My Foamie Build--Updated --Jul 3 I'm eating an elephant

[bonnie]

Thanks! I am off to work this morning with dreams and ideas about BUB fixing floating around in my head. I think a total rebuild on the top will be in order. My brother and I discussed it at length and it will need some sort of framework to lift. Still pondering about that. Out of money for the foreseeable future, so I'll work on the parts I can get done, which is quite a bit really.

Tonight, I plan on lifting the roof and propping it open. Cleaning out the debris and taking exact measurements of sides, roof and floor. Both inside and out. I have started to learn sketch-up and want to work up the model there. We will see. I'll post some more pictures later.

[GPW]

Please take some detailed pics while you’re in there ...

[bonnie]

Please take some detailed pics while you’re in there ...

will do. Gotta document the build, farewell.

[Wobbly Wheels]

Great to hear it tows so well, Bonnie. That would be a pretty big hurdle to try and get over at this stage.

It sounds like you've got some 'pondering time' for the lift system right when you need it.
Does the glass look damaged at all from being out in the sun, or did he have it covered ?

[bonnie]

Great to hear it tows so well, Bonnie. That would be a pretty big hurdle to try and get over at this stage.

It sounds like you've got some 'pondering time' for the lift system right when you need it.
Does the glass look damaged at all from being out in the sun, or did he have it covered ?

Was covered or garaged. Looks to be in good shape. Needs sanding and filling, etc.

[atahoekid]

The picolight was built with a fiberglass skin. (I believe it was picolight). He then used high build primer to fill the weave on the cloth and then painted it. I've got some small imperfections that I want to hide in my fiberglass work so I too will be using a high build primer. You may want to try that before you get too far into sanding and filling. To me, sanding and filling are a major pain so I don't tend to spend enough time at it... therefore less than stellar results. I'm hoping the high build primer with a light sanding will provide me a real nice finish with less aggravation and irritation. We'll see. I bought primer and paint today and hope to have some on later this week. I'll let you know when I see the end result but since it seems like I'm measuring progress in millimeters you might get there before me.

[bonnie]

Mel, what brand of high build primer did you choose? There are spots that are certainly going to have to be sanded to smooth the edges and get rid of the stringy lumps, but I'd already considered trying to level everything out with epoxy and micro balloons (hope I got that right). At least for the bottom of the two pieces, I could go on and primer it to smooth out the weave. But I need to lay in the hard points first, or at least figure out the layout and where hard points might be needed. I didn't get anything done last night -- road fatigue -- nearly 1200 miles in 72 hours isn't as easy on me as it was when I was, say, 30 years younger.

I'll be starting on the rear wall and completing the door and getting it installed first. Has anyone used GG to attach bare foam and wood to fiberglass? Or would it be better to use epoxy? Any way I do it, the door is almost 3" deep and the wall will need to have more foam/frame added. Since the door opens out, it won't take up much of the floor space inside, either. There's plenty to keep me busy until I get some funds built up again.

Off to work to earn those said funds.

[Wobbly Wheels]

Yeah Mel, I'm interested to know what you used as well - I'm not much of a painter...
I've been thinking I'll tow it to a body shop and have them shoot it instead of doing it myself, but I'll do the fairing myself.

I'd already considered trying to level everything out with epoxy and micro balloons (hope I got that right)

Yup, that will work great for deep spots that the primer won't fill. Since it's large, flat panels it shouldn't be too bad to longboard BUB....just tedious.

Has anyone used GG to attach bare foam and wood to fiberglass? Or would it be better to use epoxy?

If you're going to be glassing the joints anyway, I think it's a wash either way. The strength of the joint would come from the skins rather than the core. GG is certainly quicker, easier, and cheaper.

[GPW]

Just me , having done much glass work on Corvettes , if the fiberglass is rough , it will take a Good deal of filler and sanding to get it straight ... LOTS of nasty work .. And if you sand through the glass in your attempt to make it smooth , then there’s re-glassing ..
Why not compromise on the appearance and accept what is ... Just a snappy paint job would remarkably improve the appearance .. without bothering too much of the surface finish ... What the heck, it’s a BUB , not an Airstream ...

[bonnie]

Just me , having done much glass work on Corvettes , if the fiberglass is rough , it will take a Good deal of filler and sanding to get it straight ... LOTS of nasty work .. And if you sand through the glass in your attempt to make it smooth , then there’s re-glassing ..
Why not compromise on the appearance and accept what is ... Just a snappy paint job would remarkably improve the appearance .. without bothering too much of the surface finish ... What the heck, it’s a BUB , not an Airstream ...

I am only concerned about the largest bumps and such. I have no expectation I'd be able to get BUB glass smooth. Though, I'd really like it to look nice.

[atahoekid]

Bonnie,
The high build primer I bought was Kel Bond from Kelly Moore Paint. They are a chain of paint stores out here, don't know if they have stores where you are.

WW,
I hate the prep work the paint work is fine. I was thinking of spraying it but I decided on rolling and tipping. I'd have to spray outdoors since I don't have enough space in the garage and there always seems to be at least a light breeze. My spray painting skills are bad enough without wind aided mistakes

[Wobbly Wheels]

...and there always seems to be at least a light breeze

So you just hold the gun closer, right ?
Like I said, I'm no painter...

I am only concerned about the largest bumps and such.

Then epoxy and micro balloons are your friend. Fortunately, BUB is made of flat panels so the dreaded long-boarding will be a piece of cake. A 3' scrap of 1X4 with a couple handles and some 80G sandpaper glued to it will knock the filler down right away.
That's exactly why mine has flat panels with corners rather than curves, lol.

Did you spend a bit of pondering time last night ?
Any further thoughts on the lift ?
Or the general direction of your build ?

[bonnie]

Thanks for the thoughts! I did spend a bit of time thinking last night and took some pictures this morning before the next round of heat. 105 yesterday. Too hot to do anything outside. Hopefully tonight I can get the lid lifted --it's too heavy for me as it is. I am going to pivot one end. I will have to have some sort of lift mechanism. I have four 5 foot metal pipes I picked up at a yard sale I'm going to prop it up with.

Here's my workspace:



At least I can push BUB around by myself. I can move it out on the flat part of my drive way and give myself some room.

Here's a close shot of the damage to the foam on the door end. As you can see it wasn't fiberglassed. Upside is I will be cutting this portion away to fit the Hobbit door. This is where I will need to add foam and framing to build up the wall. That will in all likelihood be my next steps, since I have the foam and parts handy, except for GG. I will need to cut away a portion of the built in cabinets, but I think I can manage it. Wonder if my multi tool would do it? Hmmmm.



Here's a final picture of the motor I bought off of ebay.



It's from a truck camper jack stand is rated to lift 3500#. I took it and threaded rod and pvc pipe with me when I went to MI to get BUB. My brother and I worked out the details. I will be lifting from two sides and will need to locate only a few more pieces. My friend gave me more threaded rod and metal conduit to make the actual lift parts. I know it's not KISS, but it will allow me to lift the lid by myself, which will be handy, since I need to work on it.

I've also decided I want to keep the profile about as tall as it is now, which is just under 5 foot. I'll measure it eventually. I really did like having the trailer shorter than the car's roof line.

I'm quite pleased with this addition to the foamie build. Just gotta figure out what to do and do it.

[GPW]

I never noticed the arched roof before ... that’s a Nice touch eh !!!
Looks like the builder never got around to the door ... doors do seem to be the most difficult thing to fabricate ...

[bonnie]

Yup. He used a board and tarp.