My Lotus build

This is what composite professionals are using when doing plugs or mold repairs ;DURABUILT Surface coat

You can found those materials in UK :
Durabuild Surface Coatings GlassFibre, GRP, Epoxy Resins & Hardeners, Vacuum Bagging Materials and Laminating Resins

There are 2 sort of;
1/ first one is an "heavy primer "you sue it when surfaces are to be finished roughtly and makes a good "screen " to previous mods with bondo , etc
2/ second one is a finihing liquid you can spary like a paint coat in fine lies and then you can sand fron 400 wet grit to 1000 and polish it extremly glossy

then after 3 times laying wax and polich mirror ; you will neither have any sticking to the brandnew gelcoat mold

Problem of 2K paints is ; if you do not have ventilated all from the coat surface it's areal lotery ;
One day you unmold perfect :thumbsup:
Another day ( with no reason apparently !!) you unmold with all the painted coat sticked onto the new mold gelcoat !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:thumbsdown:

This Durabuild coat is perhaps pricy but save hundred of hours worh when this is happenning !

Yes, this does happen, I have found that you need to let the paint fully cure and this seems to stop it happening.
I have also found that on quite "tricky" parts, paint and then sand wet with 1200 grit paper, this seems to give the wax something to key to, have had good results but then you also have a satin finished part come out of the mould unless you polish up the mould afterwards with a mop.
 
Problem of 2K paints is ; if you do not have ventilated all from the coat surface it's areal lotery ;
One day you unmold perfect
Another day ( with no reason apparently !!) you unmold with all the painted coat sticked onto the new mold gelcoat !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes I've had that happen before. But that's also where PVA comes in handy. It leaves a plastic coating between your paint & the gell coat. So there's no reaction from the solvents in the gell coat. I use it a lot when making down & dirty quick one off pieces. Using a resin based paint like Duratec will eliminate that too.
 
Yes PVA is a good solution too !

Duratec and durabuilt are usefull when you need to have a shiny mold directly( using wax does not take off the gloss of the plug

This comes handy when there are many edges and tricky areas )

This said you are right ; I did last year a complete mold on a body that was newly 2K painted and did 3 lays of wax, PLUS, PVA !!!! and the mold comes out perfect and ...... perfectly shiny !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck with your project :blank:
 
PVA can give a bit less perfectly smooth mirror finish to the piece. Because of being sprayed in can have a bit of orange peel. But if you're going to sand & paint the piece it really isn't a problem, or even wet sand & polish a colored gelcoat piece. But it is good insurance for demolding success.
 
Best laid plans !!! LOL I had bought an aluminum Corvette (C3) radiator. I have a C3 & thought it would be just right for the Lotus. As it's intended to be laid down. WRONG it is much too tall. So I ordered another one for a Jeep Cherokee it's only about 12" tall but 35" long which it fine (good for a 4L engine & mine's 3.5). Yeah & the gas tank I'd gotten won't fit either Dhuho!!!!!!!!! Also too tall for the space I din't take the 2" sump into account.
 
My new all aluminum radiator with two fans (it's beautiful) & tail lights came today. Getting to be like Christmas all over again LOL. Body's coming along but there're predicting rain starting on Fri. & probable for several more days. Why did it have to pick now to break our drought?
 
Well today was pretty productive. Most of the week it seems I've been spinning my wheels. Trying to figure out how to build the hinges for my doors to swing the way I want. Like on a Chevron b16 or Lola T70 3B. So I started working on the front support structure for the radiator & nose. It'll also be the pivot for the nose to hinge forward. Got it all cut & tacked together & so it'll bolt up to the front "tee" of the chassis. Had to make sure I had clearances for the rack & pinion & master cylinders etc. There will still be a piece of 1 X 4 tube that will run the full length of the radiator & it'll bolt down to with a piece of neoprene between. There are studs on the top of the radiator to run support rods to as well. I could just run the radiator straight up it's only 11" tall. But I think I'll incline it to the rear for a longer slope on the exiting of the air out through the hood. Still have a little "surgery" to get the gas tank in the way I want it but it sure looks all polished LOL









 
Got the radiator support pretty well finalized today. Have to finish up the welding (it's only tacked at this point) do some tidying up. Like closing off the ends of open tubes (I don't like having open ended tubes for moisture & crud to get into.) Then it'll be on to the aluminum ducting to get the air out through the hood. Going to need to change the way I'd done it originally because of the angle & size (width).






 
Yeah it's like Christmas just about every day when the Postman comes (only I have to pay for it LOL) My new front shocks & springs came & they look great. 150lb spring rate. Stock is 100# but with the added weight up front of the gas tank & the engine. Thought I'd better up the stiffness a bit.

 
I love getting to play with new toys/tools. I bought the pneumatic riveter several years ago. Knowing I'd use it as I built the Lotus. But it'd just been setting on the shelf in the box. So I got it out today & started playing. Making the front air exit ducting for the radiator. Coming along The ducting will screw to the frame. Have to be reached with the wheels off or the nose removed.





 
Picked up the heads I just bought. They're very nice perfect condition. Doesn't look like they had too many miles on them actually. Once my gasket set gets here I can start doing the porting on them. Being aluminum should make it not too hard LOL
 
Got the aluminum ducting finished up. Started finishing all the welding. Closing off the open tubes (one of my dislikes is open ends). Maybe it's the silversmith in me. But I dislike open ends & lumpy bumpy welds that should be dressed down LOL This will all be sand blasted & powder coated before the car is finished.






Last pics are what I do when I'm not working on my cars LOL



 

Randy V

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I dislike open ends as well but find that corrosion is worse with closed tubes because water and air always seem to find their way in.
Nice Jewelry!
Lots of turquoise and chrysocolla in our area here...
 

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Got my new IDF carbs the other day. Aint they perty? LOL Now if I can only get the guy in England to get off the dime on the manifold I'll be a happy camper.



 
Well I guess no one gives a damn about a lowly Lotus build. Even though the Lotus 47 was one of the progenitors of the GT40. So I'll just stop posting any updates. I've posted several but only one response/comment.
 
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