Annual misc stuff
Just finished the annual on the Cherokee yesterday. About 40 hours of my labor over three and a half days. The only thing that needed fixed was a loose alternator belt. It was the cheapest, quickest annual I’ve ever had. One thing that made it go faster was that I added a cordless screwdriver to my tool bag. Makes it way faster to remove and replace inspection panels—not counting the six hours I spent researching it.
In addition to my regular tool bag, I took a small can of GoJo to clean the belly, a dozen vinyl gloves, and a handful of old wash cloths I used green Scotch Brite, the red heavy duty Scotch Brite, and a brass brush for corrosion. While it was in the hangar and out of the sun, I waxed it. I like Meguiars liquid wax better than paste waxes. It doesn’t seem to get caught in seams as much.
A can of mineral spirits comes in handy as a degreaser. I buy the gallon at the same place that I get my oil. They’ll pump a couple of gallons into a 5-gallon paint bucket for much less than the hardware store charges.
I used most of a small can of Tri-Flo to lube the hinges, yoke, cables, and pulley bolts. I used ACF-50 for the throttle and mixture cables in the engine compartment. Also for spraying on corrosion that I cleaned up in the interior.
Nothing was stuck this time, but the best thing for loosening bolts is Kroil. I can only find it at NAPA.
On my Cherokee we use Aeroshell #5 for greasing the fittings on the wheels and for the wheel bearings. We also use it for chains in the flap and the pulley system for the trim.
The only tools that you absolutely must have (your mechanic will have the rest) are a socket set, wrench set, several straight picks, LED flashlight, and an apron.
I use five bead boxes to keep the hardware in. Left and right wing. Interior. Exterior. Engine and prop. Makes it way easier to put things back together.
Consumables this time were filters, oil, hydraulic fluid, cotter pins for wheels, and a few zip ties.