Yes Ma'am, I might be interested. We rebuilt, with the good old heliarc, the old aluminum frames in '93, put in Lexan panels, bedded everything nicely, but now it's tired again and foggy and cracky. But need to know if my Ariel frames are the same ones the high performance Commander uses. SS would probably be the way to go, 316 grade I guess. Others here more astute in this area. Give us more details as ya get 'em, and thanks.
ps: I live on the East Coast, not far from Tony Sopprano.
Dan
()-9
Commander and Ariel window frames are NOT alike.
If this doesn't work out for you - and Commander and Ariel aluminum lights are different - have you considered the alternative of refurbishing the originals?
338's were generally in pretty good shape. Required effort and chemicals to remove silicone caulking inside and out. Patched old holes (not the original pattern holes) and corrosion pitting with Lab Metal, an aluminum filler used in auto restoration.
Then they got powder coated with a hybrid metalic patina bronze color and clear coated. Relatively expensive but now that wallet-shock* has subsided, all the frames look fabulous.
This might also be done in a group to lower costs.
*Had the tiny Ariel aluminum opening ports done also, which have a bunch of parts, and raised the cost.
Powder coaters use silicone plugs to keep the coating out of miniscule threaded holes used to fasten the inside to the outside frame. But 338's were drilled through and now will have flat or oval headed machine screws thru from the outside with crown nuts on the inside frame. The through holes and countersinking was done befor so powder coating would help isolate the silicone bronze fasteners I want to use. Copper and aluminum really don't like each other - so I'll put on anything else I can think of to isolate the two alloys.
Last edited by ebb; 10-22-2004 at 11:29 AM.
The commander and the aerial have different size windows. But I did look at a Web site for the Elektra and but it might have the same windows as the commander? Any ideas on this?
I am looking into cost estimates. Currently the cheapest way is to cast them. I'm not sure if the original windows were made this way?
I am looking into the cost difference between casting them in bronze and having them chromed or having them cast in aluminum and then anodize.
Would the commander/ariel Association have any interest in Purchasing some of these Windows for future projects? It would be nice if the association had a stash of hard to find parts of to continue the restoration of these boats.
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