Baggage compartment door mod

How to keep the Cessna 170 flying and airworthy.

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T. C. Downey
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Baggage compartment door mod

Post by T. C. Downey »

The 48 has fuselage side splices are 12" wide running from the rear door post to the tail cone.

must these be cut to install the baggage compartment door? should they be cut at all? Can the mod be made on the 48 with out comprising the integrity of the fuselage?

I have the parts from a late model 172, that form the door opening. none of the rivets line up.

There must be some thing I'm missing.
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Bruce Fenstermacher
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Re: Baggage compartment door mod

Post by Bruce Fenstermacher »

Can't help you here Tom as I haven't made a study of the rivet/structural lines of the '48 verses later. Pretty much assumed they were all the same more or less. Will be curious what you find out.
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GAHorn
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Re: Baggage compartment door mod

Post by GAHorn »

Tom, ...all the models have that splice.

I refer you to bluEldr's modification procedure when he did his bag door installation:
blueldr wrote:.... The insructions that I used on my baggage door installation started with "Go to the closest Ace or True Value hardware and buy a good quality double-bitted axe to facilitate making the opening in the left side of the fuselage somewhere behind the door".
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
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blueldr
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Re: Baggage compartment door mod

Post by blueldr »

And after I cut the hole with that nifty tool, I stuck the baggage door frame in the hole with "JB Weld", the Aluminum type, of course.
BL
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ak2711c
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Re: Baggage compartment door mod

Post by ak2711c »

Tom, of the four that I have installed the rivit holes haven't lined up on any of them. If you are lucky you might be able to adjust it to line up about half of them. George is right they all have that splice. The best advise I can give you is it is easier to make the opening for the baggage door bigger than it is to make it smaller. :) Cut the hole in the side of the fuselage a few inches smaller than it needs to be on each side. Install the frame then very carefully finish trimming it out, pinning the door in place periodically to check it. Good luck.
Shawn
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T. C. Downey
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Re: Baggage compartment door mod

Post by T. C. Downey »

ak2711c wrote:Tom, of the four that I have installed the rivit holes haven't lined up on any of them. Shawn
Do you have in progress pictures?

Did you use the Del-Aire STC?

Does it apply to the 48.
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GAHorn
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Re: Baggage compartment door mod

Post by GAHorn »

Tom, this thread has a few pics of mine in-progress:
http://www.cessna170.org/forums/viewtop ... ush#p84192
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
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c170taildragger
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Re: Baggage compartment door mod

Post by c170taildragger »

Just looking at this baggage door mod.
So what I deduce is looking for a door from a 1963 172 or earlier and the door needs the framework and the donor door shouldn’t be red or green or should it be red but not green or was it the other way around! :)
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GAHorn
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Re: Baggage compartment door mod

Post by GAHorn »

Later model doors (say, post ‘63 with “omnivision”) can also be used but be certain to get the surrounding structure of whatever you choose to use.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
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ghostflyer
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Re: Baggage compartment door mod

Post by ghostflyer »

Well this one is for the books.i would have never believed it until I saw it my self. This door mod was done under a DER approval system . I have been shown a door mod done to a 170a Cessna . I was asked what do you think of the fit of the new door. I physically inspected the job and workman’s ship was excellent. Contouring was very good. My next question was does it leak water? It hadn’t been tested for water in gestation. not bad , it looks good . All the door frame was there and forward frame had been strengthen . Was my comment. The door came off a Cessna 182 [2000 model] came the next answer . “REALLY’’ was my next comment. The hinges came off the 182 also and the fuse large frame isn’t cut at all and the hinges move around the fuselarge frame. So there is now a another source of parts to do a door job. It’s legal here as it was done under a engineering order.
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c170taildragger
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Re: Baggage compartment door mod

Post by c170taildragger »

Thanks for the input. I am going through an annual an am putting in a the B.A.S. shoulder harness, re positioning some flight instruments. After trying to take out rear seat back my next mod should be the baggage door. I found a. Baggage door but not sure if the frame was part of the door. There may be other baggage doors that were 1963 and later but wasn’t sure if this was acceptable. As a new member I appreciate everybody’s expertise..
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GAHorn
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Re: Baggage compartment door mod

Post by GAHorn »

c170taildragger wrote:Thanks for the input. I am going through an annual an am putting in a the B.A.S. shoulder harness, re positioning some flight instruments. After trying to take out rear seat back my next mod should be the baggage door. I found a. Baggage door but not sure if the frame was part of the door. There may be other baggage doors that were 1963 and later but wasn’t sure if this was acceptable. As a new member I appreciate everybody’s expertise..
Be certain to discuss the details with the supplier of your STC or whatever approval basis you plan to utililize before acquiring a salvage door. You wouldn’t want a door that’s not covered by your approval basis.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
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