keep them from moving around and departing the airplane. I have had great luck with the D&E inspection plates that tempdoug linked.
 
Speaking of inspection plates ... Does anyone have a secret to keeping the round inspection plates under the wing in place? ….

A little piece of electrical tape at the leading edge--
it's available in a number of colors, you should be able to find one that's a decent match for your paint job.
Some white electrical tape holds up the flip-down tiedown rings on my C180-- cheaper & easier than replacing the springs.
 
Thanks Steve. I will stock up. That is indeed the good one. I use the Spruce plates for giveaways, and I give a surprising number away!

Being a Super Decathlon owner, I can tell you I have every imagineable variant, and they occasionally see 160 indicated. Where the celluloid ring gets damaged by the Tinnerman nut, I glue a short annulus of .032 aluminum to the inside of the fabric, and re-drill for the #4. The Dec came with screws and Tinnermans on all 26 plates.

I do like Steve's idea of drilling and threading that spring steel, but have not tried it. I do know the spring steel is soft enough to cut or bend with hand tools - I will try his idea.
 
A #45 hole drilled through the inspection plate, fabric reinforcement ring and into the spring tab on the back of the inspection plate and a #4 PK screw will keep them from moving around and departing the airplane. I have had great luck with the D&E inspection plates that tempdoug linked.


and the D Es look way better than those round bubbled out things.
 
A #45 hole drilled through the inspection plate, fabric reinforcement ring and into the spring tab on the back of the inspection plate and a #4 PK screw will keep them from moving around and departing the airplane. I have had great luck with the D&E inspection plates that tempdoug linked.

Steve, I've tried drilling through the spring tab, and have broken the bits, but admittedly I'm not that great with sharp tools. Any secrets here? Fortunately the cubscout 'Cub came back from summer camp at Hector Brown's shop one time with many of them drilled, and #4 screws installed.

Thanks. cubscout
 
I just made full rings out of 0.32 2024 T3 aluminum, 5" OD and 3 1/2" ID, and glued them to the fabric on the inside of the existing inspection holes with Poly-Tak. I removed the spring clip from the Spruce covers and drilled four holes in each cover and each ring for #6 PK screws using a steel drill guide I made so everything matches. Now, for them to come off, the covers will need to break the Poly-Tak bond and pull the inside aluminum ring through the fabric. It's a bit more work than the other methods, but I seriously doubt one will ever come off! And they're a hell of a lot easier to take off than the ones with spring clips. Did I mention I hate spring clips?
 
I just made full rings out of 0.32 2024 T3 aluminum, 5" OD and 3 1/2" ID, and glued them to the fabric on the inside of the existing inspection holes with Poly-Tak. I removed the spring clip from the Spruce covers and drilled four holes in each cover and each ring for #6 PK screws using a steel drill guide I made so everything matches. Now, for them to come off, the covers will need to break the Poly-Tak bond and pull the inside aluminum ring through the fabric. It's a bit more work than the other methods, but I seriously doubt one will ever come off! And they're a hell of a lot easier to take off than the ones with spring clips. Did I mention I hate spring clips?

never have had good luck with polytack(or super Seam) to bare aluminum.... the polytack will shrink in a few years and let loose .... I glue all rings & aluminum on with 3M FastBond 10 Contact Cement... stays flexible for decades...
 
Thirty bucks! Yikes! Spruce had the cheaper ones on sale for a buck and a half. That’s how I can afford to give them away. To use them you need to bend one end of the spring to clear the hole.

One PK screw is enough - even in the slip stream. Now I won’t waste the drill bit to go into the spring - put the hole 45 degrees to one side of the spring. A spring can be “punched” with one of those HF hand punches, but it will take Vise Grips to get that first PK screw through the hardened steel.

We all have our preferences - I prefer the look of the domes. My Cub came with them when I bought it 56 years ago. And no screws needed.

back to the original question - what a shame to mess up the nice appearance of that Cub with “see-throughs.”
 
I would agree with Mike!! If you think you have a problem take out 6 or 8 small screws and look. Now I understand MOREBETTERDISEASE so if that is the case I would use .060 Lexan and stainless screws.
DENNY
 
Makes me wonder why sun exposed inside fabric via open inspection plates or clear covers isn't silver coated?

Gary
 
Steve, I've tried drilling through the spring tab, and have broken the bits, but admittedly I'm not that great with sharp tools. Any secrets here? Fortunately the cubscout 'Cub came back from summer camp at Hector Brown's shop one time with many of them drilled, and #4 screws installed.

Thanks. cubscout

I think it depends on the spring clip. I broke one hand drilling it and ended up using the drill press. I have recently drilled several by center punching and hand drilling.
 
I have punched the springs like Bob Turner suggested. I make the holes big enough for a #4 machine screw to slide through and soldered nuts to the springs. My screws fit just inside of the plastic inspection ring to clamp the cover in place. Loosen one screw and remove the other screw and slide the cover to that side to take it off like the unmodified covers. Reverse procedure to install. A push on the loose screw head helps the spring slide over the ring. I saw a Husky with covers like this only using sheet metal screws. I kept stripping the screw's threads in my duplication attempts and found the machine screws and soldered nuts to be my fix. And any cover fits in any hole.
 
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