"Skip Gundlach" wrote in message
ups.com...

As to KLC's comment about reinforcement, if I could get to them all
the way, the discussion of shims/wedges wouldn't be necessary. And,
if I could get to them all the way, I'm enough of a belt and
suspenders man that I'd likely grind it off and put on new, building
up in exactly the same form as original (Pete provided me with the
type of cloth used). I can't see how adding wood over an existing tab,
and then going over it with FG/resin would improve matters; you're
relying on the existing part, and not connecting the new to the
bulkhead (I may not have a picture of what was intended, I realize).

Thanks for all the commentary and support, in whatever fashion. Today
it looks like we'll have a beater Suburban for use in transport and
hauling; I'll know for sure by the end of the day.

L8R

Skip

Skip,

My outline may have left out steps that I have clearly in mind, but didn't
translate into dots on the screen. The way I see it, yes -- you could grind
off all the old tabbing and install it new, but then you would have TWO
secondary/mechanical bonds, rather than the one secondary (tabbing to
bulkhead) and one primary (tabbing to hull, laid-up when the resin was still
fresh and molecularly active.

My method does rely upon glue (epoxy) between the bulkhead and old tabbing,
clamped together with the bolts and battens, all laminated together into one
thick tabbing. Unfortunately, if you don't have the access, you don't have
the access. So now the question becomes, can you ever make it strong enough
without that access?