Fiberglass Windscreen Question
02-17-2009, 10:08 PM
#11
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I did mine out of wood. I'm a trim carpenter, so it only took about 6 hours total to make it to my liking. It's going to be glassed over and screwed down with stainless screws. LOTS of funky angles and free-handing on the table saw, so be prepared!! It's fun to do though!
Jay
Jay
02-18-2009, 06:38 PM
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Russ , All to well understanding the importance of needing to stay within a budget I would still say that I wouldn't personally recomend glassing over the existing aluminum frame. (also not sure if you are talking about fiberglassing over the actual glass between the fame or what you had in mind there ??) Not saying it Couldn't work , but In my opinion I just dont think it would be a good idea for a few reasons... Why not build one out of wood using the old windshield as a pattern ?? Yes I understand that some sort of coring material ect would be lighter but being on a budget & possibly wanting to use readily availible materials ?? Done Right , using wood with a few good layers of resin & cloth over them would do the job very well & outlast the rest of the boat... It could be done with very minimual weight added... However you decide to do it its definatly not going to be as quick to fabricate a new fairing as just quickly glassing over what you have , but the end result would definatly pay off in my opinion...
However If you are just looking for a quick "few hours" fairing & are dead set against spending a decent amount of time & effort into it I think you would be better off covering the glass with aluminum like you mentioned than trying to glass over it , & again done right could easily be done without any fear of comming off & not look bad at the same time.
--On a side note if you did cover it with aluminum or sheet metal of some sort & could utilize rivits instead of screws to secure it to the frame it could possibly look pretty sweet after its painted !-- However to make it look good you would reallyneed to do the inside as well
Feel free to let me know if I can help with any questions ect....
Later , Scott
Littledcsrodshop(at)comcast(dot)net
However If you are just looking for a quick "few hours" fairing & are dead set against spending a decent amount of time & effort into it I think you would be better off covering the glass with aluminum like you mentioned than trying to glass over it , & again done right could easily be done without any fear of comming off & not look bad at the same time.
--On a side note if you did cover it with aluminum or sheet metal of some sort & could utilize rivits instead of screws to secure it to the frame it could possibly look pretty sweet after its painted !-- However to make it look good you would reallyneed to do the inside as well
Feel free to let me know if I can help with any questions ect....
Later , Scott
Littledcsrodshop(at)comcast(dot)net
If I was going to cover the original frame with metal I would do the inside with vinyl to match the interior. That project would be a snap.
Sounds like the wood core is the way to go, But I am not that great with wood and I really dont have many wood working tools.
02-18-2009, 06:43 PM
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Hey Russ, I did what Scott said to do above for the Excalibur. I used the old frame for a pattern and made it out of wood. But I glassed mine to the deck. For you to keep it seperate just use some T-nuts on the bottom piece of wood that lays flat to the deck. It would essentialy be through bolted to the deck that way. Once you have everything mocked up how you want it... glass it, paint it, and bolt it on. Let me know if you need a hand...you know where to find me.
02-18-2009, 06:47 PM
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I did mine out of wood. I'm a trim carpenter, so it only took about 6 hours total to make it to my liking. It's going to be glassed over and screwed down with stainless screws. LOTS of funky angles and free-handing on the table saw, so be prepared!! It's fun to do though!
Jay
Jay
Thanks for the pictures.
02-18-2009, 06:55 PM
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02-18-2009, 09:27 PM
#16
Thanks for the info Scott. The frame is really nice and strong. Its welded together top and bottom and sides and of course the bolts would line up to the factory holes in the deck. I was going to take the plexy glass out and fill it with foam to level it with the frame. Then just grind the frame down, install foam, fiberglass and resin, long board it, skim coat with body filler, block it, prime it, block it, Base coat it, add Pantera lettering across the front and clear. Then just simply bolt it back on using the exact holes that were on the deck aready.
If I was going to cover the original frame with metal I would do the inside with vinyl to match the interior. That project would be a snap.
Sounds like the wood core is the way to go, But I am not that great with wood and I really dont have many wood working tools.
If I was going to cover the original frame with metal I would do the inside with vinyl to match the interior. That project would be a snap.
Sounds like the wood core is the way to go, But I am not that great with wood and I really dont have many wood working tools.
As most of us do with our projects , you have thought it out time & time again I'm sure & your idea is not a bad one & may work like a champ ? However one of my fears would be the fact of having the metal (I assume aluminum) & Foam set up against each other & then glassing over those 2 very differant substrates... Like I said not saying it wouldn't work & others may know better than me , but I would be afraid of it showing up in the form of cracks over a period of time because of the differance in expansion & contraction... Esp. since you have some pretty harsh climate changes in NJ.
Again I may be wrong but I would just be afraid that over time it would be an issue..
That being said here is my advise (or idea) for whatever its worth : If you are wanting a "quicker fix" for now go ahead & do the cover with metal on the outside & then do the vinyl on the inside & then you can always do the wood core later on if you don't like the way the metal deal turns out... Sounds like you & (89Mach1) sould work a deal anyways thats the only way us poor folks can make it in this sport is occasional "horse trading" Everybody comes out that way !!! lol...
Again "In my opinion" if you did a good job (which I'm sure you would) covering the outside with metal & could utilize rivits , Painted it yellow (rivits too) & then done the inside in viynl I think it would look pretty sweet & you may just end up leaving it that way from now on !!
Another idea I would strongly consider is doing the inside in metal similar to the outside , painting it & then doing the vinyl like you mentioned only on the top 2" or so..
I keep mentioning the metal rivited on b/c I have always thought some of the older the fountains looked good that way.. & I think the vinyl like I mentioned would give it a sweet classic look. We both know that the Pantera is already all about that anyways...
Also since you are going to put the Pantera logo on the front & then clear over it , I'm not sure if you had in mind to paint it on there or clear over vinyl ?? When you get ready you can send me some measurements on it & I would be glad to cut you a out a logo in spray mask to use as a stencil & you could paint it on... Not sure if you have an exact font in mind ornot but I could work up a few differant ones & see what you like best & what goes best with you particular boat & fairing...
Talk to you later , Scott
Last edited by littledcsrodshop; 02-18-2009 at 09:30 PM.
02-19-2009, 08:20 PM
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Scott thanks again for your time. I think for this summer I will go with the painted metal inside and out. That will be easy. I would not even have to take the windscreen off the boat. I can paint it at work in front of a car I'm painting during the day (without the boss knowing
). I was going to get vinyl lettering cut. Paint the metal windscreen yellow base coat, stick the vinyl letting on then paint it black. Then of course remove the vinyl and clear coat. (Then sand out the fish eyes, sand scratches, orange peal, dry spots, dirt nibs, and few pieces of hair that I had left that now are also in the finish!) Just playin I save that for customer work.
When I paint the whole boat over in the future I will make a wood windscreen and glass it to the boat. I would like to add some of the race car side air scoops like your old Pantera and get rid of the old looking air vents on there now. But thats next year.
The lack of a garage large enough for my boat also plays a big part in my plans right now. So with the metal route I really can start working on it right away.
). I was going to get vinyl lettering cut. Paint the metal windscreen yellow base coat, stick the vinyl letting on then paint it black. Then of course remove the vinyl and clear coat. (Then sand out the fish eyes, sand scratches, orange peal, dry spots, dirt nibs, and few pieces of hair that I had left that now are also in the finish!) Just playin I save that for customer work. When I paint the whole boat over in the future I will make a wood windscreen and glass it to the boat. I would like to add some of the race car side air scoops like your old Pantera and get rid of the old looking air vents on there now. But thats next year.
The lack of a garage large enough for my boat also plays a big part in my plans right now. So with the metal route I really can start working on it right away.
