[Motorgasm73]

So I went to the craft store tonight to buy styrofoam to start carving my custom tail section form.

I went to Michael's, That was my first mistake!

$11.99 for a single 3x18x36 ( I think not )
$8.99 for styrofoam adhesive ( nope again )
________________________________________________

So I came home trying to figure out what I was gonna do, being cheap isn't me, but I don't want to get discouraged, and scrap $60.00 worth of foam either.

So, mad at the consumer world, and the outrageous price of what I am sure I am the only person who would have wanted it today, I went and sat next to my torn down bike, looking like a complete moron. (This will segway into another story I just remembered, but I will post that in another thread).
So anyway, I am sitting in my garage thinking about a wire frame or something like a paper mache' type structure, and I Rub my forehead in disgust, like I always do (thus the lack of hair) and kick my head back to stretch my neck, and it all comes together!!

Over top of me in the rafters of the garage is an old 4 foot x 8 foot piece of styrofoam insulation!!! DING DING DING!!!!!

So back out into todays rain I go. 1 can of 3M spray adhesive, and my skill saw turned that 1 piece into a block that is now 12x24x48.

I sprayed a thin coat of flat black paint between the layers so that as I am sanding I can take measurements from center to the black line, so as to be symetrical.

I snapped a couple of pics, but I will wait to post, when I actually begin carving to show progress. Wish me luck!!!

 

[mpls|cafe|racer]

You gonna hot wire it? That's always been the best way to form in my experience. You just need templates of the sides, top view, and a hotwire knife.

 

[Der Kampfer]

sounds like its going good. I like the flat black paint between layers. I just used a tape measure and a permannent marker to grid it up. I have used a hot knife before but I didnt want to make one so i just used a wood saw to rough cut then utility knife and then 100grit.

cant wait to see the pics!

 

[sully]

Check out how these guys make a tail section from scratch..........

http://www.designbikes.de/Hoecker_e.htm

 

[drunkNun]

That tail makes me cry.... All that carbon fiber just looked so sexy.

 

[trav72]

I wish I would have paid more attention in geometry class!

 

[Motorgasm73]

With the right tools, and puter programs anything can be done, I am grinding, sanding, and taking alot of this as it comes. I have a rough idea of what the finished project will look like, but only god knows what changes will be made.

I am thinking right before I get to the actuall final size I am going to leave my sides a little wider, and then have raised letters reading Motorgasm down the tail. I have worked with fiberglass before, but I would love to play with carbon!!! Anybody know where some can be had at a decent price????

 

[Dudad]

ebay has some

 

[dogbreath]

Do a how-to in the DIY forum on how you made the bodywork. Someone's gotta do it!

 

[shift1313]

hey man. I went about this several ways when i tackled it. I started with foam, then i tried sheet metal(rough) filled with plaster to final sand. I finally ended up making sheet metal side panes, seat pan and mocking it up to my stock tail section, bondo and sand for my mold. here are a few pics.

painted mold after sanding all the bondo.

laying the mold on the bike so it fit the gas tank.

and the painted tail

it was the first real fiberglass project that i tried and i learned alot but the process seemed to work okay if you find you have trouble with the foam.

 

[dogbreath]

Remember you can use tinfoil to cover anything to make the mold with if you are afraid of the glass sticking.

 

[929_adam]

it was the first real fiberglass project that i tried and i learned alot but the process seemed to work okay if you find you have trouble with the foam.

good work.

are you going to do an under section as well???? i've seen a few bikes with a tail like pictured above (with no undertail...just open body work) seems to me youd catch a lot of air under there....esp. when doing wheelies....def. bringing them back down, but possibly ripping the tail off eventually (worst case scenario)?


also...wut are you doing for a seat on that??

 

[dogbreath]

Adam, in his other thread he showed pics of the undertail he made. Tail would definitely crack at the bolts after a while of that.

 

[shift1313]

its on the bike right now but i dont have a pic of it. I have a seat made, i modified the stock seat pan and foam, just havent covered it yet. this isnt the best pic but there are two bolts epoxied into the seat frame that go down through the tail section and get nutted from the underside.

I made a cover for it but i couldnt get the staples to go into the seat pan, still working on that.

 

[shift1313]

there it is on the bike

 

[INVINCIBLE73]

wow sully... thanks for that thread. ive been havin all kindsa trouble with styrofoam. that idea works for me a lot better.
and shift excellent job on the bike. paint, body, everything looks well done. how are u gonna go lights on the back? or are u?

 

[shift1313]

my ignitor box is mounted right where my tag goes, im making an led tail frame for the tag.

 

[drunkNun]

Does that starion run???

 

[shift1313]

drunknun, it did, ive pulled the motor out at the moment. I had an oiling problem, probably from too many donuts. There is a vid online

http://www.26liter.us/videos/misc/StarionConquestFlatbody[Xvid].avi

ive got a bunch of parts waiting for it. Ive got a holset turbo off a dodge turbo diesel for somepoint in the future

 

[Motorgasm73]

Hacksaw.... $4.00

Scrap Alluminum.... $0.38

Never having to hear, "Can we go for a ride?".... Priceless!!!

Chopped the subframe figuring out my gusset points, and taking measurements for custom tail section!!!

Not releasing pics of tail just yet!!! Work in progress...