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Thread: Body Fitment Issue

  1. #1
    Senior Member phileas_fogg's Avatar
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    Body Fitment Issue

    After trimming the dash cowl & cleaning up the rear cowl I just can't get the body to fit correctly at the rear cockpit.

    Initially I thought the outer rear cockpit aluminum was too wide and needed trimming. As you can see in the pictures below the bulb seal was crushed against the body at the door striker (more so on the right side than on the left) which prevented the upper edge of the aluminum from sealing against the body. Note the large gap where the aluminum starts to arch over towards the center.

    IMG_4129 by jhsitton, on Flickr

    IMG_4129 by jhsitton, on Flickr

    I trimmed those outer panels ~3/8” on the right and 1/4” on the left. A second test fit revealed that I’d improved the fit, but had a little more trimming to do.

    Another bit of trimming, and body will fit over the sides of the aluminum, but the profile at the top is still wrong leaving a 3/4” gap.

    IMG_4359 by jhsitton, on Flickr

    Also, in the right rear wheel well, I’ve got a gap at the forward edge of the trunk side panel. It’s about 1/2” at the rear cockpit wall and tapers off. By the time you get to the trunk hoop, the body is firm against the bulb seal.

    IMG_4359 by jhsitton, on Flickr

    IMG_4359 by jhsitton, on Flickr

    IMG_4359 by jhsitton, on Flickr

    I could “fix” the cockpit gaps by using a hammer & 2x4 to bend the aluminum forward so that the bulb seal is flush against the body, but that seams a bit drastic. Or I could use some air conditioning duct aluminum tape to seal the gap (painted black so that it blends in).

    Any suggestions?


    John
    MK IV Roadster #8631
    Ford 302, Holley Terminator EFI, T5z, 3.55 Rear End, IRS, 17” Halibrand Replicas (9” front, 10.5” rear), Nitto 555 G2’s (275/40ZR17 front, 315/35ZR17 rear), Fast Freddie’s Power Steering, F5 Wilwood Brakes, FFMetal’s Firewall Forward, Forte’s Hydraulic Clutch & Throttle Linkage
    https://www.ffcars.com/threads/phile.../#post-4776313

  2. #2
    Senior Member Duke's Avatar
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    Pull the bulb seal off the back firewall behind the seats. Pull the sides out and leave them loose and make sure the front is loose. You should then be able to adjust the rear of the body down. Another point to check is the rear trunk aluminum near the tail lights. It may be a little long and need to be trimmed a little (mine did).

  3. #3
    Senior Member phileas_fogg's Avatar
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    Thanks Duke. The sides are loose, and there is no bulb seal on the center cockpit aluminum. I've already trimmed the rear of the trunk side panels; if anything, they're a smidge loose.

    I'm going to try trimming a little of the bulb seal off the cockpit corner aluminum pieces, but I can't trim too much because then I'll have a "hole" (of course, if the hole is smaller than the gap then I'm improved).


    John
    MK IV Roadster #8631
    Ford 302, Holley Terminator EFI, T5z, 3.55 Rear End, IRS, 17” Halibrand Replicas (9” front, 10.5” rear), Nitto 555 G2’s (275/40ZR17 front, 315/35ZR17 rear), Fast Freddie’s Power Steering, F5 Wilwood Brakes, FFMetal’s Firewall Forward, Forte’s Hydraulic Clutch & Throttle Linkage
    https://www.ffcars.com/threads/phile.../#post-4776313

  4. #4
    Senior Member Duke's Avatar
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    Also, just for reference I've seen a few of them that never fit fully tight with the bulb seal around the rear area that you are trying to get perfect.

  5. #5
    Senior Member phileas_fogg's Avatar
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    Yeah; I'm getting the feeling that mine falls into that category. I'm going to mess with it a little more and if no solution presents itself, I'll fabricate an aluminum panel to replicate the profile and frankenstein it onto the existing aluminum.
    MK IV Roadster #8631
    Ford 302, Holley Terminator EFI, T5z, 3.55 Rear End, IRS, 17” Halibrand Replicas (9” front, 10.5” rear), Nitto 555 G2’s (275/40ZR17 front, 315/35ZR17 rear), Fast Freddie’s Power Steering, F5 Wilwood Brakes, FFMetal’s Firewall Forward, Forte’s Hydraulic Clutch & Throttle Linkage
    https://www.ffcars.com/threads/phile.../#post-4776313

  6. #6
    Senior Member phileas_fogg's Avatar
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    So as I was fooling around considering options, I discovered that if I press down on the body at the center of the cockpit wall, everything gets better.

    I suspect that two seasons with the body on the buck sitting in the sun has caused the fiberglass to take on more arch than it should. I'm thinking now that maybe I should set the body in place, place a sandbag on the rear cockpit arch, and let it sit in the sun for a few days.

    Any comment on what I think happened? And if I'm correct, my way of "fixing" the excess arch?


    John
    MK IV Roadster #8631
    Ford 302, Holley Terminator EFI, T5z, 3.55 Rear End, IRS, 17” Halibrand Replicas (9” front, 10.5” rear), Nitto 555 G2’s (275/40ZR17 front, 315/35ZR17 rear), Fast Freddie’s Power Steering, F5 Wilwood Brakes, FFMetal’s Firewall Forward, Forte’s Hydraulic Clutch & Throttle Linkage
    https://www.ffcars.com/threads/phile.../#post-4776313

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