Argosy lower front valance repairs

[bkahler]

Thanks!

I've been thinking that it might be better to rework the jig so that the supports are on the inside which would make it easier to make a mold. I'm not quite convinced it's worth the effort but will look at the possibilities later this afternoon or tomorrow.

Sure does take up a lot of shop floor space....

[Danec020]

Awesome work sir, that support looks to have came out perfect! Making it support from the inside would probably make a better mold but what you have now will work well. There will be some clean up in those areas but honestly no matter what you do there will be some touch ups.

Another thought would be possibly mounting along the bottom of the valance? I can't tell from the pictures if that is a possibility or not due to the curves. That way and cleanup would most likely not be seen anyhow and it allows them free access to the front top and insides to make the mold.

Depending on the weight of the valance, if you do decide to go from the inside maybe you could use some 2" dowel rods extended from the 2x4 frame. That way you can get into the curves easier, gives you more room from the frame and valance, and it will be easier to work around when making the mold.

Love watching the progress.
-Dane

[bkahler]

Dane, what you're suggesting is actually what I've been working on for the last several days. I'm trying to get the arrangement to be all jig supports on the inside and the front of the valance pointing up. I should have this all wrapped up by the end of the weekend at which time I'll post some more pictures.

That should make it a lot easier to make a mold.

Stay tuned...

[bkahler]

At 1:45 pm today I'm declaring the jig fabrication complete and ready to go to a mold maker

As I mentioned previously I wanted to move the supports to the inside so the mold maker wouldn't have to work around the structure to lay the matting. That has now been done!


The whole thing is fairly light and easy to move around. The next step is to find someone that is willing to take on the task in a time frame that is suitable for Martin.

I still want to repair a few more cracks but I'll tackle those as time permits.

Time to move onto other tasks.....like fitting a radio in the dash

Brad

[martin300662]

Looking great Brad.

Let's try and chat when I am back from UK and discuss options for next steps.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by martin300662

Looking great Brad.

Let's try and chat when I am back from UK and discuss options for next steps.

Sounds good.

Enjoy your trip home

[bkahler]

Wow! My shop now has 14 square feet more of floor space available now!

I just got back from dropping off the valance at a fiberglass mold shop in Corbin Kentucky.

Now we wait

[bkahler]

Just got back from visiting the shop that's fabricating the front valance mold. I'm happy to say progress is being made!

He's been doing a lot of work to get the outside smooth and straight. The valance had a lot of waviness to it and you can see where he's applied Bondo to smooth out the top. He's been doing that to a smaller extend on the bottom as well. Any and all holes in the surface are being filled as that will make it easier for the mold to slip free.



In order to shape the bottom properly he's add some adjustable supports that you can see in the next two pictures. He used threaded rod and some thin strips of wood to provide the proper curve. Apparently he actually steam shaped the strips of wood so it would have the proper contour.


He's concerned that the heat generated during the fiberglass process could cause stresses in the ABS plastic so he's added a few other supports here and there to help keep it in position for when the mold is made.

The green rectangular section is one of openings where the metal support frame for the bumper sticks through the valance. Once finished pieces are produced Martin and I will have to cut those holes again. Considering how butchered the original holes were hopefully we'll do a better job of fitting.


I asked if he was still on track for the quoted price and got an affirmative from him He said he really tries to keep to his quotes unless something unforeseen occurs and so far that hasn't happened. He thinks he's at least 2 maybe 3 weeks away from having the mold made. I know it's coming down to the wire for Martin as he's nearing the point where he will be getting his Argosy painted so hopefully the valance won't be a bottleneck for him.


Brad

[martin300662]

Looking good Brad.

Coincidentally Bella is on her way back to ASNE today, so I have spent the morning digging her out and cleaning her off.



Firstly they need to 'complete' some of the things they forgot to finish off during the rebuild, but also to quote for the body/paint.

They are saying finishing then body and paint will take two months and the valance is the last part of body prep...which makes it 5-6 weeks out. Can't push it back more or I will miss the motorhome get together.

If the valance is done by then Bella will have to wait until May-June time to be painted.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by martin300662

Looking good Brad.

Coincidentally Bella is on her way back to ASNE today, so I have spent the morning digging her out and cleaning her off.



Firstly they need to 'complete' some of the things they forgot to finish off during the rebuild, but also to quote for the body/paint.

They are saying finishing then body and paint will take two months and the valance is the last part of body prep...which makes it 5-6 weeks out. Can't push it back more or I will miss the motorhome get together.

We definitely don't want you to miss the get together! That would just plain suck if that happened.

If the valance NOT is done by then Bella will have to wait until May-June time to be painted.

I added a NOT in your last sentence as I think that's what you meant

I'll start heading down to Corbin on my Friday's off just to keep up with whats happening and to re-enforce the idea that sooner is better than later!

Playing the devil's advocate, are you 100% certain the valance needs to be on the coach prior to painting? I've been looking at mine and the valance does not directly tie into a painted section of the coach. The wheel well trim and then an aluminum waist band covers the seam between the two sections.

If you look at the picture below I've circled in red and orange the seams where the valance meets the coach. I actually think you'd get a better paint job with the front aluminum band removed for painting. I don't think it would be possible to scratch the paint on the body when installing the valance so from my perspective I think painting the valance as a separate piece would yield better results all the way around.


Should you decide to go that route I would be able to bring the valance with me to the get together.

[martin300662]

I agree in principal Brad, and if wheel well trims were good I would 100% agree. The complication is whoever does the paint is going to need to fit/adapt the wheel trims from the donor, before doing paint and probably needs the front valance to line up the wheel trim.....every task on these beasts seems to require four other tasks to be carried out as precursors.

[bkahler]

Dang, that's too bad. The trick would be to find the right wheel well trim pieces.

If I remember right you said your coach had the inner trim pieces in place. The grooves in the inner pieces are what the valance slips into. Are those pieces on you coach buggered up as well? I know you said you were missing the outer pieces for sure.

You should send a PM to John (shepherd57) to see if he saved the wheel trim when he parted out his Argosy. It's a 78 so that may mean the openings are to large but it might be worth a try.

[bkahler]

Mold update time.

Just talked to the owner of Fiberglass Solutions and he informed me he was waxing the mold today in prep for laying the fiberglass down for the mold itself.

He mentioned that the original valance even in the frame that was built to hold it is extremely fragile. He's had to lay a whole lot of bondo down on the original valance to smooth it out for making the mold and every time he moves it the frame flexes enough that small cracks in the bondo show up somewhere. Nothing serious but it means rework each time that happens.

I think that's a pretty good indication that I won't be able to use my original valance, at least not if I want it to look good

He plans to actually start laying the fiberglass down tomorrow and he mentioned that it would likely take all weekend to get it to the point where he is satisfied with it. After that hopefully by mid week he'll be able to cut the mold into two pieces.

There's a real good chance that he'll be able to start making the first production piece by the following weekend. That is of course assuming everything goes according to plan.


Brad

[martin300662]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Mold update time.

Just talked to the owner of Fiberglass Solutions and he informed me he was waxing the mold today in prep for laying the fiberglass down for the mold itself.

He mentioned that the original valance even in the frame that was built to hold it is extremely fragile. He's had to lay a whole lot of bondo down on the original valance to smooth it out for making the mold and every time he moves it the frame flexes enough that small cracks in the bondo show up somewhere. Nothing serious but it means rework each time that happens.

I think that's a pretty good indication that I won't be able to use my original valance, at least not if I want it to look good

He plans to actually start laying the fiberglass down tomorrow and he mentioned that it would likely take all weekend to get it to the point where he is satisfied with it. After that hopefully by mid week he'll be able to cut the mold into two pieces.

There's a real good chance that he'll be able to start making the first production piece by the following weekend. That is of course assuming everything goes according to plan.


Brad

Getting closer!

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by martin300662

Getting closer!

Yep! I was thinking about going up there today but after talking with him I think Ill make the trip next Friday to get pictures and discuss any potential issues with him. At the moment I think the valance is the only thing in his shop so he definitely has incentive to get it done so he can get paid.

Stay tuned....

[bkahler]

Just got off the phone with the fiberglass shop. The last of the fiberglass was laid on the mold today. He's thinking it should be cured by tomorrow evening (dinner time) and is hoping to pull the mold off the plug Saturday morning.

Once pulled he has to cut it in half and add the lips for the seam which he says shouldn't take long at all. After that it's time to start making parts, probably early to mid next week.

I asked him to text me a couple of pictures once the mold is pulled from the plug so hopefully I'll have an update Saturday sometime with pictures

[mayco]

That is just so cool Brad! What a process to watch and read.

[bkahler]

Yeah it's been rather interesting to say the least I think we got lucky and found a shop ran by someone who really enjoys his work. He seems to have taken a real interest in making sure this project comes out just right. We should know sometime this weekend how this is all going to turn out.

The nice thing about all this is there will now be a source for the early (74-76) Argosy front valances, with air scoops no less!!

[martin300662]

I'm wondering if someone like Andy at Inland RV would be interested in listing the parts? He has several FRP parts listed, where the original was ABS so I guess someone has gone through the modeling process.

[bkahler]

I've been thinking about that. There are several options that come to mind. We can talk about them at the get together or sooner if you'd like.