We are getting close!! Almost done with the fuel tank issues and replacing all the fuel-fill, venting, fuel lines, and steering lines that all live in or around the coffin area. I have been more than fortunate to miss most of the last 2 wks of misery & tedious work and in return, keep homeschooling the kids. Tomorrow is the big day that Bill, John, Jack and I will drop the fuel tank back down, surround it with foam and then close up the hatch. My job is simple. They want my weight to help hold down the top as the foam expands. ha ha.
Let me show some pictures of the progress made.
Before, During, After of the coffin area.
1. foam removed 2. holes fiberglassed in 3. broken fiberglass edges repaired 4. corrosion removed & protection added to the water tank (grey at top) 5. special pads (square) laid down for the fuel tank to sit on. 6. fuel hoses (left-midway) removed and replaced
Before, During & After of fuel tank
1. all surface materials removed 2. all corrosion stopped with three times acid etching 3. two protective coating of alodine put on (goldish hue) 4. J&B Weld added, cured, sanded to strengthen corrosion spots (drk grey) 5. plenty of sanding between all steps 6. three coats of 2-part epoxy (green) on the final step to coat it & protect it from future saltwater (last picture).
Before & After on pitting repairs
1. J&B weld mixed 2. laid as flat across surface 3. Cure for 15 hrs 4. sand smooth
Pouring foam takes 1 min before it grows to 4x its size. By 5 minutes, it is hard as can be! To inspect it closely by eye, it looks like thousands of air bubbles. It reminded me of the strength of a bird's wing yet amazingly light in weight.
Before/After of hatch opening & closing
Updated 2/23/07FINALLY!! The hatch is back on and a bead of 3M 101 sealant is on the edges. Tomorrow, Jack will put down an outer seal of 3M 5200.
Nothing like a little double or triple duty for a homeschool parent. I'd like to share our other on-going project of the month. I hope to have chicks on March 5th!!
We have a dozen mixed-breed eggs in our incubator. This is our 4H Embryology project. We will get to candle the eggs over the weekend.
Also, at the same time, my eldest is working on his District 4H speeches and will compete on March 3rd. It's going to be a busy weekend!
Happy Fishing to all those that can get out!!
Robin
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