Will,
Two things:
I don't blame the door seal. It mainly is the fit of the door/shoot bolts. See
Tech Tip from long ago. Should be on my website also. If you don't see them
I can resend.
I actually have a thicker door seal (5/8") on 12AY. But the bulb is a thinner
material and slightly softer. The door is designed so that when properly fitted
it has a 12mm to 1/2 inch gap between the cockpit flashing and the door. That
is plenty. A door that is poorly fitting enough that one must pull, attach
cables to, or knobs and still fails to seat, needs a tune-up to correct the
fit. As Chris said, I have written on this issue. See my website on hinging
and also on refitting a door (handy if you loose one). I wrote these up as
instructions
to clients unable to come to the shop and have me do their installation.
Their doors are just fine. Especially with them taking time to adjust
the clamshell properly.
I chose the thicker bulb seal for the gap that forms at high speed cruise as the
doors flex a bit by the low pressure area on top and sides. Annoying, but in
Florida, not an extreme issue. However, by adding the slightly larger bulb,
it cured my drafty issue when cruising above 10,000 in my shorts and T shirt.
About the doors:
Doors should close and latch with one finger from the outside or inside. In
cold
weather like in the UK and Canada, the seals do get hard and frankly, a bit
of push down with bulky clothes on is tough to do. A small knob on the back
of the door is assurance that you have the door in the rebate ready for the
latch
to fall. But again, push the handle down vertically rather than yanking it
inboard (as most do). The lip of the door may hang up on the exterior or if
you didn't round your shoot bolt guides nicely, the two shoot bolt guides may
hit one another and prevent proper seating. I've never really pushed the
community
on properly rounding the shoot bolt guides to help align the door. The
guides are tapered but a small lip can be quite a hangup. I"ve always sloped
my guide protrusions for a nice slip fit. I also use a 1/32" 960-8L washer
between
my shoot bolt guides while they are curing in place to give me a little
play and a better "slip fit". I also do an alternate mod 66 for my door struts.
Using the LSTechnologies struts I suggested is quite handy as the door stays
open but once past 3/4 down, the strut does not hold the door open. It is
all about geometry.
No one likes to do a door refit, but it is worth the time. Most installers do
not understand how a clamshell door fits (even fewer of the secondhand owners
do) nor do most builders understand the geometry of the curved clamshell and
consequently
fail to properly adjust the door guides, and glass installation to
allow the door to fit the door gap perfectly.
As for seals: Go on-line, there are many different shapes and sizes of door
seals.
I prefer the round rather than U shape bulb. Sizes can be had from 3/8
to 3/4 inch diameter and bulb thickness from 1mm to nearly 2mm, so there are
many
to choose from. Or as some have done, make your own if you can live with
your door fit.
Remember, don't pull in to close, push down on the sill and latching ease is
enhanced.
All the lights, and gimmicks to assure closing doesn't replace a push
on the lower door prior to takeoff as a "last chance" doors closed and locked
check.
Best Regards,
Bud Yerly
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