Piper Comanche PA-24 Service Manual page 220

4-39. Installation of Cabin Door.
The entrance door on the Comanche is made of formed aluminum assemblies spot welded together. This
type of construction gives a ridged assembly, but still retains the flexibility needed for proper fitting of
the door. When installing a new door, follow the procedure given below:
A. Temporarily mount the new door on the fuselage using two 10-32 bolts at the hinge points. As the
door will be removed from time to time during fitting, the bolts will make the door easy to remove.
B. Swing the door closed and check for alignment of the main door latch and the auxiliary latch with
their respective latch striker plate. If the door fails to align, remove it and reposition the two
serrated door hinge bushings. (See 1, Figure 4-5.) Repeat the above procedure until the door is
properly aligned.
C. Once the door is properly aligned with the door frame, the procedure of trimming and fitting the
door can be started. Using a small pair of metal shears and a file, trim the door edges until there is
an approximate clearance of 1/8 inch between the fuselage skin edge and the door edge. (See Figure
4-5.)
D. After the door is fitted, use a short piece of 1/4 inch diameter dowl and a hammer to contour the
edges of the door to align with the fuselage skin.
E. With the door removed use sandpaper to smooth the rough edges Replace the door using the
required hinge pins, staked with roll pins. Install the door holding assembly. Apply a light coat of
oil to the latch assemblies.
IV - STRUCTURES
PIPER COMANCHE SERVICE MANUAL
Figure 4-5. Door Installation
1E18
04/01/09