Hi all:
I am progressing with BellBoy on several fronts. The windshield is now secured with 9 bolts instead of 6. The blocks placed under the cabin roof that hold the "t" nuts are re-installed using 3M 5200 slow dry adhesive. And, let me tell you, it is slow! The research I read on the regular 5200 vs the quick cure 5200 convinced me that the slower curing adhesive is stronger. This is important as the headliner can survive only one more re-attachment with the tack holes and fraying on the edge. I don't want to have to go back in there to re-glue those blocks.
Tim wrote that the easiest way to get a flush fit of the bottom frame with the cabin top was to enlarge the original bolt holes so that the protruding nuts holding the glass to the bottom frame would seat into the cabin roof snugly. I was hesitant to drill more holes in my fiberglass but concluded that there was no other viable alternative to my set up so, I took his suggestion. I waited one week for the 3M to completely cure, then a ran 3" fiberglass tape over the inside cabin roof, covering all the holes. On the top side, I will mark where my nuts fit in and then fill the rest of the holes with bondo, sand flush and paint with Petit one part epoxy off-white (a dead match for the BB gelcoat). That should tidy up the window installation. The only thing I think I would like to add would be some sort of thin rubber ribbon (1/16 thick by 1" wide and the length of the bottom frame) This would be glued onto the frame and I would cut out the nuts protrusions to keep the gasket flush against the bottom frame. This would keep the frame from scratching the cabin top when I install and remove. Would Wefco have this kind of gasket strip?
Next, I am continuing the planked mahogany flooring into the cabin. The original floor is warping so, I epoxied and used a brad gun to secure the plywood sub-floor to the cabin floor. I will seal with epoxy, then lay my strips (pre-stained), seal that with epoxy, apply boat life black caulking between the strips, wait one week for that to cure, trim off the excess with a razor blade and apply 5 coats of polyurethane.
Then comes the new hi-fi, but more on that with pictures when I get there!!
Best,
Bob
I am progressing with BellBoy on several fronts. The windshield is now secured with 9 bolts instead of 6. The blocks placed under the cabin roof that hold the "t" nuts are re-installed using 3M 5200 slow dry adhesive. And, let me tell you, it is slow! The research I read on the regular 5200 vs the quick cure 5200 convinced me that the slower curing adhesive is stronger. This is important as the headliner can survive only one more re-attachment with the tack holes and fraying on the edge. I don't want to have to go back in there to re-glue those blocks.
Tim wrote that the easiest way to get a flush fit of the bottom frame with the cabin top was to enlarge the original bolt holes so that the protruding nuts holding the glass to the bottom frame would seat into the cabin roof snugly. I was hesitant to drill more holes in my fiberglass but concluded that there was no other viable alternative to my set up so, I took his suggestion. I waited one week for the 3M to completely cure, then a ran 3" fiberglass tape over the inside cabin roof, covering all the holes. On the top side, I will mark where my nuts fit in and then fill the rest of the holes with bondo, sand flush and paint with Petit one part epoxy off-white (a dead match for the BB gelcoat). That should tidy up the window installation. The only thing I think I would like to add would be some sort of thin rubber ribbon (1/16 thick by 1" wide and the length of the bottom frame) This would be glued onto the frame and I would cut out the nuts protrusions to keep the gasket flush against the bottom frame. This would keep the frame from scratching the cabin top when I install and remove. Would Wefco have this kind of gasket strip?
Next, I am continuing the planked mahogany flooring into the cabin. The original floor is warping so, I epoxied and used a brad gun to secure the plywood sub-floor to the cabin floor. I will seal with epoxy, then lay my strips (pre-stained), seal that with epoxy, apply boat life black caulking between the strips, wait one week for that to cure, trim off the excess with a razor blade and apply 5 coats of polyurethane.
Then comes the new hi-fi, but more on that with pictures when I get there!!
Best,
Bob
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