Day 82 - Fender and shoulder re-enforcement, and some wheelchair time

Today was an absolute gorgeous day, so I decided to cross a few of the unappealing yet necessary tasks off my to-do list.  Chief among these was laying fiberglass tape on the interior of the fender.  I carefully un-stacked Rainier and carried the fender outside.  I sealed off the exterior seams of the fender with painter's tape, flipped it over, and cut out sections of fiberglass for each panel.

I mixed up some resin, using much less catalyst than I had during the colder months (even so, one batch gelled and cooked sooner than I had wanted), and applied a strip of fiberglass each to the upper and lower seams.  I let that cure for a couple hours, then returned and flipped the fender over.  After taking off the painter's tape, I mixed up a couple batches of Bondo and filled the gaps on the exterior.

Since there was still plenty of sunshine left, I took a wee break and then decided to do the same thing with the shoulder section.  I carefully took off the slats and carried the shoulder section outside as well.  I positioned more fiberglass tape into place on each of the four interior beams, slathering resin onto each as I went.  I let that cure for while, and then added more Bondo to the underside of the shoulders for the heck of it.  People will likely never see that part, but if I attach the shoulders to the skirt with a hinge, it will be visible.  Overkill?  Probably.

By this time, the sunlight was fading, so I went into the garage and started tearing apart the wheelchair.  Before doing so, I downloaded the operators manual for the model (a Jazzy Select Elite) and read it thoroughly, seeing how it was all put together and whether or not I was going to blow myself up.  Eventually, I got the drive motors completely removed.  This was very encouraging to me, as I am eager to try Variable's non-welding method of attaching them to the fender.

At Lowe's, I saw perforated square steel tubing that I might be able to bolt the motors into.  I need to measure to be sure.  If not, I'll get non-perforated stock, and drill the bolt holes myself.  The only other question I have is whether or not I need to keep the wheels the same distance apart as they were when the wheelchair was assembled.  Specifically, would crazy things happen when I am trying to turn, as the fender top is much wider than the wheelchair (75cm vs 58cm).  Something tells me it will be fine, but I would like to make sure.