Installing a zipper in a new headliner.

[C150L]

Good evening,

Perhaps some of you more crafty persons on this board can help me with something that's been kind of holding up part of the show here. We bought a new headliner from ACS for our C150. Issue is, there should be a zipper sewn in behind the rear spar carry through, to aid in inspecting or servicing aileron and flap pulleys and cables.

I've looked around the net a number of times and have not found any good pictures, tips or techniques on adding such zipper into this headliner. We'd like to wind up with something looking as if it were meant to be in the near middle of this section of head liner vinyl. I've seen some zipper installations in others aircraft. Some looked pretty decent and others looking like something I might do by not giving it a whole lot of thought as to how it was going to look once installed.

Any thoughts or headings I should take?

Thanks in advance,
Dale

[Kurt Flunkn]

Assuming from your screen name that you have a Cessna 150 model "L" you should have a headliner that is molded plastic material with an insulation backing. There is a bow-strap that attaches with screws which is removed to access the flight controls. The "L" and "M" models use this type of headliner (1971 and later). I'm not 100%, but I believe the last year for the vinyl fabric headliner was in 1970 with the "K" model. You may want to double check the IPC.

[C150L]

Good catch Kurt, so please accept my apology for any confusion. C150L is the 150 I bought back in 94, got my PPL in and kept for 4.5 years of most always enjoyable flight time. I've kept that username in many places, including EAA web site. The current 150 is just a 150. No letter. 1958 actually. #108 Cessna 150 to be more precise.

[martymayes]

The current 150 is just a 150. No letter.

That's awesome!

I don't think you have much choice if you are adding a zipper to an already fabricated headliner. You'll just have to sew one in and take what you get as there's not likely to be any excess fabric to help blend in the zipper.
A headliner built from the start to have a zipper will provide a much nicer installation as they can sew piping around the zipper which allows the zipper to be hidden in what looks like a seam. For example, the Airtex headliners come with an access zipper already installed (not that I am a fan of Airtex, just using it as an example).