The BIG project thread

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 2:19 pm
The picture makes it look worse than it is, it's about 5/16" so I need to add about 3/16" to have a 1/8" gap. It's about 1/16" worse at the front and for some reason I can't get the fender to move inward anymore but I hope to figure that out, may need to trim something on the inside of the fender that's stopping it?

The gap is also worse because the installed nuts in the hood for the hinges are off, it's as far over as it can get toward the nasty gap. The other side of the hood actually extends past the cowl by about 1/16 which as it turns out is a good thing. The dynacorn fender is about 1/8 away from the cowl so I need to add a bit to the cowl to fix it and the hood to fender gap will be pretty good.

If only they made stuff right to start with :rolleyes:
Rob



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PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 4:03 pm
Just depends but This is how I would make it wider and this is a nasty fasty trick with fiberglass and it works great for more than you realize.

Sand off into it down into fiberglass get some Fiberglass Mat and shred the fibers apart into long fibers stuff a bunch into a large can coffee can works good.
Now mix up about half cup resin make sure you are using correct resin call factory find out what they used if you have too that way it matches and will bond make sure you add wax if you have to you have to betcha you do.... Now with sanded lip ready to go take Fibers in one hand brush dipped in resin on other and go to town all up and down edge of hood keep adding till you get it built up keep working till resin starts to kick then stop and clean up before you can add to that area again you have to wait till it fully cures then sand it down and shape a little if you have added enough if not after sanding you can add more material if necessary and it will be takes a bit to learn how to keep working it over and over to the desired thickness.
Sand it out to shape desired paint to match! easy!

check your messages!
Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 4:50 pm
Thanks Dennis, I'll have to see if the dynacorn guys will reply as to what type of resin they used. If not hopefully whatever I can get will work. I think there's a place here that would have a good selection of this type of stuff. I'm way out of my element with glass :splat:
Rob

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PostPosted: Sat Dec 20, 2014 11:23 am
Dennis, as far as moving the fender in further it wouldn't work, the door is in as far as it goes and it's in alignment with the fender so I would fix one problem and create a bigger one. The hood is another story, if the fender moved in then it would be right tight to the hood since the hood has the nuts boxed/welded in off by 1/8" from true center, so on the other side it's actually hanging out a bit. If I had stock hinges I could open up the holes in them and fix that problem, but I have these fandangled billet hinges and I'm loath to start grinding on them :splat:

I'll get er done, just a bit of a pain like everything tends to be with aftermarket stuff :knockout:
Rob



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PostPosted: Mon Dec 22, 2014 12:34 pm
I feel your pain Rob about after market junk, I now see why Guys are getting away with 500 for a fender 1000 for a quarter for used Its flat out worth it! Better to have a repairable old part than a Junk after market.

I bought both of those half quarter panels for the firbird neither one is usable as a Whole panel, They were Half panels to begin with any way very top window channel is left off of them and rear inner section and bottom.
They are nothing more than Patch panels and in my case wont fix any thing, would have been great if I started with them but Now I am already committed to what I got going and it was a waste of money I needed real full quarters I will hang on to them for the 71 Im gonna do.

I was out their all day yesterday with Calvin I worked on my car he worked on his He did good as Long as he listened to me every thing went smoothly for him I on the other hand struggled with my Quarter panels Im an airplane mechanic not a Body man. I am getting to were I don't like doing this stuff much any more and I have a Mountain of it to do Like my best friend/Crew Chief Bruce McNalley would say GOOD! then that's all your gonna do till you love it! then laph like hell with an evil laph as he walked away and he meant it too lol
Its going slow but I am getting there I have to finish up the quarters before I can weld the trunk in and the Trunk Drop offs its all after market and non of it wants to fit rite, I swear you have to make each piece work individually Pain in the Ameba

I think I am gonna do the 71 With Glue to show other how much better and cleaner faster it is. I was against Adhesives till I tried them but after all the work re-learning how to weld buying all the rite equipment mig welders Tig welders only to go back to using Gas welding I went full circle as Gas is Best especially for sheet metal any way learning how to plannish out the weld bead properly getting the panels strait and their is non of that with glue. Its cleaner easier less expensive and you don't have all the distortion from heat and beating on the panels Its just cleaner and more in line with the times I think plus its every bit as strong when done properly.
I dunno I will still weld it just becomes a preference in my mind of how hard do you wanna work how much do you wanna spend.
Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 23, 2014 8:43 pm
Yeah it's hard to figure out how they can make repop pieces so close to good yet so far. Must be more to it than meets the eye? Would like to think you can alter the tooling to make it perfect. If someone would, they would pretty much have a monoply of the market, once it's set up right it doesn't cost anymore to make this stuff. I have a pile of stuff like your half quarters, total junk, thown to my scrap pile. Only reason I keep them is in case there is a useable shape I can cut out for some other purpose.

I've never used glue but it's good to know it works, I bet it would speed up some repairs especially.

Started adding onto the fender, the hood will follow, still wrapping my head around that.
Rob



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PostPosted: Wed Dec 24, 2014 1:44 pm
Believe me the mfg of these parts don't want people bad mouthing there products OR showing others how far off they are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! witch is what needs to be done publicly on all the internet forums you can find dont bad mouth the company just show other consumers on forums how they dont fit rite then they will fix the problems.

When I was picking up the parts for the Firebird in CA at Classic industries I was getting into it with a Quality control manager a Young guy in his mid 20s I was explaining how there Trunk pan was fine for 71-73 BUT NOT FOR 70 as they advertise and proceeded to show him why He is now waiting for me to send him close ups of every thing.I was showing him every thing on my Laptop I had with me.

Like he said with the Half quarter panels are just patch panel panels to cut patches from they are not intended to be used as a whole panel. But like the trunk I purchased or a fender or a Whole quarter panel these parts when certified as a replacement part OR marketed as an original replacement the part should fit and have same shape as original.
To allow these cheap imports from China to come in and compete with the used market is a crime! especially when Magazines are pushing them as perfect OEM replacements they are less than truthful the stuff is junk period and enthusiast deserve the truth.

He told me these are nothing more than patch panels and should be used as such and not meant to be used as a whole replacement part.
Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2014 11:37 am
Merry Christmas, hope Santa was good to everyone :rockon:

Yeah I could rant about the repop stuff all day Dennis, I often do actually :realmad:

Speaking of which, I'm getting pretty close on the fender to door gap on the repop side. That must be the hinge that makes the gap look off near the bottom, looks corrrect in person. Still needs some final work with the fender off. The gap is just over an 1/8th, looks a bit bigger in the pic. The initial gap was so big that I had to add more weld onto it after I welded the rod on :rolleyes:

Image

Image
Rob



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PostPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2014 7:05 pm
Yes Merry Christmas to all. :bighug: :bighug:

Rob that looks great, I had to do some of that on the 38 but it wasn't repop stuff :knockout: :knockout: :rotfl:
it needs to be lowered with big and littles. .

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PostPosted: Sun Dec 28, 2014 1:50 pm
Doug's 38 2dr sedan wrote:Yes Merry Christmas to all. :bighug: :bighug:

Rob that looks great, I had to do some of that on the 38 but it wasn't repop stuff :knockout: :knockout: :rotfl:


I've had to do a bit on the non repop stuff too but nothing too crazy like this was. I'm onto a new and bigger problem. The back of the fender by the cowl and windshield is a mile off. Here's a pic of the OEM side and then the repop side, there's a ridge that runs under the windshield, the top of the tapes should be a smooth line. The OEM side isn't perfect but good enough, the repop side is a mile off :splat:

I think I'm going to cut a piece off an original fender and graft it onto the repop, what fun that will be, could be opening up an ugly can of worms, we shall see. :knockout: :knockout:

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Image
Rob
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