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Kristi KT7 restoration pictures

B_Skurka said:
Are you going to glass in some new wood? Honestly I'm totally clueless on fiberglass repair. Never done it. Talked to a bunch of people about it, but never had the need to do it. So I'm just sort of a clueless idiot but it strikes me that you'll need to reinforce that corner somehow.
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Bob,
I called a "body shop owner" that I know this morning and explained what I was up against .I felt I was "ok" doing what I had stated in my previous post ,but wanted to be sure . He explained that if I was happy with the structual strength in the corner (I am) than filling with foam would be ok . He told me as long as the layers of fiberglass are fairly thick in the corner it will act as its own structual support system .If not than I should glass in with "plywood" to gain strength . One thing he told me that I had not considered was that "Foam" will move slightly and wood will not . Use foam ONLY for cosmetic!!!

To make a long story short ,I went ahead and used a piece of plywood in the corner just in case and foamed in the other area that was cosmetic and just needed to be filled before overlaying with fiberglass . After discussing it all with him , I feel pretty confident . I guess we will see !
I just finished glassing and will grab some pictures of the repair tomorrow .
Big Al
 
As your body shop friend suggested, the core of plywood is there to add strength to the structure. Generally, it's important for the integrity of the structure that the reinforcement be all one piece. The only ramification I can see for your repair is that two separate pieces of wood will not spread the stress over the entire door, and if there is pressure on the repaired area, it may crack or break separately from the rest of the structure. In other words, the space between the pieces of wood could act as a hinge.

If you're reasonably satisfied that there won't be any abnormal stress in that corner of the door, you're probably OK with the repair. After all, there was effectively no wood at all in that location, so anything you do will be better. If it does break in the future, your're going to have to dig out more (or even all) of the encapsulated wood and replace it with one piece. This is a fairly common problem and repair procedure on the transoms of fiberglass boats, where the plywood core helps support the motor.
 
Thanks OkeeDon ,
I appreciate your input . One thing I did not mention is that the piano type hinge goes way beyond the area where the damage is . I can build up the inside of the door panel with additional layers of overlapping glass with no change to the basic operation of the door . I will know more tomorrow after I see how strong the repair is .
Al
 
BigAl said:
Well I bought another snow cat, this one is a beauty. For some reason I can't seem to upload the photo.
Big Al
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No problem Allen, here is the photo you needed help with. This new cat sure looks like it will be more reliable than the other 3 you own. :whistle:
 

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B_Skurka said:
No problem Allen, here is the photo you needed help with. This new cat sure looks like it will be more reliable than the other 3 you own. :whistle:
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Just remember Bogus Bob, paybacks are hell ...

and what the hell are you laughing at Mouse Ear Mike ???

Now you gone too far and I am forced to unleash the full force of my "Insulting Power" apon you two ... maybe three, if I find out Toe Jam Tommo was part of this ! Let the game begin!
Big Al:coolshade
 
BigAl said:
Just remember Bogus Bob, paybacks are hell ...

and what the hell are you laughing at Mouse Ear Mike ???

Now you gone too far and I am forced to unleash the full force of my "Insulting Power" apon you two ... maybe three, if I find out Toe Jam Tommo was part of this ! Let the game begin!
Big Al:coolshade
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Allen, feel free to insult me, but do me a favor and use your SPELLCHECK next time. :moon:
Oh, and here is another version of your new snowkitty. This is a really nice model for you because when you get stuck in the snow you can eat toast until someone comes to rescue you.
 

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B_Skurka said:
Allen, feel free to insult me, but do me a favor and use your SPELLCHECK next time. :moon:
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Remember Bob ,I am a simple minded man and expected to make mistakes where you are the "grand pooba" of the snowcat section and never allowed too . Oh!!! and stop trying to side swipe my KT7 restoration thread ! Only I get to do that !
Big Al:coolshade
 
B_Skurka said:
Allen, feel free to insult me, but do me a favor and use your SPELLCHECK next time. :moon:
Oh, and here is another version of your new snowkitty. This is a really nice model for you because when you get stuck in the snow you can eat toast until someone comes to rescue you.
Click to expand...
Bob , You need a real job .
Al
 
OK , nothing was done today on the KT7 because Bob S . hurt my feelings and I don't feel like sharing . Maybe tomorrow ....

Sadly ,
Big Al
 
Ok ! Back to business!

Today I finished the fiberglass repair to the front entry door and set it aside . The new repairs have made a hell of a difference to the overall flexing that the door was doing before . Pictures soon !

I brought in the front upper cab and started going over it for repair . Surprize, surprize ! It is in very good shape and will only require cosmetic repair . I am going to glass in the Hydraulic Valve lever holes and the Spot Light attachment holes to clean up the cab . I ground out any screw holes and the above mentioned areas ,I wanted to fill and that is about as far as I can go today .
It has been snowing/raining for a month and I need to let the cab dry out before going any further and trying to reglass
Big Al.
 
Snowcat Operations said:
BigAl I'm sorry I damaged your dorrs when I blew by you in my Snow Master! :yum:
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LOL . You better hope I don't find out when you start rebuilding that old broken down piece of Sh!# (American for PooPoo). I will never leave you alone!!!
 
I pretty much finished the body work on the front upper half of the cab and started on the rear upper cab today . It is in great condition . I only have the rear door to sand and do a little touch up on it before all the basic body repairs are finished . I talked with the bed liner installers today and they feel there product will hold up better than the "do it yourself bedliner kit" I was thinking of doing . I could use some input on this .
I also ran into a small problem today as I was setting up the overhead consoles front and rear . The front overhead consoles extends into the escape hatch area by about 6" . I am going to fill in and glass in a small section of the escape hatch opening on the front cab to make enough room for the Radios ,communications equipment ,speakers , interior lighting etc .

Big Al
 
Snowcat Operations said:
BigAl the do it your self stuff is ok at best. The spray in stuff is a much better product.
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Yea, I think I will just go that way .
I got way too much time and effort invested in this project to half ass it now .The kit I was going to use was also a spray in liner and required a special gun to apply .
It's not like I hav'nt got a million other things to do . I feel like I am falling behind on schedule . I still need to make a final decision on this damn motor .I still think I am looking at a rebuild .
New parts are starting to arrive and I am running out of places to store stuff .
I also got to looking closely at the center body section that I had planned on remaking in Polished Aluminum . I have just about talked myself into taking a 4" grinder and cutting the interior fiberglass layer out that delaminated ,digging out the rotten wood and reinstalling and bedding with resin a new plywood center with a new layer of fiberglass on the inside . If I can get the bow out of the top center section ,I just might try it . That would sure make things easier . It can't hurt to try ,since the old section is "toast" if it does not work .
allen
 
Al, if you decide to dig out the core of that center section, and would like to keep the finished piece light and strong, consider using end-grain balsa core material (balcore) for the reinforcement. Here is one source -- scroll down to the 1/2" balcore. You might find something similar at your local fiberglass supply store.

There are several different core materials, including honeycomb materials and various flavors of foam (airex, etc), but good old balcore is one of the best and easiest to work with. The key thing is to make sure that any holes you drill in it to mount lights, roof racks, etc., are through-bolted and sealed with a good marine calk (5200, for example) to make sure there is no water intrusion to reach the balsa. This is actually just as important no matter what the core consists of. If you don't want to through-bolt attachments, you might consider embedding a solid wood block at the attachment points so you can screw into it.
 
BigAl said:
I talked with the bed liner installers today and they feel there product will hold up better than the "do it yourself bedliner kit" I was thinking of doing . I could use some input on this .
Click to expand...

I've used the do it yourself spray in 2-part epoxy bedliner with great success in the rear of a pick up. It was easy and about 25% of the cost of the name brand spray in liners. The quality is very good if you use a 2-part epoxy spray.

I used the same thing on my Snow Trac floor but did it in zero temps and had some serious problems drying, but it did finally set up (I think I actually mixed it wrong so it cured very very slowly). However, the finished product has been excellent. It covers the underside of my Snow Trac as well as the lower part of the interior.
 
OkeeDon said:
Al, if you decide to dig out the core of that center section, and would like to keep the finished piece light and strong, consider using end-grain balsa core material (balcore) for the reinforcement. Here is one source -- scroll down to the 1/2" balcore. You might find something similar at your local fiberglass supply store.

There are several different core materials, including honeycomb materials and various flavors of foam (airex, etc), but good old balcore is one of the best and easiest to work with. The key thing is to make sure that any holes you drill in it to mount lights, roof racks, etc., are through-bolted and sealed with a good marine calk (5200, for example) to make sure there is no water intrusion to reach the balsa. This is actually just as important no matter what the core consists of. If you don't want to through-bolt attachments, you might consider embedding a solid wood block at the attachment points so you can screw into it.
Click to expand...

Thanks OkeeDon ,

I believe someone at one time may have used the Balsa in one area that was repaired in the past . It is very light weight . My biggest concern is the old fiberglass center top section has a major bow/buckle in the outer fiberglass layer where it has delaminated . If I can get this to straighten out and lay back down correctly it will cut my restoration time by a week or more .It appears to be about a 1/8" thick outer layer .I may even try adding some bracing . There will be no bolts in the roof when this is redone .
Al
 
B_Skurka said:
I've used the do it yourself spray in 2-part epoxy bedliner with great success in the rear of a pick up. It was easy and about 25% of the cost of the name brand spray in liners. The quality is very good if you use a 2-part epoxy spray.

I used the same thing on my Snow Trac floor but did it in zero temps and had some serious problems drying, but it did finally set up (I think I actually mixed it wrong so it cured very very slowly). However, the finished product has been excellent. It covers the underside of my Snow Trac as well as the lower part of the interior.
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Ok Bob ,
So it sounds like you are satisfied with the end result of your labors ???
This is also a two part epoxy mix . Now I am thinking maybe the dealer was thinking ,I was talking about a roll on bedliner material :confused: ?????? He did tell me his product would add 80 pounds of wieght to my KT7 after he shot the bed liner on it .
Decisions ,decisions!!!!! I am a better "get it done guy" than a "lets make a decision guy" . One of you guys or gals want to be boss and just tell me what to do ???

OH!!! nevermind ..... I just remember, I'm married and already have a boss to do my thinking !!!:pat: duh!!!
 
The roll in bed liners are nothing more than thick paint. Rhinoliner and the other brands are just a 2 part epoxy with rubber added.

The stuff I sprayed in did not add 80 pounds of material, but it probably added about 20#. Then again, I sprayed in one gallon. The material is much heavier than water, water weighs 8# per gallon. So I'm guessing I used about 20 pounds of material. I supposed I could have used more in the pick up truck.

Was I satisfied? Yes. That is why I used it again. And it is easy to apply if you buy the kit that includes the 'undercoating' gun. The undercoating guns are about $10, I treat them as disposable.

It has held up perfectly, looks brand new today and has not shown any real signs of abrasion or failure.

How big is of an area do you want to cover? I used one gallon in a short bed pick up, if I had a long bed I would suggest two gallons. So if the area you want to cover in your Kristi is roughly the size of a long bed, then go with two gallons, if you want to really put it on thick, you could add another gallon of material, but I'm not sure that there is any reason for it. And 2 gallons should yield a good thick coating.
 
B_Skurka said:
The roll in bed liners are nothing more than thick paint. Rhinoliner and the other brands are just a 2 part epoxy with rubber added.

The stuff I sprayed in did not add 80 pounds of material, but it probably added about 20#. Then again, I sprayed in one gallon. The material is much heavier than water, water weighs 8# per gallon. So I'm guessing I used about 20 pounds of material. I supposed I could have used more in the pick up truck.

Was I satisfied? Yes. That is why I used it again. And it is easy to apply if you buy the kit that includes the 'undercoating' gun. The undercoating guns are about $10, I treat them as disposable.

It has held up perfectly, looks brand new today and has not shown any real signs of abrasion or failure.

How big is of an area do you want to cover? I used one gallon in a short bed pick up, if I had a long bed I would suggest two gallons. So if the area you want to cover in your Kristi is roughly the size of a long bed, then go with two gallons, if you want to really put it on thick, you could add another gallon of material, but I'm not sure that there is any reason for it. And 2 gallons should yield a good thick coating.
Click to expand...

Well the paint dealer told me to figure about $250 for the kit cost along with $25 for the gun . He told me to put on 3 coats . I have about 75 sq ft I want to cover .
Al
 

Good evening all ,
I pretty much finished all the major repair work to the fiberglass body . I still need to go back through everything and start finish sanding . I will work up to 400 grit sandpaper before I shoot the epoxy sealer/primer on the exterior .I had planned on waiting to shoot the epoxy sealer until I was ready to shoot the base coat/ clear coat , but decided to spray as soon as I can .I will have to lightly sand and recoat with epoxy sealer just before I shoot the finish on to get good adhesion for the paint . I just want to be sure I have all the flaws and nicks filled and the sealer/primer epoxy will make it much easier to see this .
I plan to shoot on a primer/sealer on the interior over the weekend . This is all the interior will receive since all the interior will be covered in a carpet/ fabric interior .
I also took stock of how much material I have used to date on the fiberglass body getting it to this point .
Here is the list .
1 gallon degreaser
2 1/2 gallons of fiberglass resin
7 sq. yds. of fiberglass cloth
1- 2' x 4' x 3/4" plywood
1- 12oz can foam spray
10- 2" paint brushes (throw away)
1- 5" paint brush (throw away)
1 gallon of Lacquer thinner
1 box latex "throw away" gloves
1 quart of short "Kitty Hair" fiberglass filler
1 quart of long "Kitty Hair" fiberglass filler
20- 36 grit sandpaper for flat file
20- 80 grit sandpaper for flat file
30- 80 grit - 6" DA sandpaper
20- 120 grit- 6" DA sandpaper
2 tons of elbow grease
1 case Dr. Pepper
37 various cuss words depending on damage found or pain inflicted
6- "Band Aids"

Big Al :tiphat:
 
You sure work fast, Al :applause:

I'll bet you are glad the fiberglass work is over with .

Only 6 Band-aids :thumb: you got off easy :D
 
pixie said:
You sure work fast, Al :applause:

I'll bet you are glad the fiberglass work is over with .

Only 6 Band-aids :thumb: you got off easy :D
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Yes I am ! No matter how well you cover up ,fiberglass dust gets everywhere .I spend about 4 hours a day itching . That is the worst part .
I seldom need Band Aids but the DA and 4" grinder got away from me a couple of times .
When I am using my welder or torch I never need them as I just cauterize the wound . Most people call them burn marks ! If you say "cauterize" ,it sounds like you planned it !
Al
 
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