by woodslanding » Thu Sep 07, 2023 8:45 pm
Here are some things I learned on my foam/fiberglass/epoxy build.
Sure is easier to get your FG saturated if you epoxy the surface before you lay it down. If for some reason you have no choice but to do a vertical layup, this will improve your odds somewhat.
Cut foam with a hot wire. It's so easy to make one yourself, and makes so much better cuts than any kind of saw. I made a hot wire attachment for my table saw, so I can use the fence for straight cuts.
Use Foam Fusion Styro-goo adhesive, and you can cut right through the adhesive with a wire, can't do that with any other glue. Plus it sticks incredibly well.
Next time, I'll cut my window openings out of wood, embed them in the foam and attach the windows to that. Getting the shape right in the foam was tough, plywood just doesn't move around as much. Plus my foam was too thick, so I had to taper around the windows. Looks cool, I guess, but way too much work.
Installed the windows (salvaged from an old topper) in upside down. Oops. There are drainage slots in the tracks, and without them the tracks fill up with water and overflow inside. Make sure you know which way is up if you use sliding glass windows.
Next time, I'll try polycarbonate for windows. The glass windows I used weigh more than the topper!
I'll also use some wood framing, so I have something to screw into to mount things.
Also, I guessed at the angle I wanted for the front (to match the back of the cab) and it wasn't quite accurate.... and I neglected to measure the height of my garage door. So I had to make some adjustments to the design midway. What a pain! Just know, every hour spent designing, measuring and drafting will save five hours of labor later.
But then... you have to start sometime!
cheers,
-eric