Van Go

Cabosil. Similar. Cabosil is a thickening agent. It's the opposite of paint "thinner." It thickens the resin so it doesn't slide off vertical surfaces.
Flox on the other hand, adds mass to the resin... a filler, if you will.
I've used Cabosil as a filler many times to do what you described. It was in the supplies box when I worked on the race team. and when they closed up, they gave me all of the leftovers. Although it worked, would flocking be better in your estimation? I'm gonna trust an aircraft guy's opinion over a racer/body guy when it comes to glass, that's for darned sure. Thanks for the lesson on resin to glass ratio.
 
Nice work Jim!

Don’t think you should have any problems with that shower.

Rolling or brushing on the gel coat will work fine but if you do wanna spray it, I do this quite often.

A cheap harbor freight purple gun and drill out the tip to about 2mm. Works like a charm.
 
Been a day or two.... I was asked in another thread about progress (lack thereof) on my project(s).

We've had to help out a family member. To that end I've had to reorganize my basement workshop. When I started back in Sept, half the basement was workshop and the other half was shithole.... our junk collection point... 'bout 25yrs worth.... :cautious:
Now it's 1/4 finished bedroom and 3/4 shithole.... with a workshop buried in there somewheres.... bugger me. :er:



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I'm gettin' too old for this stuff. What should have took about two weeks, took over two months. With bad feet, that's just the way it is.
Anyway, I'm slowly rediscovering my workshop and I'm none the worse for it, so yeah... off we go, back to the stuff I want to work on.
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I stopped work back when the weather was warm, now... not so much. If I'm gonna get work done in this thing, I need heat, full stop. I don't do cold anymore. For heat I need power. An RV van needs power anyway, so now I have power.
2-7/8" hole in the left side.



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The outlet screwed into the wheel cover is temporary, but it'll do the trick for now.
Eventually the outside power connection will feed a power distribution center mounted just aft of the wheel cover.
Power tools, lights and most importantly, HEAT. Life is good. :smoke:
 
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I was wondering what happened to the van project. Fortunately for me, I just have car and bike projects on the go. No more house or garage renno’s for a while. Looking forward to seeing the progress on the travel machine. You’ll have to come and visit us in the far North next year! Always welcome!
 
Nice basement fit up though ! Very skilled !

Not too bad for a retired aircraft mechanic, eh? :wink2:

Thanks for the kind words, just don't look too close at the finish trim... :rolleyes:

Re the van, you're doing the Subaru engined VW bus, right?
 
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Not too bad for a retired aircraft mechanic, eh? :wink2:

Thanks for the kind words, just don't look too close at the finish trim... :rolleyes:

Re the van, your doing the Subaru engined VW bus, right?
Yes! I went simple , sohc , non turbo JDM. Had to change the cam sprocket as it’s got 7 pick ups rather than the Japanese set of 2, so now it “talks” to the Canadian Subaru ECU
It’s a very detailed job…,as I’m discovering lol
 
Some progress... as in not much. Wired the van for shore power so I could put a little heater in there.... and then ol' dipstick here keeps forgettin' to go out and buy a heater. :doh:

The full solar eclipse will be here in early April. We got to see the last one from our back yard. Btw, if you've never experienced it, I highly recommend you try to see this one. For me... and Sue for that matter, it was almost a spiritual experience. If you miss this one, you'll have to wait about a hundred years for the next here in the States iirc. Anyway...
Plan is to drive SE to somewhere SE Missouri or thereabouts and camp while we wait. Means that, while the van doesn't need to be done, it needs to be done enough we can camp in it. Guess I need to up my game. Too many irons in the fire. :cautious:

So here we are. Got most of the insulation glued into the ceiling and sides where the glass top meets the metal. A little more foam and I can start cuttin' ceiling panels. That'll be a big milestone for me 'cause that will actually be a finished product.

Also, you'll recall I removed the helicopter formation light on top, the one masquerading as a brake light. Picked up an LED replacement. Installed and wired that in. Put it much lower... and on the back instead of the top. Not sure if it's legally required. I'm guessin' some states will say yes, it came with three brake lights from the factory, so they're required. Bottom line, I didn't want to give an overzealous State Trooper an excuse to just pull us over.... and I ain't looking up the laws for all the lower 48.
Look for more frequent updates now that I have a deadline of sorts.



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Ceiling.

I'm using 11/32" ply with slats routed into it. I'm sure there's a name for it... :umm: Anyway...
Painted the routed lines with black, then sanded it down and rolled on 2 coats of urethane satin clear. Cut the sheet into three 32" sections to make 'em more manageable for a "just me" operation. The tape is a guide for the screw holes.
Filled all the nooks and crevasses with spray foam and put it in place with the supports shown. I'll let the foam cure for a day or two and on to the next one.


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