March 3, 2004
The new cowl has been removed from the mod, and the front cowl is in production. Since the cowls were going to be widened anyway, and considering the old cowls were heavy, and in poor condition, it was decided to make new cowls.
The new cowls are three layers of carbon fiber alternating with four layers of fiberglass. To make the cowls, the old cowls were widened, covered in Bondo to create a smooth surface, and painted. This resulted in very nice positive molds.
Mold release was then applied to the molds, and the cloth laid on. The part was not vacuum bagged as it was not necessary considering these pieces are not structural.
Alignment of the driveline also began today. The struts are back from the plating shop, and have been permanently glued to the bottom using Hysol.
With alignment bearings in the struts (much lower tolerance than running bearings), the prop-shaft was fed in and the struts aligned. When this was completed, they were glued in place.
The next step is to align the engine with the shaft and fit the cowls to the deck.
Read MoreThe new cowls are three layers of carbon fiber alternating with four layers of fiberglass. To make the cowls, the old cowls were widened, covered in Bondo to create a smooth surface, and painted. This resulted in very nice positive molds.
Mold release was then applied to the molds, and the cloth laid on. The part was not vacuum bagged as it was not necessary considering these pieces are not structural.
Alignment of the driveline also began today. The struts are back from the plating shop, and have been permanently glued to the bottom using Hysol.
With alignment bearings in the struts (much lower tolerance than running bearings), the prop-shaft was fed in and the struts aligned. When this was completed, they were glued in place.
The next step is to align the engine with the shaft and fit the cowls to the deck.
