1969 Mustang Stringer Rebuild

Vondy looking good, now the real fun begins. get a full suit when cutting glass, it will save alot of scratching

Yes, let the fun begin. And the questions....

First, leveling and bracing. Where is the best place to level off of front to back? My main stringers do not appear to have a very flat surface anywhere. The secondaries are pretty good. Will that work?


My trailer was modified by the P.O. so the bunks go all the way to the back. I was going to add some supports where I have marked in the pic. Do I need to support the keel at all?






Then there is the question of grinding. I'm grinding away the old glass that held the stringers in right? I'm worried about not knowing when to stop. Guess I'll get a better feel once I start doing it.



Thanks guys. Obviously I can't do it without y'all!

Anyone have Eric's email? Eric you around? Need to contact about sending the transmission.

Thanks!

Thanks for the number Kapla.

Are 2x8s tall enough for the mains? Or should I go for 2x10? From my measurements, the highest point is about 7.5 inches, not including the bump up for the gas tank.

Thanks!

Your right Mike, 2x10's it is. What did you use for the cross bracing? Fir or something cheaper?

Did I miss your post for your SN re-stringing? Haven't seen it.

Too funny.

Here is mikes thread....the long road ahead

I have the same oil leak from the base of the dipstick Tried sealing it with rtv but it is still leaking. For cleaning the motor I used purple power mostly but also used 3m brake cleaner on some parts which worked really well. The brake cleaner is good for spot cleaning something you are about to paint because it evaporates away quickly. Make sure when you paint the bell housing you use a self etching primer. That aluminum does not hold paint otherwise

Looks like that trailer has a ton of support. The brace you drew looks fine. Probably not much else you could do with that set up. I think being level side to side is more important than front to back so you can tell if your stringers are all going back in level.

vondy wrote: Duplicolor's self etching primer?

David,
I use the Duplicolor self etch and found it to be a good product. I also wipe down aluminum with a weak acid. In my case, I use liquid soldering flux just because I always have a pint on hand. Some will use vinegar but I do not feel it's strong enough.

They consistently take a week to deliver. I also used the duplicolor primer. Not sure about using it on the non aluminum parts. I think anything that is bare metal should get primed. Pete will know better.

Thanks for all the advice on the engine paint. I'm actually looking forward to messing with that. The stringers are scaring me

Talked to Eric about the trans today and hopefully will be mailing off tomorrow.

What do you guys think about the structure? My plan is to go with 3/4 ply for the floor and vinyl on top of that, no carpet for me.

Should I keep the structure just like it is? As small as the boat is I would imagine 3/4 ply would not need any extra bracing. I don't even think you would need the cross bracing that is in there now since the floor would tie the stringers together. Except maybe under the removable panel.

I'm also thinking of relocating the battery to the center as far forward as I can like others have done. Curious if anyone has attempted to put a built in ice chest in this area. There's a lot of open space under there.

Keeganino wrote: Are you ordering the nautolex vinyl from Garys for the floor? I might spring for it after the carpet is worn out.

Thinking about it.

Keegan, how hard did you look? Lots of places sell the Nautolex.

You can find a piece big enough to do the floor and panels on ebay for ~$200.

Vondy, refresh my memory- do you not have the fiberglass floor pan?

On my Skier, we're not refoaming. Instead of those "straps" that sit in notches cut in the main and secondary stringers, we're going to put in a few ribs running between the secondary and side of the hull- at least at the seems of the plywood floor pieces. Cutting and cutting around those notches in the stringers is a pain. Those ribs, plus glassing the floor to the walls should provide plenty of support. I think we're going to use 5/8" ply.

TRBenj wrote: Vondy, refresh my memory- do you not have the fiberglass floor pan?

Yes I do have the floor pan. It's in pretty bad shape though. Cracks everywhere, the pylon area was separated and glued to the floor when I got it and the removable section behind the engine was very flimsy. I put some ply in that area, painted white, to get me through the last two years.

The ribs sound good. I would love to skip the notching. What species would you use for them?