I'm making a tail section

[billyp]

Like the title says, I started the process to build my own tail section. After reading and re-reading several threads here on the Ton, and watching many videos on youtube, I decided to give it a shot.

Reasons for doing it myself...

Couldn't find one already made that looked how I wanted
Wanted to learn how to make molds and fiberglass
I like the satisfaction of learning and doing something new and doing it myself

I decided to build just the tail "hump," I'm still working out a seat idea and I won't be using a traditional seat pan. I also wanted a place to hide a battery, fuse panel, reg/rec, blinker relay and whatever other electrics I come up with.

So I went with florist foam as it was cheap and it turns out extremely easy to work with. Got some spray glue and glued them together into a rectangle shape and went to work.

First I traced a rough outline with it sitting on the frame, figured out the angle of the kick up and gave it a rough shape

I want the sides and top to be slightly rounded, took some 120 grit on a flexible sanding block and started to shape it

This is the rear

Front

Down the side. You can see how it kicks in about halfway down, tapers from about 9 inches wide in the front to about 6 in the back

Starting to take shape

Now to get it symmetrical

 

[xb33bsa]

Re: I'm building a tail section

very cool !! learn how to use laminating resin with some fine cloth layers and you will be a happy camper

 

[billyp]

Re: I'm building a tail section

Got back at it this morning/afternoon. First thing was to get it all symmetrical, then work on some of the details.
It looks like a different color because I use my cell phone camera and the first set were taken at night with natural light, the flash washed everything out too much.
Now it's bright shiny daytime ;D

Top

Front

Back (sitting crooked)

Worked on some of the details next.

I wanted to include some sort of side vent like you see on some cars for brake cooling. I like the look, but it will also be functional to keep all my electrics nice and vented and cool. I plan on sealing the underside of the of the rear kick up on the frame with 18 or 20 gauge but cutting out part of it and fitting a mesh cover over the cut out. It will be both for looks and for function to vent the area under tail section. So when it's all done, I will have a positive airflow to all the electrical components and the battery.

This is what I came up with

I'm pretty happy with how the whole thing turned out. It's a little long, so I'll be taking a couple of inches off of the front, and the "fin" overhang the runs around the top got a little thin during the shaping and trying to get it all symmetrical so I'll be thickening those back up more like the first group of pictures.
The vent openings will be the inch or so at the end of the whole vent shaped area and will have some type of mesh covers over them.

Next up is the final shaping and clean up to make it a smooth as possible, after that, on to fiberglass.

 

[J-Rod10]

Re: I'm building a tail section

Radii are your friend. Sharp edges are a real pain in the ass when you hand lay glass.

 

[billyp]

Re: I'm building a tail section

Radii are your friend. Sharp edges are a real pain in the ass when you hand lay glass.

Copy that, I will try to radius as many lines as I can as I can. I'm going to use a very light fabric because of that very reason so hopefully that will help too

 

[NMF]

Re: I'm building a tail section

What J-rod said. Got cocky after I made my seat and decided to make a battery box out of fiberglass. Those edges are tough to do.

 

[xb33bsa]

Re: I'm building a tail section

Copy that, I will try to radius as many lines as I can as I can. I'm going to use a very light fabric because of that very reason so hopefully that will help too

and don't try to lay it up wet

 

[billyp]

Re: I'm building a tail section

and don't try to lay it up wet

By that do you mean let the resin tack up a bit before applying the cloth?

 

[xb33bsa]

Re: I'm building a tail section

By that do you mean let the resin tack up a bit before applying the cloth?

YES with the laminating resin you let it kick off till it is like flypaper sticky,lay down the dry clean cloth with dry claen hands, pretty easy to fit finer cloth into and around corners
then you fill the cloth let it kick off sticky and repaet with another layer as many lays as you want
final filling with finishing resin

 

[J-Rod10]

Re: I'm building a tail section

For what you are doing, you can use a general polyester, and wet lay it. Lay a layer, wet it out, next layer, etc. No flash time between layers.

 

[xb33bsa]

Re: I'm building a tail section

For what you are doing, you can use a general polyester, and wet lay it. Lay a layer, wet it out, next layer, etc. No flash time between layers.

except it sucks and is much more difficult :

 

[J-Rod10]

Re: I'm building a tail section

I'll disagree. Half the time, and easy as can be. I can lay any of my seats up in a half hour.

 

[J-Rod10]

Re: I'm building a tail section

Make sure you get unwaxed resin.

 

[billyp]

Re: I'm building a tail section

For what you are doing, you can use a general polyester, and wet lay it. Lay a layer, wet it out, next layer, etc. No flash time between layers.

I already have epoxy resin so I'll be using that. J-rod, would you lay in one piece, making relief cuts in cloth where needed, alternating cuts each layer, or do it with say 3 pieces, one down the middle front and back and one each per side? Of course doing that multiple times

 

[J-Rod10]

Re: I'm building a tail section

I lay in multiple pieces. I can cut pieces to fit particular corners. Even with relief cuts, it can still be tough to get one piece to lay the way it needs to.

What kind of mat are you using?

 

[billyp]

Re: I'm building a tail section

I lay in multiple pieces. I can cut pieces to fit particular corners. Even with relief cuts, it can still be tough to get one piece to lay the way it needs to.

What kind of mat are you using?

I'm using 3oz cloth. I wanted to stay away from mat as every seat I see comes out needing a ton of body work when mat is used. I know mine will need some too, but I want it to start out as close smooth as I can get it.

How many pieces would you recommend and how would you cut them up? Meaning, one per side, one for the back etc., etc

 

[J-Rod10]

Re: I'm building a tail section

Well, there are a few ways to go about that. I lay differently, depending on which of my seat designs I am building. I typically lay them perpendicular to me, if you were standing with the front of the seat facing you, with a 1/4 overlap. On a pan with an 11.5" seating area, I lay three 4" wide pieces, then set of pieces that wrap around the hump to the bottom of the mold, then the same process for the hump.

 

[J-Rod10]

Re: I'm building a tail section

To give you a visual of what I mean, this is a fairing I laid up last night.

 

[billyp]

Re: I'm building a tail section

I'm only doing the hump, no seat pan but, I think I get it....I think ???

 

[J-Rod10]

Re: I'm building a tail section

I think I have a seat in a mold right now. I'll snap a pic and post it up in a few.