Cabin Carpet Pros/Cons?

Thank you Nathan! My seat is vinyl, my thought was that it would be more durable when constantly stepping on the bench to get in and out of the plane. If the Ercoupe had doors like a Piper Tomahawk I might have gone with the real leather.

If I recall correctly, Airtex was charging $726 back in 2021 when I purchased my bench. Looking at the ad in the November Coupe Capers, it looks like the price has now gone up to $878. Shipping was also billed later and was another $70 or so.

I had my A&P install as part of some other upgrade/inspection work. The bottom cushion just drops into the seat pan. It's the backrest that required around 5 hours of labor to deal with all of the lacing. The top cowl pad carpeting on the top of the panel is held on with velcro tape, so it can be removed/reattached easily as needed for panel work.

If your Coupe has the original panels, they can likely be re-upholstered. I'm still trying to get weight out of the plane, at one point I had considered pulling them out and seeing if I could get something with more modern materials that is lighter and incorporated sound dampening insulation. That fell by the wayside when I found out during my last annual that my wing fabric needed replacement due to worn lacing, they should have used screws on the ribs (and I've been on a waiting list for 15 months for fabric work, a long story in itself.)

That looks like leather, or is it vinyl? Can I ask what you paid?

I might buy the seat from Airtex because that looks like a big job.  But couldn't I make my own side panels over the winter and install them myself?

Unfortunately, my airplane is not stored nearby.  Where can I look on-line to get exact measurements, top and bottom, between the frames from the firewall to the baggage area? 

 

Wow, that looks awesome.  I guess "replace ratty interior" moves up the "to do" list. 

Thanks!  

I ended up skipping the floor carpet to minimize weight. I went with the Airtex "cowl pad" that goes on top of the instrument panel to hide the faded paint and attempt to reduce a little bit of noise, along with new Airtex seat cushions in the Dove color. I like the way the light gray looks with the original red/black side panels and my Alpha Aviation STC gray harnesses, but it does show shoe prints from getting in and out. If I had to do it again, I might go one shade darker, which I believe is the Smoke.

The new Airtex seat cushion definitely has more padding than my old worn-out bench cushion. I went from sitting on a boat cushion as a booster to now having a great sight picture over the panel, with about 2" of canopy clearance (I'm about 5'10".) My 6'2" friend barely clears the canopy with an in-ear headset. I suppose the foam will compress over time or could be trimmed down if you're tall.

 

Steve, how'd your job turn out?  Could you post photos?  I'm considering Airtex for my 415-C.