The International Cessna 170 Association

Hello fellow 170 enthusiasts. I have a 170A that I bought a year ago that is mostly polished. The previous owner polished it a couple years ago and I don't see myself tackling that this summer (maybe this fall). However, over the winter it got fairly dusty and a wet grass strip along with bugs have added to the exterior mess. For now I just want to wash it down as best that I can. What is the best method to keep from adding scratches and leaving waterspots behind? Just water? Any special soap or cleaner that will get the crud off without ruining too much shine?

Thanks!
Doug

Nice looking 170!
George, give him your formula for adding WD-40 to the wash water. I don't recall the specifics.

After 20 years of ownership my once-polished (in 1997) 170B still looks very nice. It doesn’t blind you and it is noticeably not a bright/shiny when parked next to a recently-polished airplane... but here it is after many years of ownership, storage in a dry hangar (no humid dirt floors!) and nothing used to wash it but WD40 as described in the following links:

http://cessna170.org/forums/viewtopic.p ... sh#p137234

http://cessna170.org/forums/viewtopic.p ... sh#p114117

And a warning about using Simple Green OR “Aircraft” Simple Green: http://cessna170.org/forums/viewtopic.p ... ans#p93517

George,

I bought some WD40 and will try this method soon. Is there any material or item on the plane I should avoid with the WD40 solution? GPS antenna? Plexiglass? ???

dstates wrote:George,

I bought some WD40 and will try this method soon. Is there any material or item on the plane I should avoid with the WD40 solution? GPS antenna? Plexiglass? ???

No hazards I know of or have experienced in over 20 years of doing this on mine. Interestingly, there was a time when kerosene was actually one of the approved materials for cleaning stubborn stains, grease, tar, etc. from windshields. While I do not use it for that purpose, I also do not take any precautions on getting it everywhere at all. Never had any detrimental effects. It lubricates hinges, flight control mechanisms, and weatherstrips and gaskets, while (slowly) killing/discouraging insects.