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The whistling at the top of the door was annoying, but given that it wasn't next to my head I had yet to deal with it. However with temperatures dropping to the -30 range, my cold feet and backsides prompted me into action. I had considered an inflatable door seal as I have in the Twin Co and A*, but they are fragile and not particularly cheap, so I decided to try "snubbing" it first.
eBay had a kit listed, listed as new old stock, emphasis on old, but the rubber still was still supple and the price was right, so I figured it was worth a try. Prepare to be underwhelmed with what you get for your money, even at eBay prices. Right down to the instructions that look as if they were copied a dozen times before making your copy. But this is aviation.
Took a couple hours to install. Hardest part is getting the 1300L on the backside of the snubber without getting it on everywhere else including yourself. A quick wipedown with MEK to get the excess adhesive off the masking tape so my handiwork didn't come off with the tape and I was done.
Observations? It works as advertised, no more wind noise and the cabin is a good 10-15 degrees warmer. The door is a bit more tricky to close and I had to back off the top latch a turn or so, but other than that is was a cheap fix. If I was to do it over I think I would first use some paper strips to find the loose spots and just snub the places that needed it rather than the entire door. For example on my plane I think the only real problem area was from the top latch down to the main latch, the rest I think was fine.
Here are a few pictures and the provided instruction sheet. I cut off a little piece and included a paperclip as a size reference. As you can see it's not a very big piece of rubber.
Door snubber, rather an odd name... Whistle stop perhaps?
Jeff
eBay had a kit listed, listed as new old stock, emphasis on old, but the rubber still was still supple and the price was right, so I figured it was worth a try. Prepare to be underwhelmed with what you get for your money, even at eBay prices. Right down to the instructions that look as if they were copied a dozen times before making your copy. But this is aviation.
Took a couple hours to install. Hardest part is getting the 1300L on the backside of the snubber without getting it on everywhere else including yourself. A quick wipedown with MEK to get the excess adhesive off the masking tape so my handiwork didn't come off with the tape and I was done.
Observations? It works as advertised, no more wind noise and the cabin is a good 10-15 degrees warmer. The door is a bit more tricky to close and I had to back off the top latch a turn or so, but other than that is was a cheap fix. If I was to do it over I think I would first use some paper strips to find the loose spots and just snub the places that needed it rather than the entire door. For example on my plane I think the only real problem area was from the top latch down to the main latch, the rest I think was fine.
Here are a few pictures and the provided instruction sheet. I cut off a little piece and included a paperclip as a size reference. As you can see it's not a very big piece of rubber.
Door snubber, rather an odd name... Whistle stop perhaps?
Jeff
