The Astroliner

[dales133]

Thanks mate, don't leave about 4 weeks but it comes up fast

[lincolnlerner]

Trying to figure out what happened! Such an exciting build!
In the picture, I can see the cross-hatch pattern but not the warp and buckling. How did the cut edges around the window look? Were they glued or free-floating? Did they offer any clue? Did the sheet expand is what I am trying to get at, or was there some kind of pressure forming the Diamond-like pattern. Otherwise the structure of the filon seems to be suspect. Maybe an insider knows what happened.
Please let us know and we are pulling for you! Anything I can do let me know.

[Atomic77]

Hey thanks.
I ruled out pressure under the Filon because the roof is vented under the Filon into the cabin. I definitely believe it was caused by thermal expansion... But the how and why is still up for grabs. There was 5200 around the windows and the same result there. The only place flat was where it was glued. The warping and buckling I was talking about was in reference to the diamond pattern. They were huge and could be felt by hand by the swelling. And they were all geometrically accurate. So weird...

[pjo129]

Michael, I just caught up on your build. Awesome work!

As a fellow Hoosier, I hope you'll be able to make the CRA down at McCormick's Creek this July. Also, living in the former home of Thunder on the Ohio, I really miss seeing the Unlimited Hydros. Hopefully we'll get our race back.

Looking forward to seeing the rest of your build.

[Atomic77]

Thanks Pete and good to hear from a hydro fan! I really do miss Evansville. I've been to every course on the circuit and honestly that course is my favorite. I love the pits there and being able to see the course no matter where you sit is awesome. I really hope the city of Evansville, the people of Evansville, the fans, the powers to be... can get together and bring back your tradition. It seems like such a shame. I'm hearing talk about a race on the other side of the river coming next year, but you never know about these things.

Sorry I won't be able to make it to the CRA. I will be in Tri Cities Washington for the Gold Cup. I'm looking forward getting out and about once the build is finished.

[lincolnlerner]

When you removed the filon did it measure larger than the trailer?

[Atomic77]

When you removed the filon did it measure larger than the trailer?

No. It did not change in size.

[lincolnlerner]

Anything we can help with? Really been looking forward to seeing this project!
Is the Filon still usable? Whatever stressed the Filon seems to be random not systematic but I am still concerned since the reason is unknown (and probably is systemic). Any help from people who use Filon everyday? What can we advise? Any pics? Close-up and wide-angle? Really looking forward to seeing this completed. I know you are now concentrating on the season so let this board help out if possible.

Best Wishes for the Season
and let the build take care of itself

tony

[KCStudly]

Hey Atomic, You maybe too busy to build, but I'm thinking you could probably throw in a status update on the racing season every once in a while. Sure it's OT, but it is build related because it is keeping you from building, right?

I'd settle for a link to highlights of your racing adventures.

[Atomic77]

Progress report... It took many, many hours to remove the 3M 5200 from the Filon. It was not a pretty process. 5200 is not meant to be removed. But, we got it all cleaned off, and managed to salvage the Filon, which honestly is a miracle in itself. (Saving a $500 sheet of Filon.) Many more hours were spent removing the 5200 from the camper body. I am now back to ground zero. We are ready to try the contact adhesive method. Hopefully this coming weekend maybe the next. Tony... Yes you can help! Come to Indiana and help me get this thing glued down this weekend! Lol! KC... here is the link to H - 1 unlimiteds. Lots of good information going on, and there is a team tab that you can click on to look at the specific teams and boats. We have two boats, the U - 5 and the U - 7. I appreciate you asking about it. Here you go:
http://www.H1unlimited.com
And the Team page:
www.U1racing.com

[dales133]

Keep at it mate!
Must have sucked removing that glue but you've got ontop of it now

[Atomic77]

Thanks Dale. You wouldn't believe the level of suckyness! I originally spent 8 hours just cutting it loose with a sharp knife. Then we laid the entire 8x21 foot sheet out in the grass and spent an entire day doing nothing but slicing with razor blades and grinding with Rolocs. It took 40 grit roloc to grind it from the Filon. Try doing that and not grinding through a sixteenth inch piece of material! Pretty much the same deal with the camper body, except there were places where the removal had damaged the Luan underneath, so more body work to repair! What a serious pain!!! Lesson learned. Don't float a piece of Filon this size. It just doesn't work. As KC said, not much time to build with racing season breathing down my neck, but hopefully I have one more shot at this Filon thing before I go on the road...

[capnTelescope]

Woo-hoo! Michael, you're running with the Big Dogs. Not everyone gets to do that. Go for it and good luck!

You can build the Astroliner in the off season.

[Atomic77]

Thanks Brad! Yes, the Unlimited's are the Elite crowd for sure. I've been interested in them for years... finally found myself lucky enough to get hired on a fantastic championship team. It's great to do what you love for a living. Few can say that!

[bdosborn]

Hmm, I wonder if it was the glue along the edges? My trailer is 6-1/2' wide, with a floated filon roof and it looks great 4 years later. The only difference is that I didn't use any glue, anywhere on the roof. Just aluminum insert trim screwed though the filon. Maybe that leaves the filon some room to expand and contract without bunching?



You might try totally floating the roof, especially if you plan to use the insert trim anyways. The trim is dead soft and really easy to work with. I think I had my roof on by myself in a couple of hours. You could try the contact cement if it still bunches when it's totally floated and you wouldn't be out a lot of work.

What a drag that happened!

Bruce