The Astroliner

[KCStudly]

Not meant as a dig. I like metal flake. Bowling balls with metal flake are pretty cool, too!

[Atomic77]

No offense taken! Trust me pictures don't do it justice

Michael

[dales133]

It does look awsum.
That paint finish is outstanding

[OP827]

I like it!
How did you prepare the wooden frame surface for VHB tape, epoxy coating and then fine sanding?

[Atomic77]

Thanks fellas. OP the walls were already epoxied. Preparation was as simple as a quick wash with acetone then Windex. (I Windex everything!)

Michael

[KCStudly]

I just had a little "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" moment there.

[Atomic77]

Yep! I get teased at the shop about it. They buy Windex in gallons for me...

Michael

[KCStudly]

I'm assuming that you use it as a degreaser, perhaps as a wet sanding lube; any other uses or benefits?

Do you rinse with plain water afterwards?

[Atomic77]

If I need a degreaser, I use dawn liquid with water. Sometimes I'll add vinegar. I use the Windex for everything else. 30 years ago or so I ran out of final wipe prior to a paint job and it was the wee hours of the morning when none could be purchased. In a pinch, I used Windex as a final wipe. It actually worked better than the final wipe I was using made by 3M. It leaves no residue behind and the alcohol in it causes it to evaporate which makes it better than water because nothing is left behind. When I first came to the race shop, they all looked at me sideways when they saw I used Windex for a final wipe. After 4 Years, everybody there now uses Windex!

Michael

[Vedette]

Brian & Sandi

[Atomic77]

Well... I'm back after what has seemed like a very long summer and boat racing season. I am excited to finally be working again on the Astroliner. Although the points championship did not turn out as we had hoped, we still took second in points and that's nothing to sneeze at. But we did win the Gold Cup which is one of the highest honors in boat racing and to have our name on a trophy that is a Grand piece of History, is truly an amazing honor.



So here is where I am at on the build after another weekend at the shop. Right now one of the hassles of the build is having to keep it inside constantly. With no windows, it is not weatherproof. So the decision was made to get her painted, lay down the base and some clear in order to be able to install fans, hatches, doors and windows. That way she can be moved around, set outside and work can continue to go on inside the shop regardless of the weather. There will be custom paint added at some point but in order to accomplish the goal of getting her weather tight, we are simply getting the base color on right now. Therefore I will post teaser photos but completion photos will come at a later date.





One of the other things I accomplished this weekend was finishing up the large porthole windows in the front. I had been working on trim rings for the custom-made Porthole Windows, which was a very tedious process. The Rings are now installed with no visible Hardware. Again I used the 3M Products VHB tape which is really amazing. The windows are now trimmed out and complete.





To anyone following this build, thank you for your patience while I've been away this summer. Work is now going to progress quickly from here on out I hope!

~Michael



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N915A using Tapatalk

[KCStudly]

Awesome!

[roamer]

Congrats on your season!
Glad to see you will have some time for your project.
The window turned out great!

[dales133]

Rock on micheal

[OP827]

Amazing work Michael, as always!
Congratulations on the Gold Cup win, it's amazing!