Going without carpet?

F

flying4food

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Joined
Aug 12, 2018
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Hi, we have our 7KCAB down for Annual. We removed the floorboards and found the RT FWD board to be in pretty rough shape. Instead of repairing the old board Im thinking of going with new replacements from Rainbow flying service. The new boards comply with the service bulletin as an added bonus.
Anyway, if I put nice shiny new floorboards in, it will be a crime to cover them with my (getting grungy) carpet and Im not looking to spend the money on new carpet until we do the whole interior.

Is anyone flying without carpet in a Citabria that came from the factory with it? My real question is in regards to the stick boots. What is done to secure the boots? right now, mine are simply tucked under the carpet.
 
I have a 7 GCBC l installed Floorboards from Rainbow a couple of years ago. They are the way to go they look good and are easy to keep clean. I got new stick boots and then screwed them down to the floorboard.
 
VLB said:
I have a 7 GCBC l installed Floorboards from Rainbow a couple of years ago. They are the way to go they look good and are easy to keep clean. I got new stick boots and then screwed them down to the floorboard.
Click to expand...
I'm not replacing my floorboards but when the paint is done and the annual is underway, I'm pulling the carpet and figured I'd do that too, just screw them to the wood.
 
I had considered removing to carpet to save a few pounds but I put it back in for the noise. I didn’t think it was actually a thing until I replaced the carpet in my 172 and added the noise reduction foam. Some of it has to be in my head BUT it definitely makes a noticeable difference in noise.
 
you mean it can get louder in a Citabria???? I didn't realize it's actually quiet with the carpets in there!
 
We wound up using upholstery snaps to hold the stick boots in place. The rainbow floorboards are a big improvement over what was in my 73 KCAB. They fit perfect. Very happy with the upgrade. Our seats and sidewalls are still in pretty good shape, done in 1995, but the carpet was looking pretty ratty. The interior now looks and feels much cleaner.
I did briefly consider the idea that it might be louder inside without the carpet, but its just an extremely loud airplane inside, and having now flown it with and without the carpet, I cant tell any difference, although Im sure there must be some. Best thing to quiet down a Citabria IMHO are two Quality ANR headsets!
 
Yes, beautiful. In the Cub we have to undo fabric to swap floorboards. How much of a job was this? And how about removing and replacing master cylinders and reservoirs? Is it as nasty as it looks?
 
Bob, swapping out the floor boards is pretty straight forward. Pull the seats and carpet, and they are just screwed to the frame. The boards from Rainbow are pre-cut, but need the holes for the mounting screws drilled. I Just used the old ones as a template. The whole process only took a few hours for the new floor boards.
As for the brakes, my plane is a mid year 1973. That is when they were just starting to transition to toe brakes. Mine came with heel brakes, but all the mounting points for the toe brakes were already welded in from the factory, and they had already transitioned to the single reservoir on the firewall and used the same master cylinders and parking brake valve for both types of brakes. So in my particular case, it was just a matter of moving the master cylinders to the new location and replacing the pedal assemblies. I went ahead and ordered the new brake lines from the factory, so it was a pretty easy conversion.
 
Good to hear. I have been considering master cylinder overhauls, but every time I look in there my back gets a "crick" and I polish the wings instead. Probably a 2019 agenda item.
 
The heel plates are just made from some .040" aluminum. Stainless would be better, more durable of course, but its what I had.
 
Has anyone put another layer of finish over what Rainbow puts on there? Rainbow said they use Stits epoxy but I can't find that and if it's epoxy then other stuff should be compatible. Suggestions?

Thanks
 
When Dad put the finish on his floor boards, that he made with marine plywood, he put marine epoxy and the last coat on the top side he mixed in silica sand to give it grip. If it’s compatible, not sure. Just throwing it out there. Hope this helps.
Cheers!
M-A
 
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