MattMobile Update - Support Boxes and Misc.

Lots and lots and lots of stuff has happened since my last blog post. If you have not been following my youtube videos that document my build up, that might be a good place to start. Much of what is contained on this page is duplicated in the videos. But then, there's also some new dope here :D

Links to the latest videos will be at the bottom of this blog post.

First up, let's take a look at how the shop looks recently.

The main things worth noticing here are the fact that the shop is pretty clean, and I have organized all of my white boxes and tools and stuff along the back wall.

My three primary projects are pictured here. You can see the Tardis, the Harley, and the Batmobile. I took this pic shortly before I repositioned the batmobile into its current resting place.

The big push this month has been to get the shell mounted on the body. To do this, I built these Bo-designed boxes for the inside of the shell. The idea is that we glass these into the shell, then build out metal support arms that go from the shell to the underside of these boxes. In between the box and the arm will be a rubber bumper.

This picture shows very clearly how the boxes have been installed into the frame. The one at the top of the picture is the most recent one I installed, and the one at the bottom was the FIRST one I glassed in. It certainly appears that along the way, my technique improved greatly.

Glassing in those front boxes was NOT glamorous work. In fact, it was pretty excruciating. Getting inside the car and up under the hood with only a tiny bit of room to crawl around was physically pretty daunting. Thank goodness I'm not claustrophobic. In order to do my work safely, I was wearing safety goggles and a head lamp, and I would often wear a respirator. Pretty snazzy outfit!

Few things better than having a girlfriend around the shop not only to provide assistance, but also to take pics of me when I'm unable to.

If you want to see some of Jackie's projects, check out her facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/HappyGoJackie

Even better, check out some of the Smosh videos she is featured in:

I had to make sure the shell was positioned VERY precisely on top of the frame, so that when we mount the arms to the boxes, it's in the right position. It was a very laborious task. Here you can see where I've put a level on the hood of the car to make sure it sits properly. Pretty darn close!

I also built a new work bench along the way.

Work was interrupted for a while with a trip to NorCal, where we drove through some red wood forests, and also saw a pretty amazing sunset.

I actually put a video of this sunset on youtube, so be sure to check it out!

One of the tasks I need to attend to shortly is the chopping off of the top of that metal post that runs vertical to the frame.

It can (and does) get pretty cold in the shop this time of year. Here, Jackie is demonstrating a new technique she is experimenting with in order to stay warm.

A recent trip to Harbor Freight yielded this cart, which has already earned its money by keeping my welding torch and related supplies well organized and mobile.

This picture shows an example of the stacks of wood I am using to temporarily position the shell at its desired height.

Lastly is the most recent picture of the car. You can see blue tape all over the place where I have made notes about the height of the car.

MattMobile Front Turbine Nozzle Work Begins

It's time to start doing some body work on the MattMobile. In order to test my materials and techniques, I'm going to officially kick things off by working on this piece, the turbine nozzle.

It's a fairly decent fiberglass layup, but has the typical problems that you would find on a piece like this. It's got a seam that needs to be filled and levelled, and a number of surface blemishes and pock marks. As always, absolutely no disrespect intended to the maker of this piece. It's a fine piece... but it's a kit. It needs work.

With that out of the way, I'll walk you through my first steps.

For reference, this is the fiberglass resin I typically use. It's a bunch more expensive than the polyester stuff you will find at home depot, but guess what? It's a bunch better! This is epoxy resin, which basically means it doesn't stink to high hell the way polyester resin will, and in my experience it is a bit stronger. It also cures very clear, with a slight amber tint.

However, also for reference, this stuff does have a fairly unforgiving mix ratio. On my first batch, I just emptied out what was left in my previous kit, assuming that I would have the proper amounts left over in the cans. Bad assumption. One great thing about the west systems resin is that they mix on a 10:1 ratio, which can be achieved super easily with the pumps they sell. One pump from each can and you get the proper ratio. This mess you see here is what happens when you get the mix ratio wrong. I should point out that in all my years of using this product, this is the first time this has happened.

But where were we! The first thing I did on the nose cone was mix up a tiny batch of resin, and then brush it into the seam. The goal was to fill in the seam gap, as it was non trivial. In retrospect, I probably should have just gone straight to putty, but since I'm experimenting, it seemed fair. I should also point out that prior to laying in the resin, I roughed up the surface with some low grit sand paper to give the resin something to tooth on. Honestly, this particular resin is super tenacious, and it probably wasn't necessary. However, it can only help.

Here's the bottom of my mixing cup, showing the color that the resin cures in.

That's it for the first day. The cure time on this stuff is about 24 hours, though pot time is much shorter. After the first side toughened up a bit, I did the other side, then let it cure for the night.

Next post, I attack with sanding gear and putty!!!