LocostUSA.com

February 1, 2024

A minor update.. This weekend I plan to split the mold for the trunk lid, and as suggested, I've begun fabbing in a few support ribs to help the mold keep its shape.

This did not go as easily as I imagined. The plastic tubing I used had a shape memory from being packaged in a coil. I didn't think much of it as I used Gorilla tape to affix it to the mold, then no worries, just glass over it. Trouble is, the resin reacted with the tape adhesive and the plastic tube moved around a little during the cure. Not a huge deal, and I can work with it still, just an unexpected extra step to cut some of it out and do that part again. Next time I will put a heat gun to the plastic hose to straighten it out before laying glass/resin over it. Live and learn..

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

See Nov 22, 2008 post backrest upholstered door out of polyiso foam and polyester resin direct application: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=3993&start=15

You can cut the foam with a razor then sand a little to take off the corners. Butter with the resin to stick to the sanded base, then add your layers on top. Nothing to remove and weighs practically nothing.

_________________
Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

Feb 4, 2024

I did a little more glass work to stiffen up the mold for the trunk cover before I pulled it off of the buck.. This thing did not want to separate.. I'd fiddle with it for awhile, then go do something else, then come back to it.. After several sessions like that, it finally popped apart. The mold is a bit rough and needs some touching up before I use it to lay up the actual trunk lid.. Mold is bright white on the right side of the photo..

Does anyone here have a favorite wax or PVA mold release product that has worked well for you? I'm thinking a paste wax might be better(?).. I used both products on this part, and separation was still very challenging.. It would be nice if I can coax it to pull apart easier next time- especially knowing that it's the final part I'll be tugging on..

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Epoxy a 3/8 washer in a couple spots in the mold back then drill a hole. Use a rubber tip air nozzle to blow into with just a couple pounds of pressure.

Another alternative is to split the mold down the center since you appear to have a 90 degree edge all around.

_________________
Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

I'm not saying this was the right stuff, but I used an old can of Johnson's paste wax. The real old stuff, not modern car polish. A couple of coats of wax, not wiped off. The amber colored bucks were made of Styrofoam. I was experimenting with low cost methods of fiberglassing at the time. Whoever says you can't use polyester resin over styrofoam should read my posts. YMMV

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

That's what I use, I have a 40 year old can of Johnson's floor paste wax my late mother used to use on her kitchen floor, it's about 3/4 empty, it's worth it's weight in gold, imho. Also couple coats of pva mold release sprayed on.

_________________
Perry

'If man built it, man can fix it'
"No one ever told me I couldn't do it."
"If you can't build it safe, don't build it."

Perry's Locost Super Che7enette Build
Perry's TBird Based 5.0L Super 7 L.S.O
Perry's S10 Super 7 The 3rd
Perry's 4th Build The Topolino 500 (Little Mouse) Altered
Perry's 5th Build the Super Slant 6 Super 7
Perry's Final Build the 1929 Mercedes Gazelle

Wax, then release agent sprayed over the top should be ideal.

Poly resin dissolves styrofoam, but a thin layer of something to isolate works fine. I used drywall mud over styrofoam but it dries far too slowly. Plaster of paris is much quicker drying. The poly-iso foam is urethane and fairly cheap and easy to sand.

_________________
Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

Old-school paper mache will stabilize the beaded-type Styrofoam before using drywall compound/plaster of Paris. The isolator I used was shellac. As you can see in my earlier photo, it worked spectacularly.

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

Thanks for the tip. I agree; it turned out great. A couple layers of shellac (first one thinned) is typically used to seal plaster bucks and molds before painting, then wax, then pva.

_________________
Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

Four 90º edges are always going to be stubborn with a one piece mold.
You are fortunate that none exceed 90º to form a "Draft" situation.
An air or water fitting can help a lot.

_________________
If I must be a one-man PC free zone, so be it!

A break from cars for a moment: A goal for charity..

Our oldest daughter Sierra is doing a cool thing.. On April 28th (2024), she's running in the Big Sur International Marathon (Big Sur, CA).. She's bitten off quite a chunk here, as she's new to running, and a full marathon is 26.2 miles.

To help her train, be held accountable, and meet her marathon goal, she's teamed up with an outfit called "Team in Training" (TNT). This is a very cool organization that helps people train and accomplish their goal of running a full marathon while raising money to help fight Leukemia & Lymphoma.. My wife Lisa (Sierra's mom) did this with TNT back in 2005 shortly after losing her mother to cancer (The pic below shows Lisa holding her mom's picture in her left hand at the finish line).. Cancer sucks, but programs like this are making a difference.

Sierra's all-in: For the last many months she's been training and fundraising, which requires her to raise at least $2500.00 for the charity. She's a broke kid, but we've assured her that the donations will come.. the support will come.. the success will come; to borrow a phrase; Just do it!

She's down to the last few weeks; the running is going well, but she is in an absolute panic that she's not going to make the minimum donations required. As of today (4-15), she's $700 short.. I told her I'd give this a bump on our car building site to help her get to her fundraising finish line.. (I'm posting it to all of my build logs)..

If you're able and would like to support her, be it sending good vibes or a monetary donation, she would be most grateful. To be clear, all of the money she raises will go to TNT. Below is a link to her fundraising page..

https://sierrasllsfundraiser.weebly.com/ (be sure to click on the "My Why" link at the top right)

Thank you

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Spring 2024

For spring break we took the trek back over to Sedona, AZ with some friends. Had a great time, and did all of the 'aura' / Vortex/ Shakra touristy stuff that you've supposed to do when you go to Sedona. If you've never been, it's a cool little town..

Back at home in central CA, we recently had a 3-day streak of summer-like weather, so I took the opportunity to take the dog for a little jaunt in the Berkeley over to our favorite local haunt, Avila beach.

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

The "Dickey" (aka trunk cover) mold..

I've been so lazy lately.. very little car progress... It's coming to bite me in the butt, however, as car event season is suddenly upon us, and I'm behind on my build goals (again!). I've decided to ignore the MGA for now (another project that has recently found it's way into the fold ) ..I'm pretty sure I'll be happy if I can simply get the Berkeley 100% into primer by summer's end.. I have commitments with the car in both August and September, so I'm pretty certain all make the 'all in gray' goal..

So it goes.. these pics show me cleaning up the minor flaws and damage that occurred when I pulled the trunk cover mold from the buck.. Things are all straightened out now, and I'll make the new trunk lid within the next few weeks..

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Hi CC!
It's been a while, but I thought some may find this useful. I have made fiberglass molds in the past by carving polyfoam, then I would cover the foam in good ol' clear packing tape, being careful to lay it as flat as possible. Nothing sticks to the stuff! I would still put a coating of Simonize on it to help with the release, but it has yet to let me down. The trick is not to get any wrinkles in the tape where the epoxy can get under it, that tends to make a mess. You are left with little lines in the surface when you are done, but they are only about .004" high, so they are easily sanded away.
BTW- I pm'd you the other day.

Hi RocCity.. I like this idea to use packing tape to help with mold release.. When I make a new hood this summer I'll try it that way and see how it goes

*I did not get your PM.. maybe a glitch on the site(?).. I'll try and send you a PM and see if it works..

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com