VG-21 SQUADRON

Maintenance Item #27 – NEWSLETTER #54

Department of the Interior – by John Wade

This article is not for the Varga owner who has grown accustomed to the sun beating down on his or her head while flying. These words are intended for the cool-headed pilot, that is, for someone who owns a Varga that has a solid panel top on the canopy.

There IS a simple procedure to beautify and preserve the vinyls pleated panel that makes up the headliner of most Varga aircraft An ideal time to do this, of course, is if you are having your interior upholstery and carpets replaced due to wear or to complement an exterior change of paint: color Even if you merely want to freshen the look of your headliners you'll usually find your old color easy to match.

The procedure for renewing your headliner is simple, but requires some care. You must remove the headliner. (I imagine that you could mask off the headliner in place, but I wouldn't recommend it.) This must be done carefully because the backing of it is merely cardboard. Slowly pry and scrape the headliner off; then remove all the old glue Mom the aluminum roof to which it was glued. Firsts of course, you'll have to remove certain fittings including the top vents and the outside air temperature gauge. Prepare the vinyl surface per the instructions on the vinyl prep can. After the correct period of time, spray on the COLOR COAT evenly following the instructions. Using one of today's strong glues, replace the headliner and the fittings. When this procedure was first used a headliner was easily transformed from the old Varga bright orange to a rich gray. The COLOR COAT covers extremely well.

SFM products are readily available. Hundreds of dealers are listed on the website. They manufacture an amazing line of products. Information about the company is available online at http://www.sem.com/. What you will need are usually two basic products; one can of vinyl prep and one can of COLOR COAT. Both of these products are aerosols. The vinyl prep cleans soil, wax and grease from vinyl substrates while it softens and prepares the surface for adhesion of the topcoat. The COLOR COAT goes on after the vinyl prep and is formulated to match, restore or change color on most vinyl surfaces flexible and rigid plastics carpet and velour. COLOR COAT is fade resistant, flexible and is a permanent coating. You will be surprised at how soft and natural looking your headliner will be after properly using these two products. COLOR COAT is currently available in more than 50 colors, including 3 black, 3 clears, and a selection of OEM automotive, bus and marine colors. For those of you who already have leather interiors, there is also a leather cleaner/prep aerosol for use with the COLOR COAT.