let the fun begin

[YDOC462]

its all welded together. its rigid. if i had to change it i could clean it up a bit and re-weld it

[YDOC462]

had a few days off this week and got my first taste of grinding!


set up outside so to keep from destroying my garage, completely anyway. the weather was nice. had a breeze and it was overcast so the tyvec suit wasnt too bad to wear.



i began in the back in an open area so i could get used to using the grinding disc


before grinding


after. still needs cleaning up in the channel where resin was thick. will use a soft pad with 36 grit to get down in the corners







after working a few hours a day for a few days, i was bored and decided to take her down to the parts store and blow some of the dust out. that was a site to see!


today before work i grinded a lil on the pad and worked on cleaning up the sides where the float boxes were. kinda wasnt into it so i called it a day. not in a hurry and dont want to get burned out on it. cant wait to start going the other direction in the rebuild though!

[77viper]

Lookin good man!

Last year I kept setting goals on the viper and would push hard to meet them and it got old, it's nice to just take your time.

[Rut311969]

Looking good take your time. I used to love racing dirt track but started racing 3to4 nights a week and it became a job and I soon lost love of it . Besides you make mistakes when you hurry .

[Hippie459MN]

Looking good! Makes me wish mine had the original core in it every time I see you guys have yours all cleaned out in a few short days.

Oh well... I love the thing to much to quit now.

[YDOC462]

i know alot of yall have seen this process time and time again and it prolly gets old looking at. this is my first rodeo on something like this so im just keeping yall posted on my progress to keep me motivated and that way someone can let me know if i F-ed something up thanks to all for being helpful and patient.

grinded a few hours before work today.

got the pad clean


cleaned heavy resin from floor register


most of grinding is done from transom to foot bulk head except for a lil detail stuff.

under gunwale, before (floatbox)


after, no float box and no FOAM!




next project this week is the driver side under gunwale and then i gotta get up in the bow!! S#@* ! that aint gonna be fun!

[77viper]

Looks great so far. I see the wood "backbone" in the gunnels is cut make sure you put something back in it's place. I made a box and tied it to the wood in the front of the splash well.

I found a great trick for grinding under the bow is to use swim goggles, they seal out the dust. When I was grinding on the top side of the bow I used them and one of those big grinding shields too.

[YDOC462]

i went by a few local lumber stores today looking for wood to build my transom and stringers with. i plan on using a hard wood for this. this is what i found:

4x 8 sheet of 3/4 in ASH = 46.89

4 x 8 sheet of 3/4 in BIRCH = 39.95 another store had it for 26.48
4 x 8 sheet of 1/2 in BIRCH = 33.65

i only found OKOUME in 4 x 4 sheets 18mm (3/4) = 30.00 12mm (1/2) = 22.00

any suggestions or ideas in using/not using this material or others would be appreciated.

[77viper]

I have only used okoume, I ordered it from menards a large chain do it yourself place. I know not to use anything green treated but can't give you any pointers on what you have available.

[ccrick]

Real marine grade ply. Mine I think was 6 ply 1/2" with the right adhesive. It wasn't cheap. Like between 70 & 80 bucks a 4x8 sheet. I used it for the stringers, bulkheads, and floor. Two sheets. I still have some scraps layin in the burn pile at home since the recore in 09 and there still intact and strong. Don't pinch your pennies on the wood. JMO Keep up the good work. Brings back itchy memories! Kinda feel like I need to do another one though. I must be nuts?!?!?
Rick....