Trike Conversion

[Pappy]

Another update.

I got more work on the body yesterday. finshed the molds for the broken areas and got the first of the 'glass laid in. The edges didn't come out as sharp as I had hoped so I will have to use some reinforced bondo to build them up. The joint is overlapped on the inside about 1/4" and will be overlapped more with a couple of more layers to build thickness and strength. The oustide was ground out along the joint and filled with mat to fill minor gaps and add some strength before I closed up for the night.

[cabinetman]

That repair is looking pretty solid. Good photos.

.

[Pappy]

Getting closer....

I had an engineer working with the city come out to talk to me about a drainage ditch they want to cut across the back of my property. Later, I went to Seguin to get some help and advice on the air bag controls from a Motor Trike dealer.

Even with these interuptions, I got a good bit of work in today. (The trip to Seguin was more an opportunity than an interuption. Besides, the weather was beautiful and I took the Harley!)

Finished the fill work on the 2 cracks and got most of the fill worjk done on the patched areas. Still a lot of shaping to be done on the corners. This is tedious work because it all has to be done by hand trying to match the good areas on the right fender well. If you look close you can see the pencil line scribed on the front to mark the inside of the flat area.

[chopnhack]

It looks like its coming along really nice Pappy.

Are they allowed to do this on your property? Was it a courtesy call to let you know that they would be putting it in the easement?

[Pappy]

It's not going to be perfect, but I am happy with the way it is looking. It is coming out close enough that it would have to measured to find the differences in the 2 sides.

I'll start another thread on the drainage issue.

[Pappy]

There is still a little bit to do, but it is close enough to show off! On the outside the only thing left it to do is block sand the repairs with 220 grit, use a gel finish coat to fill the pinholes and deep scratch marks, then sand the rest of the body down for painting. On the underside I still have to clean up some rough areas where it was cracked and build the thickness up on the fiberglass. That work doesn’t have to be pretty.

It’s not perfect, but I am happy with it.

Repaired front corner and front crack.



Repaired rear corner and rear crack.



The damage when I started.



And the results.



For comparison, this is the right (undamaged) side.

[chopnhack]

Its looking real good Pappy! Once the clearcoat goes on its time for some donuts

[Pappy]

Its looking real good Pappy! Once the clearcoat goes on its time for some donuts

That's just a rattle can primer on it to show the pinholes and sanding scratches. Paint will be HD Luxury Blue.

[All Thumbs]

I think it looks fantastic. You have to be happy with that!

[chopnhack]

That's just a rattle can primer on it to show the pinholes and sanding scratches. Paint will be HD Luxury Blue.

I hear ya, but the lines match up and the contours look continuous, so its gold in my book! Is that luxury blue a deep blue/black color with metallic flecks?

[Pappy]

Is that luxury blue a deep blue/black color with metallic flecks?

Post #6 is a pic of my 'Glide.

[chopnhack]

Got it, more of a midnight blue. The work looks really clean, I think it will look good when painted.

[Pappy]

Another step forward.

Haven't been able to get a lot more done between work and some bad weather. Did coat the repairs with the gel coat to fill the pin holes is the glass and today I bought the primer filler that will be used in the final paint job. Anything used from a rattle can has to be washed off with acetone since the solvents in the urethane paints will eat them.

I laid 3 coats of primer over the repairs and wet sanded it with 500 grit. A couple of pin holes showed after sanding that will be taken care of along with a pin hole I found in the original body work. The prime did its job and filled all the sanding scratches.







After taking care of the pin holes, I am ready to remove the pinstripes from the right fender, wash it down with acetone to remove all the wax, strip the hardware off the trunk door, and wet the rest of the body. if I can get the pinstripe tape here in time, I hope to lay the paint next weekend.

[cabinetman]

For a cleaning, have you considered that acetone may remove primer and putty?

.

[Pappy]

For a cleaning, have you considered that acetone may remove primer and putty?

.

I used rattle can gloss black enamel to check for pin holes and sanding scratches. The acetone will wash off that and rattle can primer that I used earlier, but doesn't affect the Bondo or fiberfglass. Not sure how it would affest this primer. The entire left fender was cleaned/dewaxed with it before I started the reapirs so it won't need washing with it again, just a final sanding with 500g before the final paint job. The rest of the body will get wiped down before I start to sand it.