N19181 into N177MG
Airframe Exterior:
During the initial inspection we noted that the skin forward of the pilots door was creased, most likely the result of a hard landing. We've noted similar damage on other Cardinals. Lots of bondo and paint typically covers such damage. We elected to remove and replace this skin. This job was quite a task and gives me a greater appreciation as to what's involved. The pilot's door wasn't aligning properly when closed. My partner tweaked it so now it fits right.
When the pilot and co-pilots windows were replaced, several rivets were loose or bent over. We drilled them out and replaced them. We replaced the rear passenger windows that had not been previously replaced and were damaged by spilled paint remover from the previous owner.
Probably the biggest job on the airframe exterior was corrosion work and prepping for the paint job. As I stated earlier, the level of corrosion due to lack of paint was not major. Most corrosion was on the underside of the wings and the belly. This corrosion was in the form of a coarse sandpaper like surface. We figured that it could be removed using Scotch brite pads. We started with the green pads which wore out before having any effect. We then tried the red pads which are coarser. They had some impact but still not enough. We found that the only way to really remove the corrosion was by using a 200 grit sandpaper. (Ouch) The work had to be done by hand. Using a machine can create too much heat, weakening the aluminum. Fortunately for me and my partner, we received a lot of help from my partner's students. (Costs us some pizza and soda)
We had been debating replacing the windshield. As a last ditch effort, I decided to try a scratch removal kit from Chief Aircraft. We were suprised at how well it worked. It saved us the time and money of a new windshield. The door seals while in good condition were doing little to nothing of their job of sealing. We removed all the seals and replaced with a V style seal.
The wingtips, while serviceable, had several cracks. With the upcoming paint job, we elected to replace them with new fiberglass ones from Stene Aviation. In the same vein, we also replaced the leg fairings and the horizontal stabilizer tip.
