Designing a tail extension for the first-gen Insight

[Christ]

Originally Posted by orange4boy

...



Yes.

Awesome. I'm going to pick up a big box of it next time I find it for a dollar.

Elmer's white (paper) glue is still flexible (somewhat) after it dries, as well, so panel damage may be less of an issue due to vibration, etc.

[3-Wheeler]

Originally Posted by jimepting

...Nice load of material. Where did you buy?...

That foam was from Home Depot.

Three sheets:

4x8x2.0in
4x8x1.5in
4x8x1.0 in

Each sheet is cut into 32 inch lengths to fit inside the car. Been doing that for years.

I have to cut it up anyway to glue into curved chunks.

Jim.

[3-Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Christ

...Is Elmer's wood or white (paper) glue water soluble while it's wet?

Also, can Elmer's be cured with heat outside of the presence of open air? (Can I vacuum bag it and toss it in the oven?...

Yes, Elmer's glue can be thinned with water. The glue is based on water anyways.

You can heat it AND use a fan to circulate the air around the glued surface. This really speeds the drying process.

As for vacuum bagging, no, this will not work, as air contact is needed to allow the glue to dry. With the glue inside a plastic bag, it will stop drying and stay gummy.

Jim.

[3-Wheeler]

Originally Posted by orange4boy

Super important to mix well and fully. no shortcuts here or all your work will be ruined.

MIX MIX MIX! Especially with epoxy which is thicker and harder to mix.

orange4boy,

Which epoxy are you referring to?

West System is actually quite thin and certainly thinner than the polyester resin I am used to working with.

You are right that mixing is important, but after mixing a full pump of epoxy and hardener, I stir pretty vigorously for about 30 seconds or so, and by hand. I get allot of bubbles during the mixing operation and make sure all the "corners" of the mixing container participates in the mixing operation.

Then that's it!! Ready for applying to the cloth. I haven't had any issues at all regarding bad mixes using this technique, and I did the entire underside of the Insight this way.

Jim.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by 3-Wheeler

Yes, Elmer's glue can be thinned with water. The glue is based on water anyways.

You can heat it AND use a fan to circulate the air around the glued surface. This really speeds the drying process.

As for vacuum bagging, no, this will not work, as air contact is needed to allow the glue to dry. With the glue inside a plastic bag, it will stop drying and stay gummy.

Jim.

Do you know of anything that's anaerobic that might work the same as the white glue?

[3-Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Christ

Do you know of anything that's anaerobic that might work the same as the white glue?

Of course, epoxy has that characteristic, but I don't know of any single part mix glues that don't need air.

Another approach would be a hybrid gluing system.

If you really wanted to save costs, you could use air drying glue for the flatter portions of your creation.

Then use two part mixes for the "corners" that need to be held down to keep it's shape.

The epoxy will stick to the Elmer's and vise-versa. My motorcycle fairing has both glues on it.

Jim.

[Christ]

I think I might get a can of poly resin from Bond-o, and get some glue the next time I'm out to the warehouse store, and see what I can come up with.

Of course, the bond-o resin isn't all that expensive, either.

[RobertSmalls]

Jim,

The idea is to make the transom as small as possible. Thus, if my taillights allow it, my transom will be six inches tall, exactly as tall as a license plate. If you exhaust air above or below the plate, you're increasing the size of your wake. It's a small point, but worth considering.

The photo of the cabin vents I posted was file footage from my trip to the junkyard. You should be able to see the vents from the inside if you pull the cargo basket. Hmm, I wonder if you can feel the flow back there if you turn the blower to high. Anyway, my best guess is 16in².

[Christ]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

Jim,

The idea is to make the transom as small as possible. Thus, if my taillights allow it, my transom will be six inches tall, exactly as tall as a license plate. If you exhaust air above or below the plate, you're increasing the size of your wake. It's a small point, but worth considering.

The photo of the cabin vents I posted was file footage from my trip to the junkyard. You should be able to see the vents from the inside if you pull the cargo basket. Hmm, I wonder if you can feel the flow back there if you turn the blower to high. Anyway, my best guess is 16in².

You'd only be able to feel the flow if you had the air set to fresh air, instead of recirc.

If you block those vents entirely, you might have an issue with defrosting, as recirc is most efficient for defrost.

[3-Wheeler]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

...The idea is to make the transom as small as possible. Thus, if my taillights allow it, my transom will be six inches tall, exactly as tall as a license plate. If you exhaust air above or below the plate, you're increasing the size of your wake. It's a small point, but worth considering....

Robert,

If you look here you will see what I was proposing:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/164296-post98.html

You might answer differently based on that.

Also, if your back plate is only six inches high, and just enough for the plate, where does your illumination light go?

Jim.