Opening Doors Part 3

Now that the inner structure is complete , I needed to build out the area on the front of the door.  Since it needed to be built out about 3/8ths of an inch in the hinge area, I cut a one by two and a short piece of 3/8th in plywood and attached it with  a sheet rock screw in the middle to act as the spacer.  

This picture shows the spacer assembly held in place against the door with masking tape actually holding it to the door.  Then I mixed up some fiberglass bondo and forced it between the door and the spacer , having first covered the one by two with wax paper to keep the bondo from sticking to the wood.

I determined where I wanted the latch mechanism to be located about 2 1/2 inches from the top of the door to the center of the latch. I then cut the opening using a carbide rotary file and cut the opening large enough for the latch to work ( release).  When that was complete, I lined up the latch and drilled the 1/4 inch mounting holes in the door.  There was a small gap where the latch and the door came together and so I wrapped the latch with wax paper, mounted the latch to the door with 1/4 inch bolts and then forced fiberglass bondo in between the two.  When it kicked, everything was removed and cleaned up and then reinstalled and final fit.  

This picture shows that the top ear needs to be cut off so that the latch will function without interference .  A disc cutter was used for this purpose.  The left latch is shown for comparison .

This picture shows the way it all came out after the  final fitting and cleanup.  When it comes time to finish the door for primer and paint, I will use ultralight bondo  to smooth everything up and detail the door.  

This picture shows the latch in place and everything working great.  These are the medium bear claw style latches.

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Checking Brake Lines Using Air and Soap Suds

Opening Doors Part 2

After laying up flat pieces of fiberglass on the table, I cut them into strips 1 1/4 inches wide with a band saw.  Next, they were trimmed to length from the top of the door to just where the radius for the bottom was to take place.  I decided to round the bottom corners, but I could have made them square also.  The strips were set in fiberglass bondo and 90 degrees to the door.  I cut a piece of a bondo spreader and sanded a radius on one corner and then ran it along the fiberglass bondo where the strips meet the door.  This gives a nice filet on both the inside and outside.  After the bondo was set, I lightly sanded the fiberglass bondo and then laid two layers of fiberglass mat on the inside and the outside.  This makes a very strong addition to the door.

To get the rounded corners, I cut a piece of 1 oz. fiberglass mat that I laid up , and then curved it around on each corner and attached this with fiberglass bondo and held it in place with a couple of spring clamps.  This was done prior to adding the two layers of fiberglass mat. This way both sides can be laid up all the way around the subframe at the same time.  When everything was cured, I trimmed the excess with an air saw.  I use an air saw because it is small, easy to handle, quick , and a lot easier to control.  With the excess trimmed, I took a long board ( sanding block ) and dressed everything and made it square.

This picture shows what it looks like after sanding and smoothing.

Now I took the fiberglass that was laid up in the 2” angle iron and cut , trimmed, fit, and attached with two sheet rock screws for alignment.  I made cardboard patterns for the corners and then transferred these to fiberglass mat that was laid up earlier.  Here you could use two layers or three.  I used two layers.  These will be held in place with fiberglass bondo and a couple of spring clamps.

This picture shows everything in place using fiberglass bondo as the “ glue “.  Notice the clamps holding the corners and the sheet rock screws holding the long pieces.  Also notice that I added a couple layers of fiberglass at the top of the door to bring it closer to the same height as the sides.  Where the angle fiberglass pieces bond to the straight pieces, there is a natural rolled space,  this is a great place to gain additional strength by filling in this area with fiberglass bondo.  After everything is set up . use a sanding block or small electric sander, and smooth everything out.  When the finish work starts, I use ultra lite bondo to work everything smooth and nice for primer.

Opening Doors Part 1

Not being one to leave things alone, I decided to undertake the ultimate challenge and install opening doors in my 27 roadster.  This is something that I have always wanted to undertake but never had the time to spend working out the details.  One of the main things to understand when undertaking something of this magnitude is pre planning.  If I don’t think this through, I might wind up with one major mistake that could cost more time and money than I want to invest.  Now I know that I can buy a 27 roadster that has opening doors both installed and raw or uninstalled.  But I am also pretty cheap , and if I can save several hundred dollars and still get the same results for a small investment , then I am all about that.  Plus, l am always up for a challenge.  With that said, let’s get started.   I might add that these same procedures can also be used on t buckets or other fiberglass bodies.

There are a couple of things that need to be known about this body.  One, it actually was rescued from a dumpster years ago and then sat in or outside a shop for several more years.Two , it was pretty cut up because it was used or slated to be used for a drag car.  With this in mind, and after much thought, I decided to take some precautions BEFORE I made some major mistakes.  Since I didn’t know what kind of stress this body had been subjected to and knowing that when one removes a section of fiberglass from this type of body ( one piece construction), it can and often does go crazy and becomes very distorted,  I decided to lock the area to be removed ( the door opening ) by supporting it with 1 x 2 pine wood strips bondoed with fiberglass bondo to the area just inside the revels where the door would be cut open.  Four pieces were used, the area roughed up, and 1/2 inch holes drilled in the wood to help hold the wood to the bondo/door.  Coat the back of the wood pieces , slide into position, and then run a finger or a small radiused bondo spreader along the inside and outside to form a small radius and increase the strength of the bond.

After the bondo is set, I placed 2 inch masking tape on the outside of the body next to the door revelle and marked where I was going to cut the opening with a magic marker. I left 5/8 ths of an inch from the outside of the revelle for the cut line.  Then I took my disc cutter with a 1/16 th inch wide disc and made a cut on the vertical and horizontal line at the bottom of the door.  This is so I can start the cut with my jig saw ( I could have used a sawzal or a disc cutter just as easily)  The small radius at the bottom of the door on the corners, is marked out with a 1 inch inside diameter flat washer ( using the outside diameter for the actual arc) and the cut starts from one of the two slots just made and the round cut is made , 1/2 from one direction and 1/2 from the other.  

This view shows the door after the cuts were made.  I should mention that I cut the bottom of the door first , AFTER the corners were cut, and then cut from the bottom to the top , but not all the way up and across the lip. I did this on both sides.  By doing it this way, the top of the door is not flopping around while the other side is being cut.  Remember that cutting with a jigsaw creates a lot of vibration, and I didn’t want to take a chance that the loose door would vibrate enough and crack the side I was working on.  That would just create more problems.  

This picture shows the cut out door with the wood installed.  When I cut the doors out, the door only moved or distorted about 1/16th of an inch.  Not bad when you consider how much it might have distorted had I not taken the precautions to keep the door from tweeking.

In this picture, I am laying up fiberglass that will be used in building the door jams and tying pieces together.  This will all become clear as the story unfolds.  Flat pieces are done on the table covered with wax paper so that they are easily removed.  The angle pieces ( 90 degrees)  that will be used to form the jams, are made using 2 x 2 inch angle iron, covered with 2 inch masking tape , covered with mold release wax or auto paste wax.  On the angled pieces, I lay up three layers of 1 oz. mat.   I could go thicker if I wanted , but the way this will come together, I feel it will be strong enough the way it is.

This shows my shop foreman DJ and his brother Tivon.  DJ is 14 and Tivon is 9.  Notice that they are wearing protective clothing , safety glasses, welding respirators, and disposable gloves .  I can’t over emphasize that when working with fiberglass and other products that are toxic, safety precautions need to be strictly adhered to.  When working with fiberglass, work the resin into the mat by tapping the brush up and down.  Do not brush it on like paint or the fibers will move around and cause a big mess.  Don’t get to much resin on the mat.  It should be translucent and not soggy.  If it is soggy to the point that it can run, when it sets up it will chip off and be brittle or form a weak spot.  If you get fiberglass resin on your skin, take a rag with a small amount of lacquer thinner  and wipe it over the resin until it is gone , then wash the area with soap and water and then apply some good hand lotion.  Lacquer thinner will take the oil out of the skin and can cause a skin burn or irritation. Protect yourself .

Building A Fiberglass Trunk Lid ( Part 2 )

This picture shows part of the passengers side  and top with  the side piece in place.  The strength that this one piece adds is totally amazing.  I filled in most of the low spots with fiberglass bondo and will finish the entire top with ultra light  bondo.  The metal straps are to hold the trunk lid in place so that I can align and set up the side hinges.

This is a shot of the front lip of the body , which is done the same way as the side pieces and the front of the trunk.  The hinge was made from a 1/2 in x1 coarse bolt with a 1/4th inch hole drilled in the center.  You will need a lathe or a great hardware store to get four ( two for the trunk and two for the body) of these to use as the hinge.  I also turned the head of the bolts down to about 3/32ths thick for space requirements.  Look closely and the one for the body can be seen in place in the upper end of the passenger side trunk opening.  I could have used a different type of hinge, but these work very well, are cheap, and easy to install and work really super!  Almost a no brainer.

Here is a great shot of the front and side pieces installed on the trunk lid along with the driver side piece.  It also shows how the hinge bolt is held in place .  I just use a flat washer and a nyloc and then form a support cone with fiberglass bondo on both the trunk and the body side of the hinge pin bolts.  The hinge pin is a 1/4 x 3 unc bolt with another 3 inch bolt welded to the head of the hinge pin.  This allows me to remove the pin easily and when I final assemble the hinge, I will put a flat washer  with a 1/4 x 20 nyloc nut on the end of the hinge pin to lock it in place.

To get a nice straight evenly spaced gap on the top / front edge, I use two or three pieces of chip board covered with wax paper ( this acts as a spacer ) and taped to the body side of the trunk opening.  I first straightened the body edge by sanding and adding fiberglass bondo and using a straight edge to get it the way I wanted.  Then force fiberglass bondo in the gap and up against the trunk lid.  When set, remove and add more fiberglass bondo to the trunk to fill and even out on the inside against the edge.  The same process is used on the sides of the trunk.

This shows what happens after the fiberglass bondo is forced from the top into the side to fill in the gap.  Now just fill the bottom where the bondo did not reach, sand and finish.

Here I’ve started smoothing with ultra light bondo. The side gaps look real good too!Although it looks like a lot of bondo, there actually Is not that much when all is said and done.  In this picture the front gap has not been done yet.  Not to bad for a cheap trunk lid.  It opens and closes real well and is easily removed.  For the latch, I fiberglassed a thin piece of plywood with two 1/4 x 20 x1 in. elevator bolts ( available at Home Depot or Lowes).  This will allow the upper latch to be attached to the bolts.  I did the same to the inside of the body to hold the lower latch and bracket. 

Building A Fiberglass Trunk Lid (part 1)

This body did not come with any type of trunk lid or filler piece for the trunk.  At first I was going to make a mold off the body and then pull a piece from the mold and complete a trunk.  After looking at how much it would cost for the fiberglass, resin, bondo,sandpaper, time etc.  and knowing that I would probably never need the mold again, I decided to just make one from fiberglass and finish it on the car.  Doing it this way makes the deck lid a little heavier but saves a lot of time and money.  I could make one out of sheet metal, but I wanted to keep the entire car fiberglass.  I started by taking a piece of 22 ga. sheet metal and rough bent it over an oxygen bottle to get a basis curve to fit the body.  Then I bent a long strip at 90 degrees and pop riveted it to the top or forward edge so that it would sit on the edge of the body. Next I used several sheet rock (sheet metal) screws and screwed it along the edge and bottom to suck the metal close to the body contour. Next I covered the sheet metal with wax paper , taped it down and then applied 4 layers of 1 oz  fiberglass mat ( not shown).  This then forms the basis for the trunk and the rest of the process.

Now comes the fun part.  I made a pattern of the contour of the body and transferred it to a 2 x 4 and rounded the edges of the contour on both sides,  This will make 2 lefts and 2 right sides to form the inside lip of both the trunk and the body.  Cover the  2 x 4 with wax paper so that it fits tight and nice, tape it down good and use  some mold release or car paste wax.  Cover with three or four layers of 1 oz fiberglass mat.  Make two off one side and then reverse and make two off of the opposite side.

I also need a nice straight one for the front or top of the trunk lid.  Use a nice straight 2 x 4 , cover with wax paper and apply 3 or 4 layers of 1 oz. fiberglass mat.

This picture shows all five fiberglass pieces along with the 2 x 4 I used to make the side pieces.

Trim the pieces with a band saw or jig saw leaving at least an inch on both sides.  Do this with all five pieces.  Use some lacquer thinner to clean up any mold release or wax residue.  Take some 36 or 40 grit sand paper and rough up the outside surfaces to help insure a better bond and grip for the fiberglass bondo.

Now its time to put these pieces in place.  Take some 36 or 40 grit sandpaper and rough up the inner surfaces of the body and the inner surface of the trunk.  Mix up some fiberglass bondo and spread it along the surface to be bonded (mated).  I pre drilled two 1/4 inch holes and pre fitted each piece so that when the installation takes place,  the bolts will hold the pieces in place until cured.  When cured (kicked) remove the bolts, fill the hole and dress up /off any excess.  Fill in low spots rough sand and get ready for the next step in part 2.

Filling Wheel Wells

With the body flipped over, I went ahead and finished the rear roll pan by adding some fiberglass bondo and then finishing off with some ultra lite bondo.  This picture also shows the extent of the wheel cutout that I am going to fix next.

I took my flat table ,covered it with wax paper and then laid up 4 layers of 1 oz. fiberglass mat , let set up and then repeated the process and wound up with two flat pieces big enough to cover each of the openings.  I then sanded the area on the back side of the body with 40 grit sandpaper on a small hand electric sander and got all of the ridges and bumps out so that the flat pieces I just made would lay flat.  

         

Next I cut the flat pieces about two inches larger than the area to fill.  Using fiberglass bondo, I coated the inside around the opening and placed the flat pieces against the body and secured them in place with six sheet rock screws - into pre drilled holes.  Then I used a bondo spreader and smoothed out the fiberglass bondo on both sides and let set up.  This does two important things:  one ,it gives a great deal of strength  to the panel by overlapping- and two , it allows the blending of the back and the front to occur.  I could have cut the flat panel to fit the opening  and beveled both the body and the flat filler piece and then used mat on the back side and fiberglass bondo on the front and eliminated the  step in the front.  I have found that in this type of situation, that I would rather have the strength that overlapping gives than go the other route.  Not that it wouldn’t work, because it definitely would - I just wanted extra strength from the overlap.  I then blended the front with some fiberglass bondo to fill some of the lower spots and then finished off with ultra lite bondo.

Here you can see what the back side of the filler piece looks like after some extra fiberglass bondo has been spread out and tapered.  This give some extra strength and makes it look a little better.  I will build a flat panel from Luann plywood and cover it when I upholster the trunk area.  This shot also shows the back of the cockpit bulkhead and how I filled the seam with fiberglass bondo to secure it in place and make it more ridged.       

This body has a  4 inch body roll pan installed at the factory and it must have been done on a Monday or Friday because it definitely needed some extra work.  I used my electric hand sander and sanded the edges as smooth as possible where the top of the roll pan and the bottom of the body were laminated together , roughed up the gel coat on both sides and then coated the entire length with fiberglass bondo and smoothed it out.  After it set up, I again sanded the area and blended it as much as possible , filled in the places I missed or were low and then when they were cured, I used ultra lite bondo and finished blending the two together.  It actually came out quite nice.  

This picture shows the roll pan and the wheel well after the ultra lite bondo has been applied and sanded.  From this point, there is just a little detail work to be done, and then these areas will be ready for the first coat of urethane primer. 

Remodeling The Cockpit

Well after looking at the back of the cockpit on this roadster and realizing that I am a big guy, I decided to do some remodeling and increase the length by about four inches , this way I will sit further back and gain more room inside and wind up with a much more comfortable ride.  So here I go to build a better ride.

You can see how and where I cut the back of the cockpit and then I moved it back about four inches and laid it on top of the remaining piece and bonded it together with some fiberglass bondo.  This is really great stuff!  Whoever came up with it should be in the hot rod hall of fame.  if there is such a thing. 

Next I cut a piece of 1 x 2 inch piece of poplar and glued( bondo) it to the top sides of the body and clamped it in place.  Actually the cut piece of the body is not fiberglassed in place yet , but I wanted to show how it was cut and “glued “ down.  So I got a little ahead of myself but now it is hopefully a little clearer.

Here is a closeup of the 1x2 in place and ready for the removed fiberglass piece to be bondoed in place both on the back and on the front.

After It has set up, I took some small pieces of fiberglass matt and tied the ends to the body.  I used three layers of 1 oz matt to do this.  Then I used fiberglass bondo to finish shaping the contour so that it would blend in and flow.

This picture shows how nice the whole process came together and flowed out.

When you look at the rough finished product, it flows nicely, looks good, and the benefits from the added four inches will make this two hour remodel worth the effort.  When I get to the actual finishing of the body, I will use ultra light bondo and this will smooth everything out and get it ready for primer.  

Exhaust System

 Now that the engine , transmission, rear end, radius rods - front and rear, radiator , grille shell, and body are set up and everything seems to look like it belongs and will work, it’s time to build the exhaust system.  The one thing to keep in mind when building the exhaust is clearance.  Next , how it looks on the car and does it flow smoothly and am I going to be happy with it.  The last thing is serviceability.  Can I repair this easily or will it become a major nightmare and project?  Before starting I always install the things that get in the way and provide the most challenges when it comes to clearance.  Remember that heat is always going to be a concern around the starter, oil filter , battery cables , brake lines, fuel lines , wiring,  the floorboards, and the steering box.  I have an old starter and oil filter I use on my mock up engine to get started when building  the exhaust.  It’s always best to start at the exhaust manifold or header that is going to be used.  I try to use mandrel bent 2 inch o.d. exhaust tubing but often I use muffler shop bent tubing where it is not going to be easily seen.  Mandrel bent is the same diameter throughout the entire bend; whereas, muffler shop is smaller through the bend and standard size on the ends.  I only use 45 degree, 90 degree and straight tubing just to keep every thing simple.  By cutting , turning and using a few basic tube techniques, I can wind the tubing in and out, up and down, and over and under to create a very smooth flowing exhaust system.  If a person doesn’t want to go this way, they can just take it to a muffler shop and have them build a custom one - bring your wallet!  I start with the 1/4 -3/8ths  metal flange bolted to the exhaust manifold and will usually start on the starter side.  This will usually set the depth or length downward for the exhaust and then I can match the opposite side accordingly. 

Next  I tack a 1 x 1” thin wall length of tubing to the top of each muffler - this sets the floor clearance ( allows air to flow over the top so that heat inside the cockpit is minimal).  Then I tack two lengths of 1 1/2 “ angle  iron to each muffler ( one at each end)  make it long enough to span the width of the frame.  These are used to adjust the muffler in and out, front to rear, and allows for angle placement inside the frame rails.  In other words, it allows the muffler to be place exactly where you want it and then either tack or clamp the angle iron to the frame thus securing the muffler in place.  Then do the same with the other one.  This one shows four pieces of angle, sometimes I use just two and tack each end of the muffler and then tack the angle to the frame.  Now that the mufflers are where I want them (held firmly in place)  I can now build from the header to the muffler and from the muffler to the rear of the car and I can build the rear exhaust mount from the frame to the pipe or to the muffler and everything will stay put.  It’s nice not to have to fight the muffler while I’m building the front and rear parts of the exhaust system.

This shot shows the set up for the mufflers a little better along with the pieces that I used for the front part.  There are two ways to work with the exhaust pieces.  The first is to fit each piece and tack in place and then butt weld when finished.  The second way is to take several bends down to the muffler shop and have them open up each end so that the 2” tubing will just slide into the other piece.  They will usually do this for free or very inexpensively.  This actually makes the adjustments quicker and easier and give a much more solid connection and more rigid after welding.  I will often use a combination of the two to achieve what I am looking for as an end product.

This is a picture of the rear exhaust with two 45 degree bends and the ends have been opened up to allow the next piece to slip inside. After I have the angle I need, I tack in place for future welding.  When routing under the rear end, I will allow about 1 1/2 - 2 “ of clearance between the housing and the exhaust tubing.                                                  

Here is where hanging the mufflers really pays off.  You can see how the pipes will exit the chassis and from here I place the rear hangers off the frame to the exhaust pipe or to the muffler depending on clearance , brackets , or personal choice.  Once the rear hangers are in place , then the angle iron muffler supports can be removed.  When the exhaust is complete;  welded,painted, and installed, then I will add chrome tips after the body is mounted so the tips can be adjusted to the end of the body.  These can be tacked or screwed or pop riveted or any combination I want.

 This picture doesn’t have anything to do with the exhaust system but it shows something I do with all of my cars.  Notice the flat bar brackets coming off the frame.  These are for a removable trailer hitch.  There is another one on the other side of the frame that is hidden in this picture.  I make these out of 3/8th x 2 “ flat bar with a 3/8ths “ hole drilled for the removable hitch to  bolt to.  I may never build the hitch and yet if I need to or decide to,  then the frame or mount is already in place.  The top hole on the center bracket is for mounting the frame to an adapter when I put the frame on two engine stands for final welding , finishing, and painting.

Lower Grille Shell Modifications

The grille shell is a fiberglass 32 and because I am using a suicide front end, I am only using the upper 2/3rds of the grille shell.  The aluminum radiator I chose actually turned out to be about 3/4ths of an inch wider which means that the center of the shell needs to be cut and re-glassed so that it will fit the radiator and look good.

  In order to use aluminum grille bars, I needed to build some sort of lower mount that would enable the bars to mount and align as well as clear the front spring mount and still look decent.  To do this , I made a pattern with a welding rod or you could use a coat  hanger, to go from side to side and up and around ( over) the spring mount.  Then I transferred the pattern to a piece of 1/8th x 2 inch flat bar and bent it to fit the welding rod pattern.  Since I am making this out of fiberglass, I wrapped the flat bar with wax paper and then taped it to a piece of plywood that was covered with wax paper.  I then laid up short strips of fiberglass mat - 4 layers total, let set and then trimmed the excess and smoothed it up.

 I don’t have a picture to show the next step, but if you look at the picture, notice that there is a flange on the front and then it meets up with the angle piece just made.  This piece was made by using the plywood covered with wax paper and laying pieces of mat in the shape of the mount - 4 layers.  When cured, I trimmed it to fit the pattern and then used some fiberglass bondo to glue the two together and then used two more layers of mat to bond them into one part.  the final shape - from the side - looks like the letter Z.

  
 This picture shows the Z shape with the piece in place with fiberglass bondo holding it.  Later on, before I mount the grille bars , I will use some short pieces of mat to make a more substantial bond between the grille and the lower piece just constructed. When it is fully bonded, it will be both rigid, strong, and look good and will hold the bottom of the grille bars in place very nicely.

Mounting Electric fan

Now it is time to get the electric fan mounted to the radiator.  I always start by using a piece of 1/8th by 1 inch wide flat bar and then mount it to the grill shell mounting tabs on the radiator.  The holes are drilled and tapped 1/4 -20 in the flat bar and 1/4 inch holes drilled in the aluminum mounting tabs.  The expansion tank ( overflow ) is then mounted using 1/4 -20 holes drilled and tapped in the flat bar.

  Depending on which radiator manufacturer I use and which fan is selected, will determine how the brackets will be made to mount the fan to the 1/8th inch flat bar on the sides.  This one worked out quite well and only required  a hole on one end - drilled and tapped 1/4 -20 and an angle cut on the other.  I weld both on the top and inside the bracket so that the outside can be radiused and still have lots of strength from the inside.  This is done with all four mounting brackets and with the supplied hold down that comes with the fan, bolted together with a 1/4 - 20 bolt.  Final assembly will use blue lock tight  and an SAE 1/4 flat washer.

This is another shot showing the right side mount.  

  Here is a standup shot with the flat bar and expansion tank - overflow tank, in position.  These are pretty straight forward and come together very nicely.  I usually finish the mounting bracket with urethane primer , glazing putty, and final color to make them look more professional.  You could also use  spray can gloss black and it would also look ok.  It’s all about personal choice.  The two drilled and tapped holes showing, in the flat bar, are for mounting the grill shell to the radiator.