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3-Wheeler · 08-07-2010, 02:26 PM

This shows the entire tail extension after removing from the car, and placed on the ground.

Getting the entire section past the muffler pipe took a while.

Here is an inside view of the extension after sanding the lower portion smooth. As usual, lots of sanding dust! It gets interesting on a windy day, and you get a face full!!

One of the neighbors was just starring at the extension in this picture. He could finally get a good look at what all the construction was about.

I asked him "what do you think?", and he said, "it's really hot today!".

Fiber glass cloth was just wetted-out in this picture. You can see how smooth this section is.

This detailed picture shows something that *could* work into a problem in a high stress area of the build, depending on how high the stresses are; air pockets!!

The foam was sanded smooth in this area, but lacked attention to small divots in the foam. When wetting out the glass, it became immediately apparent that this area was not smooth enough for 100% adhesion.

Trying to work extra resin in this area is very time consuming, and usually not very effective when trying to wet out the entire area while the resin is still free-flowing.

Now the extension is tipped on it's side and glass placed in various areas before wetting out.

Inevitable low spots are again filled in with spackling. These low spots are very easy to create when a foam panel is glued a little off location.

Sometimes, this low spot does show up readily. For example when the surrounding area is sanded to create the slight curvature of the panels, that's when a low spot becomes more apparent. It's all part of making compound shapes in foam.

Here is another low spot. They seem to be quite popular in this project!!

Glass work done several days earlier is now fully cured.

This picture shows the rear hatch resting on the extension. From here, it's relatively easy to tell that only three inches are required for the hatch to clear the extension when opening.

But maybe 3 inches is not enough? What about room for the hinges to the support the smaller hatch?

An executive decision was made, and I used 5 inches. The black marker shows the anticipated cutting path.

I was quite tentative at this point, as any mistake could be tough to fix, since there is a nice layer of glass on the back side in this area.

There it is!! The cut was carefully made and the hatch actually cleared in about 98% of the area.

Some fine sanding was needed near the outer edges of the cut, for the hatch to stop rubbing when opening.

The fine sanding was confined to an area on the *inside* edge of the foam, so the sanding will not show in the area of the seam to an outside viewer, which is very nice indeed.

Visual progress has slowed up quite a bit lately as the hatch latching mechanism still has to be worked out and implemented before I continue with extending the tail further. This is the point where a lot of *eye-ball* engineering is taking place, and is less apparent in the build.

Jim.

08-07-2010, 02:26 PM	#65 (permalink)
3-Wheeler Master EcoModder Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Southern WI Posts: 829 AlienMobile - '00 Honda Insight Team Honda 90 day: 80.05 mpg (US) Thanks: 101 Thanked 563 Times in 191 Posts	This shows the entire tail extension after removing from the car, and placed on the ground. Getting the entire section past the muffler pipe took a while. Here is an inside view of the extension after sanding the lower portion smooth. As usual, lots of sanding dust! It gets interesting on a windy day, and you get a face full!! One of the neighbors was just starring at the extension in this picture. He could finally get a good look at what all the construction was about. I asked him "what do you think?", and he said, "it's really hot today!". Fiber glass cloth was just wetted-out in this picture. You can see how smooth this section is. This detailed picture shows something that could work into a problem in a high stress area of the build, depending on how high the stresses are; air pockets!! The foam was sanded smooth in this area, but lacked attention to small divots in the foam. When wetting out the glass, it became immediately apparent that this area was not smooth enough for 100% adhesion. Trying to work extra resin in this area is very time consuming, and usually not very effective when trying to wet out the entire area while the resin is still free-flowing. Now the extension is tipped on it's side and glass placed in various areas before wetting out. Inevitable low spots are again filled in with spackling. These low spots are very easy to create when a foam panel is glued a little off location. Sometimes, this low spot does show up readily. For example when the surrounding area is sanded to create the slight curvature of the panels, that's when a low spot becomes more apparent. It's all part of making compound shapes in foam. Here is another low spot. They seem to be quite popular in this project!! Glass work done several days earlier is now fully cured. This picture shows the rear hatch resting on the extension. From here, it's relatively easy to tell that only three inches are required for the hatch to clear the extension when opening. But maybe 3 inches is not enough? What about room for the hinges to the support the smaller hatch? An executive decision was made, and I used 5 inches. The black marker shows the anticipated cutting path. I was quite tentative at this point, as any mistake could be tough to fix, since there is a nice layer of glass on the back side in this area. There it is!! The cut was carefully made and the hatch actually cleared in about 98% of the area. Some fine sanding was needed near the outer edges of the cut, for the hatch to stop rubbing when opening. The fine sanding was confined to an area on the inside edge of the foam, so the sanding will not show in the area of the seam to an outside viewer, which is very nice indeed. Visual progress has slowed up quite a bit lately as the hatch latching mechanism still has to be worked out and implemented before I continue with extending the tail further. This is the point where a lot of eye-ball engineering is taking place, and is less apparent in the build. Jim. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by 3-Wheeler; 08-07-2010 at 02:48 PM..