Service bulletin

[rmalone]

Does anyone out there have drawings of the kit 754237 installation and service bulletin 161a to eliminate AD57-22-01. This is the recurring AD to inspect at the base of the firwall every 100 hours for fire hazards. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[JohnW]

I haven't seen one of those kits from Piper since about 1975. But as far as a "picture is worth a thousand words", the PA-22 Parts catalog does as good a job as anything else illustrating how this "kit" is installed. The "kit" was the three pieces shown on the PA-22 PC as Fig. 10, items 52 and 53 (unusually each piece did not have it's own "Item No.", and that is because this setup started out life as the aforementioned "kit", and was added to the PC when the Factory began installing them as standard production parts. The two "bottom" pieces are illustrated as the same Item, but are separate LH and RH pieces under different "dash numbers". The rest of the kit was simply the PeeKay screws to mount them and a couple "hold-to-start", flat type, Tinnerman plates.

This "kit" just adds the three-piece molding around the front edge(s) of where the boot cowl meets the firewall angle, It simply "curls around the edge", thus preventing motor oil and other "unmentionables" from getting between the lap and entering the interior area. This is how the fiberglas insulation would get soaked with oil and become a fire trap. Oh, ya know, I think it also had a tube of Hucky-Pucky for the firewall holes...but I can't IMAGINE it having a shelf-life that would still be good!

You might be surprised that it is already installed! It isery rare for these airplanes to have been recovered several times since 1957 and NOBODY put on the "moldings" (but not unheard of). Again, all it is, is the three molding pieces attached at the front edge of the boot cowl edge to "shed" any engine compartment fluids, eliminating the fire hazard.

If I recall correctly, there was a "second requirement" to that AD speaking to "puttying the holes in the firewall where cables, wiring, et c pass through the firewall. This would remain in effect after kit installation (it is "standard practice", anyway!), but opening up the cowls is "terminated" for the purposes of the inspection, as it is no longer recurring after the moldings are installed (but that sure is a good thing to do-to look under the floor in the pax compartment on the Annual. There are brake hoses, and some pretty heavy-duty current carrying wire in there that should get looked at. But the moldings simplify the Inspection, no doubt.

So...to "sum up", you need one each Piper p/n 14973-00 (Item -53 in the PC, Fig. 10) and one each of Item -52
(which is one each of p/ns 14972-00 and 14972-01). These items are available from Univair (add another "zero" at the beginning of these dash numbers for the Univair part number. -00 becomes -000; -01 becomes -001; ALL Univairs part numbers are like that), and as far as "how does it go on?", in lieu of the poor sketch the kit contained...the best thing you can do is to find is a PA-22 that you can open the side cowl on, and look for yourself. It gets "captured in place" so you can remove the cowlings without removing the "seal moulding" (which is what Piper called it). Honest, that's all there was to this kit (plus standard hardware to attach the moldings), except for a pretty poor sketch that left a LOT to your imagination. Colts used the EXACT SAME piece parts and attach hardware, so if you have one of those "handy" to look at rather than a TriPacer, they are identical, and ALL of those came from the Factory with this "kit" installed (or, they DID...no guarantee someone didn't have them in the "Where to Hell did THOSE go on the airplane?" box after they cleaned up after the last recover job....but they SHOULD all have them installed).

[rmalone]

Thanks John, I did not realize that they became standard equipment. Steve gave me the part numbers from Univair and I purchased them. I wanted a diagram to look at. I have a copy of the parts catalog so I will look in there. Installing the channels is terminating action for the AD. Mine did not have the channels installed when I disassembled it for rebuild. I am trying to have an AD free ship when I am finished. I have already installed Eddie Trimmers fuel mod and am about to start working on my Sutton exhaust. Thanks again for your response.

[joewcasey]

I thought John's comment about not finding many that hadn't been done was interesting. I bought mine in 2005, had it annualed in april of 06 and found it hadn't been done. Matter of fact, we pulled out some oil soaked insulation.

[eskflyer]

Thats funny mine was signed off every year saying all AD's have been complied with now this . I looked it has not been done either . .

its a 53 PA-22

[Steve Pierce]

The AD is an inspection for oil and sealing the firewall. The SB is to install the channels that cover the firewall to bootcowl joint. I like to open that area at annual anyway. Putting nut plates in the kids Tri-Pacer boot cowl and firewall to make that easier.

[rmalone]

My belly panel will definitely be removable when I am done as well. Any good annual ought to start with a good cleaning anyway.

[Bill]

Univair sells an equivalent for kit 754237 . Sold as 3 separate parts.

[Lownslow]

Steve, are you going with flush attachment screws with the nut plates and eliminating all the rivets where the boot cowl is attached to the firewall?

Lou S.

[jay heil]

i have owned or been partners in 2 59 tripacers and a 60 so they would have had the channels on when piper built them but it seems some rebuilders even the certified air repair station that rebuilt my pacer last time around kinda forgot to put them back on by the way you should see the way they did put it all together kinda makes you wonder about that place