# My first boat build 70's Mirrocraft 14'



## DiverJosh82 (Jul 31, 2016)

Hi there,
My name is Josh. I have decided that it was time to make my first post. And what better way to start than in the projects section with my very first boat project!
I've lurked this site a bit since last October when my dad bought me my first boat. It's a 14 foot Mirrocraft that through the tin boats site I've narrowed it down to a 70's ish era deep fisherman. It came with a galvanized trailer that is in really good condition. Just needs to be rewired. The boat itself is in need of a hug. I decided to completely reno it and this weekend after it sat next to the shop since October I jumped into it. 
I started by washing it out to get the gunk out. I then removed the seats which were in pretty bad shape. I was going to remove them anyways since I plan on changing the layout anyways. I also removed the rotten transom as well. Pretty much stripped the entire boat to start the sanding and prepping for paint phase. (I am going to leak test it this week).
How I got it back in October


Sorry the pic isn't rotated correctly


The transom that needs help


The transom cap is split, seems to be a common problem


Seats and transom wood removed, started scuffing interior


Mild corrosion behind transom wood


Another view after first day of demo and prep


I'm going to post a few more in another post to break it up a bit. Don't know why the certain pics aren't oriented correctly. They're correct on my computer.


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## DiverJosh82 (Jul 31, 2016)

Here's a couple more with a few questions as well.
Any ideas how to fill/fix this? Previous owner had a thing to pull up lobster traps. Must have corroded it a bunch over the years.
I really don't want to have to have someone weld it. I know JB weld isn't recommended by some on here due to flex and all, but would it work in this location?


So far this is how clean and scuffed I have it. Do I really need to go to bare aluminum? I've hit it with rough to medium sanding 


Here is a better pic of the corrosion on the gunwale 



I have a feeling this build is going to take a while so I will update it as soon and as often as I can. Any advice will be welcomed.
Thanks Josh


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## FormerParatrooper (Jul 31, 2016)

You do have a lot of work ahead of you. If you email MirroCraft with your Hull number, they can narrow down the year and make for sure. They may even have a PDF of the Sales Brochure too.


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## DiverJosh82 (Jul 31, 2016)

FormerParatrooper said:


> You do have a lot of work ahead of you. If you email MirroCraft with your Hull number, they can narrow down the year and make for sure. They may even have a PDF of the Sales Brochure too.



I emailed them tonight. Only problem is there is no number on the hull that I can find, and the placard that was on the boat's serial number appears to be possibly incomplete. It looks as though some of the serial number is stamped, and maybe some not? Or it was originally painted on and someone stamped it as it faded? I sent them a pic of it to see if they they can help.
And yes I sure do have a fair bit of work ahead of me lol. But unfortunately I do not have a motor yet for it so as I save up for one I will be working on it...

See how there looks like a 4 and then maybe another number before the stamped number?


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## Al U Minium (Aug 1, 2016)

Here are some Mirrocraft Catalog pictures and a few of my 1968 14 footer. I am doing a restore and added pictures of the seat rework. Save the foam as it is likely in good shape and will save you some money. I would use JB Weld to repair rail damage(not JB Kwik).


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## DiverJosh82 (Aug 1, 2016)

Al U Minium said:


> Here are some Mirrocraft Catalog pictures and a few of my 1968 14 footer. I am doing a restore and added pictures of the seat rework. Save the foam as it is likely in good shape and will save you some money. I would use JB Weld to repair rail damage(not JB Kwik).



Thanks for the reply. Mirrocraft already emailed me back. Not 100% sure of the exact date due to serial number being somewhat incomplete but they said it is most likely a 70, 71 or 1972 model. As for the seat foam unfortunately it is in pretty poor shape. However I work in construction and I have access to a lot of foam scraps and my good friend is a spray foam guy so maybe that will come in handy. No work is getting done tonight as the girlfriend has the night off but I plan to get back at it tomorrow after work.


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Aug 1, 2016)

You should at least take it to a couple of welding shops and get some prices.


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## Johnny (Aug 2, 2016)

Josh - welcome aboard !!

how is your skill at fiberglass ??

In my world, If I had a metal issue such as the gunnel 
that is split open, I would drill some holes on the under side
and shoot in high density spray foam the full length of the rail
and secure the holes to keep it all inside.........
then, fiberglass the cracks using the appropriate procedures.
The foam will give you the foundation you need in order to work the glass patch.
BUT - fiberglass is a stable product, aluminum will expand/contract with the temperatures
and will delaminate from the surface - making this a constant maintenance issue. (yes, I know this first-hand).
Option 2: if you are a woodworker, you could make some new gunnels out of white oak.
but, of course, the popular opinion would be to cut out the offending
areas and weld in a new patch and finish it out smooth.

your boat = your call



have fun - be safe !


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## FormerParatrooper (Aug 6, 2016)

DiverJosh82 said:


> FormerParatrooper said:
> 
> 
> > You do have a lot of work ahead of you. If you email MirroCraft with your Hull number, they can narrow down the year and make for sure. They may even have a PDF of the Sales Brochure too.
> ...



That is a bit hard to read, I found my number on the starboard side of my transom on a metal tag. I hear it is lucky for that still to be attached. 

Did MirroCraft send you a catalog?


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## DiverJosh82 (Aug 18, 2016)

Yes Mirrocraft did send me a catalog. I decided to use those do it yourself aluminum brazing rods. It actually came out pretty good! 
Work has been slow on the boat lately. I have been training hard for a Tough Mudder which was last Saturday, and then I got sick so it's been sitting by the wayside.. I did finish scuffing it up and then power washed it with tsp and after it dried I started to primer it. But there is where the problem lies. I cheated out and bought some product called XO Rust aluminum primer from the local hardware store. It's a primer made specifically for aluminum or galvanized metal. I started to put it on but man this stuff smells just like house paint.. I my mind something thats going to stick to aluminum should have a nice odor to it... I check the can and it says clean up with soap and water! I'm thinking I got waterborne stuff... So now do I need to try to pressure wash or sand or somehow remove what I've put on? Damn it! I did also buy some XO Rust oil based enamel so I put some of that on the dried primer areas and some of the unprimered areas, which isn't bare aluminum. It's the original boat paint or whatever it is. It doesn't quite stick like I want it to. It actually does stick better on the on unprimered areas though. Now I'm not sure what to do. I'm not trying to make a brand new looking boat but I do want to paint it and not have it flake off in the next year... What do you guys think?
I stopped primering above the potential floor line..


I do like the color!


Also I did stop the primer application above the floor line so I could just leave it and do the visible areas differently. The transom area was done with rustoleums aluminum primer in a spray can and it stuck very well! I wish I had done the rest with that...


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## DiverJosh82 (Aug 18, 2016)

And I still don't now why the pictures aren't orientated correctly. They are correct on my computer and correct when I put them on Facebook. I even tried to rotate it into the "wrong" position just so they would be "right" when I post them here. Still doesn't work..


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Aug 18, 2016)

I'd contact the paint manufacturer and see if the paint is compatible with the primer.


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## enginerd (Aug 18, 2016)

lckstckn2smknbrls said:


> I'd contact the paint manufacturer and see if the paint is compatible with the primer.



Good advice. I'm far from a professional painter. Generally, you want an oil-based primer for an oil-based paint and I think you might be stuck removing the water-based primer, but the manufacturer might have better news for you. I'm in the process of painting my boat now, and I used the RustOleum aluminum primer spray cans (note that RustOleum does make a water-based Aluminum Primer); thus far I'm very happy with the results.

Did you etch the surface before applying the primer? You can etch it with a 50% white vinegar and 50% water solution.


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## DiverJosh82 (Aug 19, 2016)

enginerd said:


> lckstckn2smknbrls said:
> 
> 
> > I'd contact the paint manufacturer and see if the paint is compatible with the primer.
> ...



The two paints I bought are compatible with each other. However I do not know about the paint thats on the boat from the factory. Either way doesn't matter because I just looked at the primer from XO and it says to NOT paint over paint with it. Looks like I'm doing some stripping. At this point I'm just going to remove as much as I can from what is above the floor line and then just hit it with the rustoleum and go from there. The boat is a little to beat up to spend that much time on anyways. My luck she'll sink first time out anyways.

And does TSP count as an etch? I did that.. Keep in mind there isn't much bare aluminum. Most of the interior paint is intact and not peeling or flaking. The exterior paint is perfect, just needs a scuff and repaint.


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## enginerd (Aug 19, 2016)

Oh, if it's all painted you probably don't have to worry about the etch, but I believe that TSP will etch aluminum anyway, so you should be fine.

Sucks about the stripping, but at least you caught it now and not after painting the whole boat.


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## DiverJosh82 (Aug 19, 2016)

enginerd said:


> Oh, if it's all painted you probably don't have to worry about the etch, but I believe that TSP will etch aluminum anyway, so you should be fine.
> 
> Sucks about the stripping, but at least you caught it now and not after painting the whole boat.


 Yea, but also I'm glad that I only used the sucky primer on the floor and that will be covered. Apparently some guys don't even paint under the floor anyway so I think I'm not too far behind.. I may only strip the couple of areas that I spot tested the color on. I was really impressed with how well the rustoleum held up. I think I may try their topside paint and primer. 
Thanks for the responses..


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## DiverJosh82 (Aug 22, 2016)

Ok..... So the inner "my dad in me" came out. Meaning he always does things the correct way. Well I decided to strip the paint down to the bare aluminum. My god what a chore that was! And I really only got the exterior done. Well actually I got the interior above the floor line done too. I'm still debating whether I should do the rest of it so that I can gluvit it. I probably should seeming how the only leak I have is very minor and I don't think it is coming from a rivet. Its from a spot on the keel? in the bow. Looks as though previous owner made one too many a beach landing on hard surfaces lol.. There is no visible hole from the interior but it comes in from where the two pieces of bow metal come and meet the rest of the boat. I had it in the pool a while back and in 10-15 mins it only had a few drops. There was a bit more than that when I had my pressure washer cleaning it yesterday. Me thinks doing 20+ on the water will introduce a lot. So I think I want to take care of it.


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## DiverJosh82 (Aug 22, 2016)

So what do you guys think? Just suck it up and strip the rest of the hull (interior)?







Thanks ahead for any responses!


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## enginerd (Aug 23, 2016)

Nice work getting down to bare aluminum; did you use chemical strippers or just mechanical removal?

That's a tough one. The inner perfectionist in me (I think we had similar fathers) would say strip it all down to bare aluminum and go from there. If you're going to Gluvit the seams, you probably want to strip it down to bare aluminum along all the seams anyway and that probably gets you about half way there. If I recall correctly, according to the directions on Gluvit you can apply it over a stable painted surface (e.g. not flaking off), but I wouldn't chance it. As my dad used to say, "put that down, it's expensive"...oh, no, I meant, "if you're going to do it, you might as well do it right in the first place."

On a side note, I have a trick to figure out if your painted surface is stable and can be painted over. You can just stick a piece of duck tape down, press it down really well, and then peel it up. If any paint comes up with it, then you need to strip it down, but if it comes up clean then more than likely the old paint is well enough bonded to the substrate that you can just overcoat it.


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## DiverJosh82 (Aug 24, 2016)

Thanks for the reply! I used a combination of chemical strippers and scraping/sanding and a pressure washer. It was not a fun time but I'm glad I did it. As far as the rest of the interior paint I probably will go at it this weekend. It's primer that I put on top of the original paint. I'm itching to start building but I don't even have a motor yet and probably wont be able to afford one until next summer so I've got plenty of time to do this correctly. I will also admit that the idea of polishing the exterior to a nice shine and waxing it or whatever is also starting to sound interesting...


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## enginerd (Aug 24, 2016)

I've seen a few Lone Stars that the owners have done in polished aluminum and they look pretty sharp. I toyed with the idea myself, but decided I liked the original paint scheme better.

If you're near Southern Colorado, I have a 1968 18-hp Evinrude Fastwin that I'd sell you for $200. I haven't gotten it running, but I know my cousins had it running about 10-years ago and it has been used very little over the past 30-years (my uncle had the boat sitting beside his house and virtually never used it). I would guess it had low hours and shouldn't be too onerous to get running again, thought it will definitely be a project. Not sure what a non-running engine is really worth.


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## DiverJosh82 (Aug 25, 2016)

enginerd said:


> I've seen a few Lone Stars that the owners have done in polished aluminum and they look pretty sharp. I toyed with the idea myself, but decided I liked the original paint scheme better.
> 
> If you're near Southern Colorado, I have a 1968 18-hp Evinrude Fastwin that I'd sell you for $200. I haven't gotten it running, but I know my cousins had it running about 10-years ago and it has been used very little over the past 30-years (my uncle had the boat sitting beside his house and virtually never used it). I would guess it had low hours and shouldn't be too onerous to get running again, thought it will definitely be a project. Not sure what a non-running engine is really worth.



Thanks but I'm located in Kittery Point Maine. I'm actually debating on just saving through the winter and buying a brandy new motor come next spring/summer.. That way I'd have a warranty and wont have to mess with getting one going. I just can't decide between a 20 or 25 horse. I motor around more than I fish. I realize it's not a speed boat but I do like to get to places with a speed induced smile...


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## RebelRob (Aug 25, 2016)

Hey! Another Mainah!


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## enginerd (Aug 26, 2016)

DiverJosh82 said:


> Thanks but I'm located in Kittery Point Maine.



Yeah, that's a little far to go for a nearly 50-yr old engine. That area of the country is beautiful...at least some of the year. When I worked for NOAA I spent some time in that neighborhood.


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## oakchas (Aug 29, 2016)

Gotta say, you've done a heck of a job on getting down to bare aluminum. I quit after not having much luck with chemical stripper... but I did get most of the old paint off. Where it was particularly stubborn to even mechanical removal, I just accepted that as a good base.

I'm hoping my build goes quicker than the paint removal.


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## DiverJosh82 (Aug 29, 2016)

oakchas said:


> Gotta say, you've done a heck of a job on getting down to bare aluminum. I quit after not having much luck with chemical stripper... but I did get most of the old paint off. Where it was particularly stubborn to even mechanical removal, I just accepted that as a good base.
> 
> I'm hoping my build goes quicker than the paint removal.



I actually just got done yesterday with the interior. I seriously will never strip a boat again lol.. Above the floor line its clean to bare aluminum, below its like 90%. I am pretty sure it's enough. I definitely have all the seams and rivets cleaned up enough for gluvit. 

Does anyone know if gluvit can go on bare aluminum?


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## fish hooks (Aug 30, 2016)

Hey Josh! Im new here as well and also undergoing my first boat resto. Looks good so far! Let me know how you patch the tough spots


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## enginerd (Aug 30, 2016)

Manufacturer recommends roughing the surface with 80-100 grit and applying an Aluminum Prep Wash over bare aluminum. I've seen others recommend putting on a Zinc Chromate primer prior to application, but manufacturer does not have that in their literature and what I've read said bare surface is preferable. I put Gluvit on bare aluminum for sealing my seams with no issues thus far.


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## DiverJosh82 (Aug 31, 2016)

fish hooks said:


> Hey Josh! Im new here as well and also undergoing my first boat resto. Looks good so far! Let me know how you patch the tough spots



Thanks for checking out my thread! I will definitely let you know. Right now I'm debating on Filling it with JB Weld and putting on a keel/bow protection strip of some sort. Do you have a build thread on this site set?


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## DiverJosh82 (Aug 31, 2016)

enginerd said:


> Manufacturer recommends roughing the surface with 80-100 grit and applying an Aluminum Prep Wash over bare aluminum. I've seen others recommend putting on a Zinc Chromate primer prior to application, but manufacturer does not have that in their literature and what I've read said bare surface is preferable. I put Gluvit on bare aluminum for sealing my seams with no issues thus far.



Thanks for the info. Did you have any leaking or were you just putting it on to prevent future leaks?



Another thing I'm now questioning is the building of everything out of aluminum. I'd like to but damn it's going to get expensive.. Plus being a carpenter by trade I know I could probably build very light but still be strong with wood. I dunno, we'll see I guess.


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## enginerd (Aug 31, 2016)

I leak tested my boat before I started and just had a faint leak along the back seam where the transom met the bottom of the hull. I put Gluvit on all the seams as a precaution; I didn't want to put all the work into this boat and then find out I didn't get it sealed properly and had to undo a portion and repaint to address it.

I don't have much in the way of framing to do, just some bench tops to mount seats to, which I plan on making out of mahogany, but I hear you on the cost of doing things out of aluminum. it would be nice to do it out of aluminum, since it's light and you'd never have to worry about it again. I might lean towards wood myself though, as it's easier to work with and I think if you seal it well (old timers formula) it should hold up.


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## DiverJosh82 (Sep 4, 2016)

Ok so finally got some progress on the ol' tin! 
Saturday morning the GF and I went to the local marine supply place and picked up a quart of gluvit, and also a bunch of cans of good old rustoleum self etching primer. Now it has been a week since I had finished removing all the paint and I hadn't scuffed it up yet and washed it. So we went over the whole hull inside and out with sanding sponges to scuff it, and then washed both sides with a TSP/hot water solution, followed by a good rinsing. Then into the shop it went with the dehumidifier directly underneath it and me with the air compressor blasting water out of all the crevices and crannies. By Saturday night it was completely dry and ready for primer. 

5 or 6 cans of the self etching primer later and I had the hull (exterior) done. I did a very light "tack" coat first allowing it to dry for a few minutes (per instructions on can) then a second coat to fill it in a little more. All in all I think it came out pretty good. This afternoon we carefully flipped it over back on to the trailer so that I could apply the gluvit to the interior. Yes it was a little early to flip it but the primer seemed pretty well dry plus once I get the topside primed it will be flipped over, scuffed and and spots that need touch up with be hit, then painted. 

So anyways I mixed up the gluvit and began to apply. Man I came close to that 60 min pot life putting it on by myself. I hit all the rivets and seams and a few spots I though would benefit from it. I came back in the shop an hour or so later and there were some runs here and there but they're all below the floor line so I'm not concerned.











So one question I have is..
When can I prime over the gluvit? The can says full cure after 48 hours but can you prime after say 24 hours? I already found out that you CAN use the self etching paint on top of it, but do I need to wait two full days? I really want to get the rest of the hull primed so I don't have to worry about oxidation anymore. Also don't pay any attention to the dirty shop.. lol, I'm currently storing a bunch of my dads stuff while he builds his new place..


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## DiverJosh82 (Sep 5, 2016)

Ok a little more work today on the boat. Finally got to do some fun stuff! My uncle was generous enough to donate 3/4 of a sheet of some marine plywood he had laying around. (He/we used to work at a fancy lumber yard) It's 3/4" Sapele plywood. He only needed a small portion for a firewall on the ultralight he was working on and told me to "use it up" lol. I traced the old transom on to it, and milled it up. 
Using a chip brush I "painted" on some titebond 3 onto both inner faces and then a small worm of glue for extra measure. I decided to use some nice treated wood compatible GRK screws to clamp it together from the side that will be hidden. Tons of squeeze out and that bugger is solid as a rock!



I decided to temporarily slide it into place as theres a slight bow to it once it's in place. I think the motor supports are a little skewed or something. It's really not that much though so I am going to leave it be.




I'm not too excited about how the ends of the transom fit to the boat. The ends of the boat are curved in such a way that the top is shorter. I wanted to have the plywood fit tight to the sides but you cannot physically get them in. Oh well I have a few ideas as to fix this.

On a side note I'm not sure how well the rusto self etching primer is going to hold. I barely dug my fingernail into a hidden spot and it scraped right off. I'm pretty sure I did my prep right. Scuffed the bare aluminum, washed with tsp and thoroughly dried..
The first time I put a little test area of the rustoleum self etch it stuck solidly! I'm going to give it a few days and then scuff it with a scotch brite pad in the full sun. Maybe it needs to cure more?


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## DiverJosh82 (Sep 5, 2016)

Oh and while the glut was hardening yesterday I replaced the rotten bunks on the trailer and threw some new carpet on them. Not much of a pic for that but heres one.



Also if any of my readers remembers my serial number was worn off on the placard and couldn't get an exact year of the boat. Well when I removed the aluminum piece from the exterior of the transom there was a number stamped into the hull in the center of the transom near the top. Could this be a serial number or hull identification number? I emailed a copy of the pic to Mirrocraft to see if they could help me.
I'm not too worried as my uncle said when he registered his old aluminum the town hall people only needed to see a bill of sale, and it didn't have a serial on it. They didn't care. $25 and there ya go. (we live in the same town)


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## oakchas (Sep 5, 2016)

Primer looks good! Your sides, at the transom, seem to have less flare than mine... I'm about to put the transom in mine and it's not nearly as pretty as your ply.... I used treated lumber (approved for direct contact with aluminum, wet or dry. Unlike the stuff they call yellawood) so it's just SYP.

I really ought to use some gluvit on the interior of mine.... but it never took on water when I used it fishin' last year... so I'm hoping for the best.


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## lvhish486 (Sep 9, 2016)

What method did yous use to remove the transom? Is there a trick into popping out the bolts? My PO was very generous when securing the transom to the stern.


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## DiverJosh82 (Sep 9, 2016)

lvhish486 said:


> What method did yous use to remove the transom? Is there a trick into popping out the bolts? My PO was very generous when securing the transom to the stern.



I used a combination of an angle grinder and a sawzall. Two of the bolts came free naturally with a wrench but the others were a b*tch. The transom wood itself was pretty soft and spongy on the sides enough to where it slid out pretty easily once I got all the fasteners out. 
My only problem is the aluminum C channel cap piece is unusable. But others have said that you can make it yourself so thats what I'll do.


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