My club has an old Warrior with yokes that are in pretty rough shape. Paint has chipped, etc. Anyone know who I can send these to to be repainted/powder coated/whatever? We do not want to have them wrapped in leather.

Friendly neighborhood auto body shop, maybe? Or even a local tech school that teaches auto painting, but check that their timeliness aligns with your desires.

Looking at your start switch.......that airplane have an electronic mag? Which one, and does the club like it, if so...?

A friend just had 2 yokes from a C-150 done at a local body shop. I think he said it was $150 for the pair.

Are the yokes magnesium? Do they need special prep for powder coating like control surfaces would?

We don't have electronic ignition. My predecessor started installing those switches in planes when we had problems with worn key cylinders. I can't remember the reason why; it was probably cheaper. I think 4 out of our 5 planes have these now.

Hmm......have no clue on the magnesium vs aluminum.......could try a vinegar test, will fizz and bubble with mag, not with aluminum.

If there are magnesium, you first need to remove them from the airplane, apply some benzyl alcohol peroxide stripper on there and get all the paint off of it, then you need to sand all the corrosion off of it, and then once it’s all bright metal, scrub it with Prekote And a red scotchbrite pad until it’s all foamed up and bright metal, and then rinse it off and then bake it in the oven and then as soon as it cools, get some epoxy DTM primer on there. And then paint it. If you do this right, it will last a long time, but if you rattle can’t over it you’re gonna have corrosion under it Just about as soon as you’re done.

Oh, I'm absolutely not making this a DIY job. Just want to make sure I ask the right questions if I take it to a body shop.

I removed two yokes from a Cherokee and took to a local powder coating co. They sandblasted and powder coated them black. 50.00 for the pair.


Robert T

If you aren't looking for a local auto body shop to do the work - Randy at Air Mech (http://dualyoke.com/) might be able to do the work. You would have to check with him.

When I learned what new yokes were going to run for the local Cherokee Six I fly, when it got its G3x and autopilot, it surprised me - About $2100. It was a third party but it wasn't Cygnet. Cygnet is about 1/2 that price and, unfortunately, don't specialize in Piper.

Often powder coating is cheaper for items like these and more durable as well

I did the same with my C182 yokes for about the same price.

D