| Author |
Message |
captain ron (Captain_ron)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 7:39 pm: | |
Now that I'm back on FMB I want to have a rear cap made for my bus. There are lots of glass guys here but I haven't talked to any yet. I would like some one to hand lay up my rear cap, is this doable and feasable and will it look nice? |
Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 8:19 pm: | |
Certainly is! You might check with some of the EAA people who would love to do it with you. I have made aircraft parts, motorcycle saddle bags and fairings, real professional looking from an amateur, lots of fun and very rewarding too. |
motorcoach1
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 8:52 pm: | |
Hi ron i'm in South Carolina and would like to see what you are wanting to do sounds interesting |
JR
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 10:40 pm: | |
Have you priced an R&M rear cap? They aren't very expensive. Seems as though the cost of material to do a hand layup will greatly exceed the cost of an R&M cap? Unless you build a plug and mould, you're gonna have a "rough side out" fiberglass finish that going to be a bear to make smooth. Clearly doable. Sure won't be any fun. Better seal up the interior of the bus well when this project begins...glass dust will be all over..on furniture, in mattresses...bummer!
Motorcoach1 in SC, you may be aware, but there's going to be a gathering at a Timmonsville, SC, campground right off I-95, tentatively scheduled for May 19, 20, and 21. I'm going down...only 100 miles from here. Maybe you're close by?
JR |
motorcoach1
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 11:43 pm: | |
I'm in Columbia , sold my Mc7 but still have the ElDradoodoo http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/artfart97/my_photosdoo theres a photo here |
FAST FRED
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 24, 2006 - 4:46 am: | |
Having passed my 20th 55g drum of resin for hand layup long ago ,
YES you can do most anything with hand layup.
BUT , this is ordinarily done in a quite simple mold, and the time it takes to create a mold is large!
If you had enough buddies to need a dozen copies it MIGHT be worth while , for one of , NEVER!
You would be far better off purchasing a production cookie than creating your own.
FAST FRED |
Andrew Bowey
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 24, 2006 - 8:59 am: | |
Ron,
I did my own rear cap and it turned out great. The problem is I used old OEM take off caps from MCI roof raises done by Fred Hobe. I probably have under $150 in it as he gave them to me for free if I hauled them off. He has them occasionally and is just South of the Ga. State line in Fla. I just fibreglassed two OEM caps together for the roof and two together for the back. Trimmed them to fit and ground them smooth. Then 'glassed them together and mounted it. It really looks great for the price and work involved. Just look around for cast off fibreglass caps or sheets and get creative with some resin and mat. I made the front cap out of steel and the old Vista Window frame moved forward over the windshield. There should be a picture in the Busnuts Photos website named things you don't have to do. Many may say I ruined the classic look of my Buffalo..but man do I have some room now! I'm working out in a field and just got a generator for some power so it is not painted yet. On another subject you posted about I also am building my own Hydronic heating system out of Army Surplus materials. Busnuttin' does not have to be expensive.
Andrew.
4905 w/10" Roof Raise. |
motorcoach1
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 24, 2006 - 6:55 pm: | |
ron i made surf boards as a hobby and profesionaly in Fla years ago but it's like falling in a frozen pond you never forget what it feels like LOL have made lots of other one off things and my second floor deck on the house is like a yacht deck ( like the look ) done in 92 and not a crack or check in it 12ft by 24ft. this was done in Epoxy but yours can be done in Polystirene. |
CoryDane
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2006 - 8:42 am: | |
Oh I have to comment on this one.....
I had a Ford Pinto that I had cut the roof off. I wanted a convertable, don't say it, I was
young(er) and dumb I guess.
The hatch was removed and left a big hole in the back. The space was too small for a trunk so I figured a space from the back seat would do well.
I trimmed the former hatch opening to a good looking rear end then attached 1/2 inch conduit for braces at the mid section of the trunk top, (side to side)and behind where the seat would go.
I planned to use fibre glas so figured it would have its own inherit strength but for additional support and shape, I used 1/8" metal screen, which was pop-rivited to the conduit and sides of the car. Having layed a GENEROUS amount of paper inside the car under the area where the fibre glas would be layed, I layed 2 layers of glas cloth and then began mixing the liquid.
As the epoxy began to soak in, the cloth would become nearly transparent and the screen would become plainly visable. I did this as one application.
Not having a mold gives you a mildly bumpy surface so you need to sand and fill with body filler to smooth it out.
STRENGTH????
I had my fun with this car, boy it got the looks going down the street!!
A fella at work asked me if I wanted to sell the car. He needed the drive train and such for a kit car. I had just bought a house and needed the money so I said sure, he gave me a couple bucks and drove it home.
While he was tearing it down for the needed parts, his kid came out, saw the fiberglas lid and tried to bust it with a heavy hammer. He wound up and hit it, the hammer BOUNCED off. It took a couple more good wacks before it even cracked.
I attribute this strength to the screening that was put in for the shaping, and it did a real good job of support and strength.
If you go this route, figure all the set up must be done before you do this and it will take a day EASY!!! Again, figure one shot application to avoid seams and weak spots.
Just my experience. |
Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2006 - 4:28 pm: | |
An option that might be best Ron, is to use preformed fiberglass sheets for the flat parts, and just glass in the seams after bending them to shape you want. This saves LOTS of smoothing time. |
captain ron (Captain_ron)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2006 - 6:47 pm: | |
Don , where ado you get the fiberglass sheets? |
Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2006 - 8:28 pm: | |
Used to find them at Lowes or Home Depot type places. Haven't checked for them lately though. I got some once at a fiberglass fabricating shop, they did sheets blown on plate glass. |
captain ron (Captain_ron)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 1:58 am: | |
Ok, from what I've gathered from the responses, don't do it, go for it. as you guys have learned by now I'm a doer and when I set my mind to something I get it done. so I think I'll frame up a shell using the chicken wire over some metal tubing framing. And if I can find sheets of fiber glass as Don sugested I'll use as much of that as possible then only have to lay up the rounded corners. I'll talk to a couple of boat guys here that do glass work and get some help from them.
The interior side can be rough and ugly as I will spray foam that area afterwards. I guess one major concern will be where it connects to the rest of the bus around its perimeter. will it basicaly glue its self to the meatal and then I can smooth it out with bondo? without leaking issues? |
CoryDane
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 7:27 am: | |
(((((will it basicaly glue its self to the meatal and then I can smooth it out with bondo? without leaking issues?))))
I am not the expert, I tried it anyway that would work, however.....
The rear of that pinto was rusty, parts were rusting out. Before I fibre glassed the screen, not chicken wire, 1/8" squares, I cleaned up the rust and roughed the metal really good. It looked terrible when I was done but it gave the epoxy a place to hold on to.
The side edges of the top to the side edges of the car looked like a seam. The 1/8" wire was pop rivited to the metal and the fiber glas applied to the screen. It looked good.
The fiberglas ran over the edge and onto the roughed up surface and adhered to the rough metal. It smoothed out nicely, but it had a lot of area to adhere to/versus the lip the bus will offer.
Caps are usually bolted/screwed to the lip with a rubber seal between since the lip will give to vibration and the glas will let go at some point.
I think that would be the best attachment unless you use some kind of super glue, like Gorilla Glue or such to hold it permanently. SCOTCH sells a two faced tape that wont let go, it is talked about on the site of the Wathellisit.
He hung diamond plats with this stuff and was told not to place the metal crooked cause it wont let go. if your cap mates closely to the lip, this could be the answer for you.
Good luck, its an experience for sure.
CDane |
Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 12:26 pm: | |
If it were me Ron, I would keep it separated, by some sealing compound.
A friend has a very professional bus (Used to belong to Chubby Checker) that used flat sheets of fiberglass for sides AND caps, done with the flat panels and fiberglass the joints. After many years all is still neat EXCEPT where the rear cap was bonded to the sides and the bus. Not sure, But I THINK what has happened is that when sitting in the sun, the expansion rate between parts is causing the problem. I would not bond them together. |
motorcoach1
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 8:15 pm: | |
Ron you seam handy , if you can shape foam its real easy to do and glass it. the secret is useing a squgie it maximize the resin into the glass fibers and not get to wet or dry and its easy to smooth it down with the stranded first and 6 oz cloth on top let it harden.. sand and do 2 more cloth coats in 6 and 4 oz the trick is not over saturating it. fair it out with micro ballon and spray gelcoat on top useing a wax additive to harden it. I use soap the day after ( any liquid soap )and let that stand for another day sometimes the wax doesnt get the seal you need the first time. THe foam will be your insulation. by the way the wax acts like a barrior from the air so as the gelcoat will harden . |
captain ron (Captain_ron)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 9:36 pm: | |
I was looking at the situation today and I think I'll use some of the old cap. I can remove it completely move it back till it's plumb with rear of bus, put in new piece of aluminum roof to fill in the gap then use a sheet of flat panel glass to make the rear panel then form corners if needed and then it can be riveted on like the original. gonna get started tomorow at least on finalizing the plan making sure every thing will work. |
motorcoach1
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 9:57 pm: | |
sounds good ron |