That’s annoying… lets make up the gap with glass. I just wrapped on a scrap large enough to cover the top AND bottom:
Wow. So last week I did the following:
- hatchback bezel prep and glassing
- hatchback bezel install & filleting
- door frame prep
- hinge prep and glassing
- door window cutouts
- door windowsill assembly
- shelf fiddle rail assembly (I used ALL the clamps!)
- all hinge holes cut out and cleaned up
The hatch bezel is supposed to be installed straight for a specific section so I just clamped a ruler to the shell and used that to align things. Check and re-check and then check some more before glue. Some sections needed to be shaved down just a bit to fit with the quirks of my particular fillets and whatnot. The bottom angled bits required lots of bending and careful clamping to get right. The few pictures here represent lots of fitting and adjusting and careful looking from every angle. I hope it’s all ok because it’s quite permanent at this point.
Pro tip: smooth your fillets with a tightly gloved finger and denatured alcohol. I found that a foam brush is great for dabbing on the alcohol. Squeeze most of it out of the brush and there will be plenty left in there. Wait until the fillets are cured enough that they’re still sticky but not runny. Maybe cookie dough consistency.
I didn’t want to drill holes in the doors for stitches to align the window frames… and the frame should line up with how the window fits in the hole, so we don’t need the stitches anyway. So after the window cutout I laid the acrylic windows in the hole and used the pre-drilled bolt holes to index the frame with the window. Then I used a pencil to mark the outline of the frame onto the door. Then clamp the frame in place and remove the acrylic window to mark the inside of the sill. Now I had precise lines to follow when epoxying and clamping
Next, I think I’ll get the shelf routed and installed then I want to get those doors on and start finishing the galley. The top hatch is also stewing in my brain… need to source some thick okume plywood I can shape into the interior bezel. Perhaps I can use the trailer bunks that shipped with the kit. Hmm…
