Junk in the trunk

[tz375]

This question is for people with flat track or cafe race seats.

Have any of you tried to fabricate a "glove box" type storage compartment in the rear hump? I have a Flat Track seat on one of mine and am working through the issues. As usual I may have come up with the most complicated solution, so i thought I'd stop by for a sanity check.

What I did was to make a "box" which will be molded to the bottom of the hump and then I'll have a "door" through the top of the hump. Now I have to work out how to attach and lock the door.

So if anyone has tried this trick at home, I'd love to hear what you did and how it worked out.

[ja-moo]

Cody Stone did a neat one. Sealed the bottom, and had a little door on the front of the hump.

[krwalsh]

Putting a door on the front of the bump is common. I think this is mostly because it is a flat area and you don't have to deal with a hinge and the curve. I decided to use the hump for the electronics (rectifier, battery, fuses, etc). I just lift up the whole seat instead of a compartment with a door, though.

[tz375]

Thanks Kevin,

That was plan A, and I was going to put the battery and electrics back there, but the middle of a GT750 frame is far from pretty - sort of like a fat girl with exposed navel - not a pretty sight.

So this Phat gurl needs to stay covered up.

I managed to make a simple box and stuck it into place below the hump. Tomorrow I need to connect the two more permanently and the door is still an issue. I agree that a door in the front would be easier, but on this seat there is really not enough height to get away with that.

I now have a large top section removed with some of the front "corner" attached, so I'll have to work it out soon. In one plane it's easy, but going around the corner adds another dimension - in every sense of that word.

At the moment I'm thinking hinge at the front and lock at the rear or just the simple 3 Dzus fasteners but that's a little obvious. Maybe tangs at the rear and a lock at the front - but that would need at least one more part for the lock to hook onto.

Too late to turn back now........

[krwalsh]

If I were to do this, I'd do the following:

Outline where you want the door, choosing a flat section for a hinge, if you want one. If you want it symmetrical, fold a piece of paper in half, trace your outline onto the paper, with the fold as the centerline. Unfold and trace the outline to the other side

Cut the door out on the outline. Use a thin kerf cutter. My preference here would be a tool called a Fein Multimaster, but a cheaper oscillating cutter, a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel, a Japanese saw, or a hacksaw blade will work.

Once you have the door cut out, cover the inside and the cut edges with duct tape. Flip the seat over, sand the inside around the door, maybe 2" wider. Duct tape the door back in place, and do a fiberglass layup, about two inches wide, split over the door seam. I'd do 4 layers of bi-directional (BID) cloth. When this is cured, pop the door off and trim the new shelf to about 1/2" wide.

Now create your box by cutting a foam block to fit. Duct tape it to the inside. Do a layup on top of this, again I'd do a 4 BID. When this is cured, pop it out, then sand the surfaces and permanently bod this to the inside of the seat. I'd do a 2 BID tape over the edge, but this may not be required.

When this is all done, you can add the hinge by riveting it in place along the straight edge. If the edge really isn't straight, you can make a flat pad for it by mixing epoxy and cotton flocking (flox). The flox pad will create a straight line for you. The last bit is the latch, which I'd do with either a Dzus or a Camlock.

If you had the materials on had, this total job would be maybe 3 hours, not including cure time.

[tz375]

Kevin,

Thanks for that input. I should have posted before I started instead of half way through. That last post could have saved me some serious head scratching.

That is more or less what I did so far, except that I used different tape and mold release wax when I made the retaining lip.

The box I fabricated out of stiff card which was coated in beeswax mold release, but a foam block would have been much smarter and quicker.

I actually positioned the box into the seat this afternoon and used a small amount of high strength bondo as an adhesive/filler. It uses the same sort of polyester resin plus lots of loose chopped strands.

Tomorrow I'll use woven cloth (BD) to connect it all properly. Then I'll try your hinge idea and see if I can get that to work and look professional.

Next time, I'll use your foam block idea and see if it's possible to mold it straight into the seat in situ. That should save some weight versus the way i did it.

Thanks for the input, it has helped me to get my ideas straight. I hate fiberglass work,even though I have made molds and tanks and seats and many custom parts over the years, but I still hate the stuff - the smell, the itching, the dust......

I modified my son's TZ fairing with pre-preg carbon fiber last year and that was easier than I expected - and a lot cleaner too I might add.

[krwalsh]

In this case, duct tape really is your friend. It is a perfect way to mold two parts together, but then get them to release.

The other material you should consider is some dacron. If you cut it into strips, you can lay it up as if it was the last layer of glass. When the epoxy is cured, the dacron will pull free, leaving you with a very nice clean surface.

As for pre-preg, you can basically get to the same place with wax paper. You lay down wax paper, then put down the required amount of glass, and wet out the glass with epoxy. A final layer of wax paper, then squeegee the whole thing. You'll get the glass about as dry as possible, but still fully wetted. Then you cut out the shape you need with a pair of good scissors. Finally, place it as a test, then peel the top layer of wax paper, and lay down your patch. When you have it smoothed out, then peel up the last bit of waxed paper. Put the dacron peel-ply over that and you'll have a great layup, very little mess, very little fussing with getting the glass to fit and conform.

If you want to see approximately what your door should look like, try this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Zf ... directlink

Composite work really is fast and easy once you know the tricks. I've done a few layups previously...

http://www.picasaweb.google.com/krwalsh/CozyMkIV

[Suzukidave]

Richard , i wonder if you could fit up a hatch hold down system like it used on the sport bikes with the pin and latch with a remote release ? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Suzuki-G ... 562cd361a2

[tz375]

Thanks Dave,

I have one of those here somewhere....

Kevin,

Thanks for more good lay up ideas.

I tried to buy an aluminum hinge but could not find one, so I got a length or flat aluminum strap and length of piano wire to make a hinge. And I managed to find a small cabinet/glove box type lock which looks like it will do the trick.

[krwalsh]

For all thing composite and other hardware, including aluminum hinges, go here:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com

For hatches, catches, and latches, as well as all sort of other fun race bits and bobs, try here:

http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/

[rngdng]

Cody Stone's compartment door was held on with Velcro. It worked quite well.



Lane

[tz375]

Thanks Lane, That I had not considered.

Kevin, Thatnks for teh URLs. I use Aircraft Spruce a lot for Chrome Moly tubing, but didn't know about pegasus 0 they are just up the road from me.

[tz375]

Well how easy was that. Aircraft spruce sold me a 3 foot length of aluminum piano hinge for $5.50 plus $2 shipping. What a steal.

I needed about 5 inches, so that leaves a little bit for spares..

I fitted it last night after midnight when I got some peace and quiet. Now I need to tidy it up a bit and take some pictures.