I feel your pain D mananas hours of tedious cramping. My hole body hurts looking at it. But the payoff will be when you see it in wet primer. I love that part.
BUILD THREAD “The Juggernaut”
- Thread starter Rktpwrd
- Start date
I can't imagine. It's going to look killer. One of a kind
And just like that, the “well deserved break” is over and we’re right back into fabrication.
Got the backsides of the side panels cleaned up and sanded in 80 grit on the DA, they were pretty scratched up but they cleaned up ok.
Then it was a ton of measuring and laying out lines on both sides. The measurements for the bead roll lines had to be done on the front side as the measurements were taken from the inside edges, but the lines needed to be transferred to the backsides in order to have the bead on the proper side of the panels.
I could’ve flipped the dies on the roller, but it’s much easier to follow the lines with the male die rather than the female die. You’ll note in this next picture that I didn’t like the initial placement of the top inside curve, it was too close to the edge in the corner. That’s why multiple test fits are always important.
After spending a couple hours trimming and refining the fitment of both panels, tonight after dinner I enlisted the help of the better half to run the feed on the bead roller and we got it done. I was extremely nervous about doing this, you only get one shot at it to get it right. Screw up even once and you’re done, throw it out and start over again from scratch and make all new panels.
Thankfully it didn’t come to that. Here they are Cleco’d in place, and I think they turned out great. Even better than the first set I did.
So now tomorrow night, I should be able to take them back out and shoot some epoxy on the backsides before punching a bunch of holes in them for welding them in permanently. Extremely relieved it went so well tonight!
D.
Got the backsides of the side panels cleaned up and sanded in 80 grit on the DA, they were pretty scratched up but they cleaned up ok.
Then it was a ton of measuring and laying out lines on both sides. The measurements for the bead roll lines had to be done on the front side as the measurements were taken from the inside edges, but the lines needed to be transferred to the backsides in order to have the bead on the proper side of the panels.
I could’ve flipped the dies on the roller, but it’s much easier to follow the lines with the male die rather than the female die. You’ll note in this next picture that I didn’t like the initial placement of the top inside curve, it was too close to the edge in the corner. That’s why multiple test fits are always important.
After spending a couple hours trimming and refining the fitment of both panels, tonight after dinner I enlisted the help of the better half to run the feed on the bead roller and we got it done. I was extremely nervous about doing this, you only get one shot at it to get it right. Screw up even once and you’re done, throw it out and start over again from scratch and make all new panels.
Thankfully it didn’t come to that. Here they are Cleco’d in place, and I think they turned out great. Even better than the first set I did.
So now tomorrow night, I should be able to take them back out and shoot some epoxy on the backsides before punching a bunch of holes in them for welding them in permanently. Extremely relieved it went so well tonight!
D.
I absolutely love the direction this is going! D, your skill ceases to amaze us man, keep up the extraordinary work! This car is something special and the attention to detail you're giving it shows for sure.
It's really coming together. Getting an alien spacecraft kinda vibe. Incredible work 👏
When his layout lines look better than my finished product.....
liquidh8
Comic Book Super Hero
All this shows me is what I could accomplish if I didn't have kids... and had talent.
Thank you very much Scott. Your kind words really mean a lot. I appreciate it very much.
Thanks Tony.
That spaceship vibe should be reduced substantially by the time some of the interior panels start going back in. Ya gotta look past things like the bead rolled reinforcing ribs in the floor because they won’t be seen under the carpet. Think bigger picture and try to visualize the end result, I think it’ll look obviously custom but not too over the top.
Thanks Shawn!
Necessary evil for straight and matching mirror image beads unfortunately. The real challenge was accurately transferring them from the front side to the back.
Appreciate it, thank you!
Some people create life, others bring life to their creations. Not everybody is parent material. You undoubtedly made the better choice I’m sure.
Since I’m here responding to all your kind words anyways, I’m just going to post some of my recent thoughts and musings.
I had a bit of a revelation last night before bed, sometimes I forget this is the 21st century and that repair methods have improved and changed. Thinking ahead to making the side panels a permanent part of the rear firewall, I was originally going to just punch a bunch of holes in them and plug weld everything. But then I realized there’s a much better way.
I’ll still punch plug weld holes in things like the side tabs, but the flanges around the perimeters and the trunk brace that straddles the middles would be much better served by panel bonding them in place. Less distortion, no grinding, and no repairs with body filler if I should get a little carried away or go too deep with the grinder. Plus, the panel bond will act as a natural sealant to keep the trunk sealed off separate from the passenger cabin.
There will still be some holes that are going to need to be welded up, but those will be the Cleco holes. I’ll have to add a few more Cleco’s to evenly distribute the clamping force, but it’ll still be less intrusive than welding everything. Especially in the middles of the panels.
So that’s all, just a slight revision to my original plan.
I got the backsides of the panels shot with 2 coats of black epoxy tonight, right on schedule, so I should be able to start making preparations to get them bonded and welded in permanently tomorrow.
