Carpet Installation re-visited

[Frank Brunot]

I recently purchased a 1969 PA30C, and while installing an EDM760 engine monitor, removed the floor carpeting. It was a carpet from AIRTEX, and was installed UNDER the seat rails. All four front seat rails were bent downward at the ends (I suspect from the weight of the seat at the four corners where it attaches to the rails). Having read the lengthy debate on seat rails and carpet, and due to the fact that the Airtex carpet was thick (thick carpet PLUS foam rubber backing), I reinstalled the seat rails directly to the floor (with shorter screws), and cut slots in the carpet to fit around the rails.

Now for my question: What about the rest of the access panels (fuel sump drains, fuse panel, emergency gear, fuel tank valves)? Does the carpet go UNDER or OVER these? Again, I can't find anything in the maintenance manuals.

Any thoughts?

[N3322G]

There are lots of opinions on this. The original thin Piper carpet went under all of these and so did the one new interior done in our twin. Others hold different opinions.

[Kristin Winter]

I highly recommend looking for cracks in the flanges in the floor support bulkheads where the nutplates for the seat rail screws go. The flexing will have been greater with the rails on top of the carpeting and I bet you have a crack or three down there.

[tomburke1]

If you decide to mount the rails directly to the floor use shorter bolts, as the originall bolts have a shoulder and they might screw up your anchor nuts.