Scale UH-1H 450 Class Custom Build Project

[Highspeed1964]

Originally Posted by TowPilot

https://www.dropbox.com/l/xsEbhhHuwkrhbGfyXkvmiq/invite


To save space and make the upload fast, I compressed the RAW files from 15 MB down to about 350 KB.

Name the ones you want and I'll upload the full file which would allow you to zoom in for more detail.

I'll be back there in late May and in mid-June.

It was the end of drill, not warm out and a long way to haul a ladder so these are all from the ground

Awesome! I'll check those out this evening when I get home and let you know. But your timing is perfect as I am at exactly that point in my painting as you'll see in the pictures I'll post (also this evening when I get home).

Highspeed

[TowPilot]

Originally Posted by Highspeed1964

Awesome! I'll check those out this evening when I get home and let you know. But your timing is perfect as I am at exactly that point in my painting as you'll see in the pictures I'll post (also this evening when I get home).

Highspeed

Please note that on some seams of the aluminum skin, there is what appears to be a putty like bead put on by hand.

It is called Pro Seal and it is applied by hand to keep moisture out of some areas of the fuselage.

http://www.aerospace-technology.com/...erospace2.html

So some of the lines where the aluminum skins lap, are filled with a wobbly line of Pro Seal.

How nice it looks, depends on the skill of the maintenance staff and the conditions they were under at the time of the application.

[Highspeed1964]

Hi folks,

Again, this is a multiple day post. I've captured a bit more of the processes than I did in the last post. There was a lot of boring detail in the body prep. It was a simple putty job filling in some of the uneven spots, gaps, etc.

This time I'm showing most of the steps in the paint process. I started with the tail boom as that was the simplest piece to put the color on. Then I moved to the engine compartment cover and front cowling. Finally I tackled the main body.

That last piece was the most difficult as I had to mask off a lot of detail such as the canopy areas (upper, lower and front) as well as the interior and engine bay areas. The engine bay area was masked off and painted first with a nice bright green which (in the real world) has proven to provide excellent visibility for maintenance crews, especially inside the tail boom.

I did make a mistake and tried handling one of the pieces too soon after the paint was applied and ended up taking a chip out of the paint on the engine cover. But I was able to smooth it out and fix it so it was not a problem.

Now I still have all the markings to add (such as the "United States Army", "Danger" arrows, serial number, etc.) so the paint is not truly final. And I need to add those markings on before I apply the wax to prepare the surface for molding because they won't stick to the wax surface.

I also still have to make the horizontal stabilizers and paint those as well. I'll probably fabricate those before I begin the molding process as I'll need to make molds for those as well. But I wanted to take a break from the fabrication process for a bit and wanted to get this portion of the paint going. I was just a bit weary from the wood work for the time being.

Anyway, I'll detail the rest in the picture captions below as usual. Please forgive the clutter. I was so pleased with the finished paint that I didn't take the time to clean up before the pictures.



Tail boom, engine bay cover and forward cowling (all removable components) with the final paint in place.



Close-up of the engine cover area. Sorry, it's a bit out of focus.



The is the starboard side. You can see where the paint got chipped from handling it too soon after painting. This has since been repaired.



And here's the whole airframe with paint completed.



The canopy "Windows" were masked off to leave the gray undercoat visible. These areas will be cut out after the mold-making process is complete and clear inserts will be installed for display.



A nice perspective view. This is one of my favorite shots so far.



And the rear perspective view.



Finally, this shot shows the engine bay interior with the bright green. This was actually painted first and you can see some overspray from the OD Green. I'll go back and touch that up next.



In this view you can see that I've left the panel lines visible. This adds to the authentic look of the fuselage.



The panel lines are visible all throughout the airframe. Here you can see them on the lower hull.

Well, that's it for this update. Hope you enjoy.

Thanks again for watching.

Highspeed

[sarpilot]

Progressing very nicely!

[Highspeed1964]

Originally Posted by TowPilot

Please note that on some seams of the aluminum skin, there is what appears to be a putty like bead put on by hand.

It is called Pro Seal and it is applied by hand to keep moisture out of some areas of the fuselage.

http://www.aerospace-technology.com/...erospace2.html

So some of the lines where the aluminum skins lap, are filled with a wobbly line of Pro Seal.

How nice it looks, depends on the skill of the maintenance staff and the conditions they were under at the time of the application.

Finally got a chance to get in and look at those pics. Brilliantly done. Some of them really reinforce what I have done on the model (best example is the "caps" to the sliding doors) and there are plenty of good shots showing the rivet patterns which I hope to incorporate into the paint detail.

I also liked the seating arrangement and might go ahead and put that into the final model as well as the display model this wooden build will be.

Thanks for taking the time to do those pictures for me.

Highspeed

[Larryu]

Highspeed are you really going to fly this after so lovingly and pain stakingly detailed this helicopter? I have followed most of your post but not commented until now. I just can’t imagine risking flying and crashing your baby that you have put so much time and effort into building.I love the build and I admire your skill, I couldn't do what you have done.

[Highspeed1964]

Originally Posted by Larryu

Highspeed are you really going to fly this after so lovingly and pain stakingly detailed this helicopter? I have followed most of your post but not commented until now. I just can’t imagine risking flying and crashing your baby that you have put so much time and effort into building.I love the build and I admire your skill, I couldn't do what you have done.

No, I have to agree putting this much work into the project would make it heartbreaking to fly and risk crashing it. From the design goals stated in the first post of this thread:

3. This will then be used as the "plug" to create a fiberglass mold from which I will cast a fiberglass shell. This will include re-enforcements in key areas to provide support, structural integrity and mount points for the internal mechanics and electronics to create a flyable RC model.

What you are seeing to this point is the plug mentioned above. This will ultimately end up being a display model once I'm done with it all.

The upside of making the fiberglass shell and other components will be that I can make a new one if I crash since I will have the molds. I'll probably have one or two on standby just in case...

Thanks for all the kind words from all of you.

Highspeed

[TowPilot]

Originally Posted by Highspeed1964

Finally got a chance to get in and look at those pics. Brilliantly done. Some of them really reinforce what I have done on the model (best example is the "caps" to the sliding doors) and there are plenty of good shots showing the rivet patterns which I hope to incorporate into the paint detail.

I also liked the seating arrangement and might go ahead and put that into the final model as well as the display model this wooden build will be.

Thanks for taking the time to do those pictures for me.

Highspeed

Glad the photos are useful

Fun to follow this thread showcasing an extensive project, of a helicopter I enjoy very much.

[Highspeed1964]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the enthusiasm on watching this project (and participating as well, thanks towpilot!) I want to assure you that with the lack of updates recently that this project is still moving forward. I have just switched track a little bit as I gear up for doing the fiberglass molding process - a daunting task for me having no experience with that whatsoever. I am also gathering up the materials I need and having to research what products are the correct items for something of this scale.

I've also been a bit side-tracked messing around with all the electronic systems goodies I'm planning on putting in to the flyable model when I get to that point. The main components of the system are open source and I have been working with the development team to make a few minor improvements on the software so that has taken some of my time in recent days as well.

I'll be getting back on gathering the materials for fiberglassing probably this weekend and then figuring out those processes. This means I'll be working with some scrap materials first to ensure I know how to do it right before applying layers of epoxy, fiberglass cloth, etc. to my beautiful baby! LOL

So thanks again for your patience, I'll keep you updated as progress is made including my trial and error with scrap tests.

Stay tuned,

Highspeed

[Highspeed1964]

Just a brief update this time.

I've finally gotten all the fiberglass supplies together! I discovered it's helpful to put together a list before going to the store (TAP Plastics was my source for the supplies). I forgot a couple of items - the most important one being the parting wax. I also needed to get an additional bottle or two of pigment for tinting the gel coat.

I'll be using a grey gel coat for the molds to give the best contrast when casting the final parts. This helps ensure a smooth, consistent application of the dark gel coat (olive drab green) I'll be using for the final parts.

Fiberglassing materials aren't cheap either! What you see in the picture below comes to over $200 US. Now this should be enough material to make the molds and probably fabricate two fuselage shells as well as the inserts for at least one of them. And once I have the molds it will be a lot cheaper to make more in the event that I crash and break the fuselage. But this is why I'm making a fiberglass copy of the original model. I've put too much effort, time and passion into making that model and I wouldn't want to destroy it. Copies can be repeated much more easily.

Now don't be fooled, I'm feeling quite intimidated by the fiberglass process. I've never attempted to do this before. But then again, most of this project is new activity for me and one of the goals is to expand my experiences. However, I have worked with wood before. Just not at this scale nor level of detail. But I have not ever worked with fiberglass at all.

My plan is to start with the easiest piece (the cowl around the swashplate) since it is easily replaced if I screw it up. Then I'll move on to the engine cowl followed by the tail boom and finally the body. These last two parts will be the most intricate since there will be a few places where I'll create openings for access covers to be installed. This will let me get to the internal components and wiring once the model is fully assembled. And of course the one for the battery which will be located under the cabin floor, accessible through a "hatch" cover on the lower fuselage.

Anyway, here is a picture of all the supplies I've put together.



Items include:

Polyester resin
Hardening agent
Fiberglass cloth (4oz and 6oz weight)
Gel coat (both white and neutral colors for mixing the appropriate colors)
Partall - separating wax
Spray bottle of PVA - an additional separating component
Pigment to color the Gel Coat
Cab-o-sil - ground fiberglass filler to make a paste for joining the parts
Mixing cups
Brushes
Roller
Tongue depressors - to mix the chemicals
Plastic scraper - for shaping and to separate the molds/parts
Latex gloves
Respirator mask
Non-hardening clay - to fill in any gaps on the molding surfaces
Eyedroppers and Syringes for measuring/applying pigment to the Gel Coat

So now the fun begins! The first step is to build a "parting" box. This will be featured in my next update.

Stay tuned guys, it's fixin' to get exciting!

Highspeed

[Highspeed1964]

One step at a time - I've built the box for turning the model into the molds for casting the final parts. This box will support the parts within a frame to allow casting one half of the part at a time. There are a couple of parts that will be cast as one piece but the main body needs to be done as two halves for each piece (main body and tail boom) so that I can insert the structural components to make the cabin and tail boom support frame.

To begin, I took a board of lumber and cut it into appropriate lengths to form the outer frame and assembled with screws. I then cut a blank insert (I'll talk about that in a moment) and placed it flat on the table. Placing the frame over this insert, I fastened rails around the frame using the insert for proper spacing. Then I finished it off with another panel fastened to the bottom of the box. This provides strength to the box while also creating a base on which to place supports for the parts as they're being cast.

I also mixed the batches of gel coat with pigment to get the right colors I need. I used a pure white gel coat and added grey pigment for a nice bright grey surface of the molds. This will provide good contrast when casting the final parts which will use a dark olive drab green. That color was created using a neutral (beige) gel coat base and adding in green, black, a touch of yellow and a dab of blue. You can see both of these in the last picture below.

Speaking of pictures, here they are for today.



The finished box, without the insert installed.



Close-up showing the slats installed for the lip on which the inserts will rest.



Here is one of the blank inserts I will use. This one will be used for the tail boom. I will cut out a "silhouette" of the part and place the part into the opening for making the mold of half of the part, then remove it and make the other half.



The insert is sitting in place on the frame. Before cutting out the opening, I'll use it to make the first parts that will be one piece.



The two cans of gel coat I will use. Again, the grey will be used to make the molds and the dark green will be used to make the actual parts.

Next I will begin the actual fabrication of the molds. Here is where my heart begins racing as I really am feeling intimidated by this. I really have to plan this out as things move quite fast from what I can tell. Time is critical as the gel coat and epoxy layers set up fairly quickly. So each step has time critical processes and I just hope I can keep up with it as I learn this whole thing.

Well, here we go.... stay tuned! And as always, thanks for watching.

Highspeed

[Highspeed1964]

Let me first set the stage for this update. I stated in the beginning that I would post the good, the bad AND the ugly. This post contains some of each, but I do not consider any of this a failure - rather an opportunity for learning. I'll get to this all later.

So I decided to begin with some of the smaller, simpler parts to get a feel for the processes of laying up a fiberglass part. I chose the two cowling parts - the engine cowl and the main mast cowl. I was going to do just one part but realized that mixing up such small amounts of the gel coat and epoxy would be difficult to measure accurately. As it was I ended up with too much anyway and had to throw the excess away.

The steps in the process are detailed in the pictures below:

EDIT: See next message for the pictures and details, I had a computer crash...

[Highspeed1964]

The first step was to temporarily attach the parts to the work surface of the parting box. This is done with "non-hardening" clay.



I arranged the parts to allow for ample work space around each piece. This allows for the "flashing" edges to be made along with the mold.



Next I filled in the small gaps along the edge of the parts with some more of the clay. This ensures a good seal to form crisp edges on the parts.



Here's where I had to do a little thinking! I had to figure out the best way to lay up the fiberglass for a smooth, even coverage of the parts. I decided to do just one rectangular pattern for the main mast cowl (the lower stack in the photo), one piece to wrap around the lower portion of the engine bay cowl (the top stack) and another to drape over the engine nacelle. When laying up that last part I will overlap the cloth to provide for a strong part.



I also cut a couple of wooden parts which I will use to make "legs" for the mold when it is finished. This provides a stable platform to work on when casting the final parts.



Now that I have all the pieces ready and at hand, I can begin doing the actual fiberglass work. To begin, the parts (already waxed with six coats before mounting them on the board) are sprayed with PVA - a seperating agent that forms a film on the surface of the part. The PVA is applied in three coats, allowing it to dry between coats.



Once the PVA had dried, two coats of the gel coat are applied. Again, allowing them to cure between coats. Each layer has to be mixed (gel coat and hardener) when it is time to apply it or it will cure in the cup!



Finally, the fiberglass can be laid up. First, I mixed the resin with the hardener to make enough that I can work with in approximately 15 - 20 minutes. A coat of resin is applied to the previous gel coat layers, then fiberglass cloth is pressed on, removing air bubbles as you work from the center out. Then thoroughly wet this fiberglass cloth with more resin and repeat. I used four layers of 4oz. cloth and six layers of 6oz. This was to provide a good strong part to use as a mold. The plan is to have the molds reusable so that I can make more parts if I crash. Finish off the process with a final layer of resin.



Now for the fun part! After letting the pieces cure over-night, it's time to separate the molds from the original pieces. I used a plastic wedge to start with as the edges needed some "prompting" to come loose. Once the edges were loose, the piece just about pops right out! A little trimming of the excess to square up the molds a bit and viola! Here they are, original part next to the mold (upside down in this shot) next to it.



And here's the finished surface ready for casting parts! This one (the forward cowling which surrounds the main mast) came out beautifully! To make the finished part, I'll repeat this process using the dark green gel coat, two layers of 4oz. cloth and one of 6oz. The gel coat forms a good hard surface (almost like a hard plastic) and will need to be waxed before use. Then apply the PVA, gel coat and fiberglass just like before.



And here is the engine bay cowling/engine nacelle mold. Looks pretty cool! However, upon closer inspection...



...I found damage to the forming surface. This was caused by an air bubble under the fiberglass/resin layers creating a weak point on the gel coat. Even though the gel coat is hard, it is brittle without a good bond to the fiberglass. And this wasn't the only place on this piece that had damage like this...



The front edge of the part didn't get properly laminated to the gel coat. The worst of it was that this is not an air bubble. It was just carelessness on my part when I was laying up the material and didn't check my work thoroughly.



And here is another air bubble between the fiberglass and the gel coat. This one was were there was an inside corner that the fiberglass didn't settle into correctly. I should have used some resin paste to fill in the void first so that the cloth doesn't have to form such tight bends.

This part is a do-over. I could probably attempt a repair with the gel coat, but I'm pretty sure that on at least two of these areas, the fiberglass layers are not bonded together quite well enough forming a weak spot on the mold. Since I want reusable molds, they have to be strong to withstand the repeated separating of parts. So I'll definitely want to do this one again.

All-in-all, it was a good experience and I am not feeling so intimidated by this anymore. It IS a commitment of time because once you start you can't stop until you're done. For example, if the gel coat cures too long I'm told it can start to crinkle if you don't get the resin and fiberglass over top of it at the proper time. So once you spray on that first layer of PVA you need to follow through with the whole thing until you are done. The only rest time is while waiting for each application of PVA to dry and the two layers of gel coat to cure.

Thanks again for watching and hope to be back soon with the next pieces to show you.

Highspeed

[Highspeed1964]

Man, this fiberglass is getting fun! But it also has its' moments, too. Read on for details.

So after casting the molds for the engine cowl/nacelle and main mast cowl, I realized just how rigid the parts are going to be. Since the gel coat cures to a good hard finish and the fiberglass gives it good strength the parts are going to be a functional part of the fuselage structural strength in addition to the framing structures which will go inside.

What does this mean? Well I've re-thought how I'm going to do the main body. I originally had planned to do the body in left-half/right-half sections. This would mean I have to build the framing and interior cabin components separately then install/bond it all into one half of the body and finally bond the other half of the body over all of this.

Thinking a little more like an engineer now, I realized that if I did the molds in upper/lower sections, the interior components would be a lot easier to manage since I would then be able to build those parts directly into these section. Then I could pre-wire or install wiring passage ways into these two sections, place the cabin floor, ceiling and walls as appropriate then finally join the two sections together.

Now remember, I plan on making a battery access cover on the lower hull and additional access covers as needed. Currently this includes each of the two hull mounted fuel cell areas where I'll be mounting the ESC and other electronic components, the lower hull section at the rear of the main body where the tail boom will mount (so I can access the servo links and tail boom mounting screws if I need to remove the tail boom for repairs or other maintenance) and openings in the cabin roof for the navigation (red/green) lights as well as the GPS module mounting area.

It is between these various openings in the fuselage that I will install tubing for wiring conduits. Then when the whole body is assembled, it will be maintenance friendly. You'll see what I mean later in the build.

Anyway, today's update shows the mold for the upper section I cast on day 42 of the project. (Remember these are the actual count of the days I actually worked on the project, not consecutive calendar days.) The steps are detailed in the pictures below, but be warned... there was some gut wrenching moments toward the end of this process. After catching my breath I had to walk away for a couple of hours and regroup.

Follow along, boys and girls...



I started by installing temporary framing members. These will form the flanges that extend outward from the mold to provide additional strength for handling and separating the parts from the mold.



This also gives you a good idea of what areas will make the upper body and the lower body sections.



I used more of the non-hardening clay to make sure the small gaps around the edges are sealed to give a good crisp edge to the actual molding surfaces. (NOTE: The whole part was given a good waxing of six layers to aid in separating the mold from the original part.)



Next I cut out the fiberglass cloth to the appropriate shapes to have them ready when I start applying the resin. As with the previous molds, I used four layers of 4oz. cloth and six layers of 6oz. cloth for a total of 10 layers. This produces a nice strong mold which will be reusable to duplicate additional parts as needed.



Everthing's ready and lined up. Time to apply the PVA separating agent. It gives a nice glossy look to the part. I used three coats of PVA.



Once the PVA had fully cured the next step is to apply two coats of gel coat letting it cure between coats.



Now you can really see what the upper and lower sections will look like when finished.



After layering in the fiberglass with resin, the mold is ready for curing.



I will trim the flashing edges and the center main mast box opening later.



After the part had fully cured, it's time to pop it off, clean it up and trim the edges to final shape. And this is the result! And it's hard to see in these pictures, but the fuselage skin panel lines show up just fine.



Here we see there is still some more cleaning up to do. And if you look closely you can see that again there were areas where the resin and fiberglass material did not proper form to the contours of the original part and framing members. However, the surfaces of the mold which will produce the final part is properly intact so this one is almost ready for casting parts.



Unfortunately, when I was separating the mold from the original model I had a pretty substantial incident. The plastic wedge which I use for this slipped and created a nice ugly gouge all the way through the outer skin. This is on the lower hull right between the main beams. Like I said earlier, this was a gut wrenching, heart stopping, gasping for breath moment. I had to walk away I was so mad at myself.



However, after a couple hours of steaming I settled down and realized this is not so bad as I first thought. I asked myself, "what would they do if this was a real aircraft?" The answer is simple - replace the panel! So I started by cutting all the material away from the damaged area all the way out to the framing members (main beams and cross-members) so that I could cut and install a new square panel to be sanded and painted to blend in with the rest of the hull surface.

At this point I ran out of time for the day leaving the aircraft with this opening left uncovered.

More to come as I move forward.

Thanks for watching,

Highspeed

[Highspeed1964]

Well, I'm a couple of days late getting this update posted. But the good news is that I have completed the repairs on the hull and am ready to get back to the mold making!

Simply put, I cut a new panel to fit the hole where I cut out the damaged material, primered and painted it and voila! All set to go.

I'll let the pictures speak for them selves this time. Sorry for the picture quality on one or two of the photos.









Next up will be the framing I'm building for the flanges on the lower hull mold. I'm taking my time on this one as there are more edges to frame and things have to line up right with the upper hull mold.

I'll get some pictures of that step next and then I can make the actual mold. It won't be long now and I'll be able to begin building the actual body that I'll make into a flyable model! Of course there's still a lot of work to do on the mechanical pieces and the whole tail boom thing needs to be done too. Details, details....

As always, thanks for watching.

Highspeed

[sarpilot]

Nice and detailed photos! I have never really messed with fiberglass very much so finding this pretty interesting...

[Highspeed1964]

Hello again, faithful followers!

It's been a hectic time for me which is why I've been away for a bit. But the project has not lost momentum. And I've got a funny story to tell after the update.

So to begin with, it took a couple of days to get the framing done for the lower hull molds. I had to think about the best way to attack it for a good mold. But I finally came up with this:



I started by putting the upper mold back in place since that needs to mate up with the lower mold properly. Then I added in the framing members around the door openings and along the upper edge at the back where it meets with the engine cowl.



Framing complete on both sides.



Then I began cutting out the fiberglass material for a good lay-up. The long thin strips will go across the bottom and up the pillars between the doors.

It was a few days before I got to the actual fiberglass work. This entails the usual waxing, application of the PVA separating agent, then two coats of gel-coat, and the fiberglass build-up of resin, fiberglass, resin, fiberglass, etc.



The gel-coat application which provides a nice hard surface on the mold. As with all the molds, the grey was chosen for high-contrast against the dark green original as well as the dark green gel-coat I will use for the actual parts.



You can see the gel-coat is also applied on the framing members to create a lip for added strength. I also applied it to the lip of the upper mold to form a perfect match between the two parts.



And here it is after all the lay-up of fiberglass and resin.



Sorry for the out of focus picture, but I wanted to include this for before and after comparison with the gel-coat pictures above.



And we have a mold for the lower hull! Preliminary trimming has been done but there's more clean-up trimming to do.



It will take four molds to make a complete main body. And I haven't even done the tail boom or horizontal stabilizers yet!



Look closely, you can see where I damaged the surface on the upright pillar. No worries, just need to fill it in with gel-coat and sand it.

When I make the actual parts, I will start by making the fiberglass shell pieces. Then, before removing them from the molds I will build out the framing pieces (main beams, cross-members and mounting points for the landing struts) and prepare the wiring pathways. Then I'll install the floor-boards, cockpit seats and instrument panels on the lower section.

Finally, I'll complete the top section. This will include the same framing steps as with the lower section. I've come up with a clever way to mount the GPS module. Since the module is just a bit thicker than the upper cabin roof, I've decided to use part of the protective case for the GPS module as a mounting component. The clever bit is that it will double as the overhead breaker panel for the interior of the cockpit!

Once the two sections are built out, I will then join them using the molds as a guide. Joining them will use a paste mixture of cab-o-sil (a powder made by gringing up fiberglass) and resin. This paste will be applied to all joining surfaces and the assemblies will be pressed together.

Now for the (not so-) funny story. I had brought all the molds to work with me one day to show a couple of my co-workers who are also following this project. Now to go to and from work, I ride the buses as it is too costly and too stressful to drive in. Well, on the bus ride home I take two buses. One to get from where I work to the other end of town and there I transfer to the second bus which takes me home.

As you can probably guess by now, I got all the way home and realized I had left the bag with the molds on the first bus! Believe me, I felt crushed. But I immediately called the transportation company which runs the buses and explained the situation. The person I spoke with contacted the dispatcher who in turn radioed to the bus driver. The bus had not yet reached its' final destination but was expected there shortly. Tacoma! about 50 miles from my home and 30 miles from work.

Well, about 10 minutes later I received a phone call saying that the bus had arrived and the driver had located my stuff. Whew! Needless to say, I was on my way there the next morning (the lost and found window was already closed for the day) and I now have my parts back in hand.

Long story short, from now on my co-workers will have to follow me the same way you do - in pictures!

Well, Next update may be a few days out. I'm going to be making a test run on some actual parts from these molds. This will include cleaning up the molds so that they are as flawless as possible and then running through the entire gel-coat and fiberglass process as before, but this time using the molds as the form to produce the actual shell that would become the flying model. This won't be the final product as I will be using these test-run parts to determine exactly where/how to make the access openings and cover plates.

So until then, thanks as always for watching.

Highspeed

[Highspeed1964]

Originally Posted by sarpilot

Nice and detailed photos! I have never really messed with fiberglass very much so finding this pretty interesting...

Yah, fiberglass is pretty intimidating stuff at first. I've never done anything with fiberglass myself until this project. But I'm getting the hang of it and it's pretty rewarding.

I'm really looking forward to the detail work with all the vent opening and rivets!

Highspeed

[sarpilot]

Dang I bet u about had a heart attack leaving it on the bus. ...

[Highspeed1964]

Originally Posted by sarpilot

Dang I bet u about had a heart attack leaving it on the bus. ...

Darn near! And I mean that literally. My heart actually stopped for a moment when I realized. Then the adrenaline kicked in and my mind was running on high speed (yes, pun intended!) to get it resolved. Pierce County Transit was awesome in relaying my plight to the driver who responded quite quickly with an affirmative message that it had been found. Next morning it was back in my hands. Awesome job, Pierce County Transit!





Highspeed