Formula/Thunderbird
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Topic: Flipper boat - 69 Formula Thunderbird

Author Message Prev Topic | Next Topic  Pactola72 "Seaman Recruit" Joined: August 14 2011 Posts: 4 Posted: August 14 2011 at 18:35 | IP Logged TIP : Stress cracks; Keep in mind fine gel coat cracks can allow water moisture to seep into the underlying glass and can be caused over time due to winter freezing / thermal expansion, trapped moisture in the glass or plain structural stress, ie..hard pounding. To stop these and repair them i use an 1/8 brad point drill hole at both ends of the crack and drill into the gel coatabout 1/8 inch deep, the hole and it`s radius will stop the further spreading, then i gouge deep hole to hole with a fine grinding wheel`s edge [ 1/16 wide ] to remove the entire crack [as deep as the surface gel coat ] , making sure the surrounding surface area  has also been well scuffed, fill all voids with resin cabasil and re-finish accordingly. Gel coat repair; Aerosil which is super light weight finely ground fiberglass and is like cooking flour. Called Cabasil, using Dixie cups pour an amount of resin in a cup keeping track of the ounces for the catalyst later, then start adding Aerosil stirring with a Popsicle stick until it is the well mixed consistency of thick Vaseline, your making a putty. Now you can mix in the catalyst, put it on a cardboard palette , like a masonry hawk and trowel , and start applying,  the smaller the repair the better, using a bondo squeegee, or as i prefer using a razor blade for application, like buttering toast, you`ll have far less leveling and sanding work to do feathering all the edges out , the same as working Bondo, making sure all the voids are filled. [Glass resin can be added to Bondo containers to bring them back to life if it starts to dry out, all polyester resin, only with different types of filler medium, Bondo hardener will react the same as it always did] Remember to only apply whats`s needed and chuck the rest in the garbage can, it dries rock hard when cured and usually requires a light grinding to break through the hard glossed surface before sharp open coat oxide sand paper can start to cut it, dusty elbow grease work. Change your paper frequently , sharp grit paper cuts faster and better saving muscle energy and evening shop time. Bondo repair works ok on boats [ a polyester medium], it has elasticity and flex however it `s strength characteristics are no where near gel coat or glass. Many times i use bondo at the end of the glass work, a fine skim coat in order to feather edge out the exterior gel coat, it sands and feathers out far superior than cabasil and at the end, "feather-fill primer" over the surface repair. Edited by Pactola72 on August 14 2011 at 18:46 Back to Top    Diablo "Seaman Recruit" Joined: September 28 2008 Posts: 7 Posted: October 30 2011 at 09:47 | IP Logged Pictures of the 1970 Thunderbird 18.5' Cheyenne have been added above by Diablo Edited by Diablo on November 01 2011 at 10:34 __________________ Paul SE PA Back to Top    John Freeman "Seaman Recruit" Joined: November 11 2011 Posts: 1 Posted: November 11 2011 at 22:27 | IP Logged I have a 1966 Thunderbird Iroquois for sale. My father inlaw bought it new, and gave it to us a few years back. I remember when he purchased it........my wife and I were engaged to be married at the time. My recollection is that it had a Chev V-6 or V-8 when new......it now has a Ford 351 V-8. A 2000 Calkins trailer (fully galvanized) comes with the boat. Please contact: John Freeman Sherwood, Oregon cell  503-784-5228 Back to Top

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