TerraTrike Velomobile.... Let There Be Access!

Another large step forward this morning was achieved while working on the velomobile.  I managed to get the hood of the vehicle separated from the body without a lot of hassle. (sigh of relief here) This will allow easy access in or out of the vehicle.

 Here is a shot of the body of the velomobile once again as most of you have already seen in similar photos from earlier posts.  This one is actually just a little different.  The hood has already been cut from the body and as you can see it matches up perfectly without any further work to adjust for the cut. 

 Now this is really something different after all of the work that I have put into the project so far.   To see an actual working hood is a big step forward.  The hood at this point for the sake of taking photos has been propped up with a small piece of Styrofoam.  Once the hood has been completely fiber glassed I will install a small check strap so that the hood will not open much further than what you see here.  Without this strap a gust wind could flip the hood completely forward where it could be damaged by striking the nose of the vehicle.  Not a good idea.

Here the hood has been separated from the body.  I will begin fiber glassing the underside of this part of the body to give it more strength and finish it off before the outer skin can be sanded into shape for glassing. 

 With the hood removed from the body you can now see all of the inner framework that has been completely fiber glassed so far.  Very little needs to be done at this point to complete the work that is needed before the body can be sanded on the outside and fiber glassed.  I cut the hood out using a hacksaw blade that I slide between previously installed foam strips.  My planning paid off as to cut the ribs at the right locations and angles for the project worked out perfectly.  Very little clean up will need to be done to finish off the opening that you see here.

Even with the hood open from this view the velomobile looks good.  You can see the work that still needs to be done to smooth out the outer surface of the hood once it has been fiber glassed on the underside. This will be an easy task now that the hood has been separated from the body.  Just one more thing to cross of my list on this project.  Just have to get the fiber glassing done and my day will be complete. Enjoy the photos.