To fill the few high spots on
the underside of the canopy interface I applied some Euro-Soft filler and mashed the canopy down where it fits with the hull. Wax paper on the hull proved an effective barrier to the filler.
Using Filler To Better Fit The Cockpit To The Hull
To further refine the interface line between the bottom of the cockpit and top of the hull I made use of Euro-Soft filler. A
piece of wax paper was laid over the hull to prevent adhesion there. A small amount of Euro-Soft was quickly mixed up, applied to the bottom edges of the cockpit, and the entire unit mashed down onto the upper hull
at the correct position (previously marked on the hull in pencil).
Both Spot-Lite #100445, and Euro-Soft #100408 are produced by the Fibre Glass-Evercoat Company, Inc. and can be had at most automotive
refinishing supply houses. You can call the Evercoat offices at (513) 489-7600 to get a catalog or specific product information packets.
After again sanding the
cockpit master atop the hull, after the Euro-Soft had hardened, I quickly got a tight, almost seam free,
union between the two pieces. From this point I carried on with final sanding, priming, and readying of the master for tool fabrication.
After the filler hardened, the cockpit master was removed. Excess filler, as seen in the photo, had extruded from around the base of the
cockpit master, but literally fell off the piece when it was lifted off the hull. The wax paper was discarded, #240 sandpaper affixed atop the hull, and once again the cockpit master was sanded to shape with the
hull.
Finally, a tight fit between cockpit and hull was achieved. Proof of this tight fit evidenced in the photo showing the sanding dust atop the sandpaper; almost a perfect outline of the cockpit base is
there; a sure sign that all points at the base of the cockpit were making contact with the top of the hull.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!
At that point I carried on with final sanding, priming, and readying of the master for tool fabrication.
All contouring done the
cockpit-access hatch piece was given a heavy spray coating of DuPont Lucite automotive lacquer primer.
The master was given a heavy initial primer application of gray acrylic lacquer primer, 131s. After this primer coat had dried, flaws were
identified and filled with Nitro-Stan 9001 red putty. The putty was later sanded and those touched-up areas re-primed. This process repeated until a flawless finish had been achieved on the cockpit-access hatch
master.
The DuPont Fill 'N Sand Acrylic Primer-Surfacer 131s, its required lacquer thinner, as well as the Nitro-Stan #9001 touch-up putty can be secured at selected automotive refinishing supply houses.
