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Old 04-29-2009, 06:43 PM   #8 (permalink)
aerohead
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compound curves

Without a English Wheel to create these complex compound surfaces in sheetmetal,I used composites for these areas.I've used polyester resin and fiberglass wet layups over polyisocyanurate foam from the building center,and also got away with open-cell styrofoam,by first coating it after shaping,with a coating of regular white glue and letting that dry completely.---------- Also,a cedar-strip- canoe construction technique can be used to create the curves,also covered with a layer of fiberglass reinforced polyester or epoxy.--------------------------------- With respect to the louvers,I ended up putting a passenger side plexi-glass window for side vision,and a "step" on the back-sloping section with a short,full-width vertical plex window for rear vision.Not as sexy as the louvers,but simple and very good vision.------- Commercial exhaust fans often have often have what is called a gravity-damper,which has a beautiful mechanism you could copy,which would allow the two louvers to operate together.A simple tension spring might keep them from "dancing" while closed and going down the road.---------- A push/pull cable,air-ram,hydraulic-ram,12-volt electric solenoid from a door or Radio-controlled electric toy car,etc.,or,high-torque gear motor from a children's 24-VDC riding electric toy car might provide the means to actuate the louvers.------------- Your first cap was a sweetheart,will be fun to see #2 going down the road.
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