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03-11-2024, 08:14 AM
#201
Senior Member
Firewall Window Panel Installed
Interior rear window panel in place. The hinges for the hatch are assembled and bolted in. The frame clamps for the gas struts that lift the hatch are also bolted on.
interior rear window installed outside.jpg interior rear window installed inside.jpg
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03-11-2024, 08:17 AM
#202
Senior Member
Painting Loose Brackets
Got a bunch of brackets painted last week. I was already hanging up a couple and figured I would paint the rest of them that were in the box while I was at it and the weather was nice. They were starting to collect surface rust in the box. Probably should have painted these earlier in the build, but was too excited doing other things.
brackets before paint.jpg brackets after paint.jpg
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03-11-2024, 08:20 AM
#203
Senior Member
Harness Mounting Setback
As for the seat and harness mounting, it has been a real challenge. Once we placed the hard top on, we realized that we (my dad and I) were too tall and we hit our head on the roof. So removing the seat sliders was the only way to gain headroom we needed. This messed everything up.
1. The lap belt mounts now interfere with the seat and need to be redesigned.
2. The mounting bolt for the anti-sub belt in the middle interferes with the seat bracket crossbar.
3. The tension adjustment point for the lap belts bottoms out on the plastic opening on the side of the seat. It needs to be moved up where they can be accessed.
4. The seat brackets need to be redesigned because they used to bolt up to the slide rails and now need to bolt to the seat itself.
This project can really bring you down sometimes. You work hard on a solution and invest time into it, just to find out much later that it actually doesn't work out the way you planned and you have to scrap it all and start over. But I think everything worth doing has highs and lows.
I managed to come up with a few solutions to the problems I listed. I ditched the bulky lap belt mounts and went with a bent L bracket design similar to what is used to extend the harnesses on Jeeps. This solves both problems 1 and 3. I can drill a hole in the crossbar for the seat to clear the mounting point for the anti-sub harness which solves problem 2. As for problem 4, the rear seat mounts still line up with the holes on the brackets. I will need to drill new holes for the front seat mounts in the brackets. I can re-use the front bracket holes to mount to the chassis.
Sometimes you have a rough day or night in the garage and it nothing goes your way. It really can be demoralizing and make you want to shove the project aside. But this is my dream and I cannot give up on it. I think about the project all the time and how much fun it will be when I can drive, race and show the finished car. Every hard day or night spent is progress towards that goal.
shoulder belt clearance.jpg lap belt adjuster access.jpg prototype lap belt extension bracket.jpg rear seat mounting points.jpg
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03-11-2024, 08:38 AM
#204
Senior Member
Maintaining Motivation
It was a particularly sunny day out and I was determined to reignite my motivation after encountering the harness setback. I opened the garage door and brought up one of the front fenders. I clamped it roughly in place, stood back and just stared at the car for awhile. This really helped motivate me to keep progressing with the build. I also registered the 818 into a local car show which is in May and got accepted. I know I will not have it completed by then, but that didn't stop me from enjoying Boxerfest last year.
I think this strategy of maintaining motivation is really effective. There comes a time in the build where the "honeymoon phase" ends. From some 818 builders this may have been the wiring stage. Or the body (likely the doors) stage. If whatever you are working on now isn't very exciting or motivating, look ahead to something that is. Even looking at pictures of completed builds helps motivate me to reach that point and push through these challenges. Going to shows (even when your build isn't "complete") is another great way to collect some motivation. If you're at the stage when you can fire the car up, do it! Set small, achievable goals and knock them out one-by-one.
front fender test fit.jpg
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03-11-2024, 09:46 AM
#205
A little eye candy every now an then can do wonders for the morale. A friend let me drive his Cobra on Mulholland Highway late one night when I was slogging through wiring and I was buzzing for a week. Perseverance is every thing.
Ed
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03-11-2024, 12:01 PM
#206
Senior Member
After blowing up my engine (that's a whole story), I reassembled a new long block and installed it back into the car only to discover it didn't have cam shaft seals. But I'm pretty good at cam shaft seals now because I replaced them the last time they were leaking. When they still leaked, I remember yelling out, "You've gotta ****ing be kidding me!" The leak was coming from a loose plug bolt on the head above the cams. The fix ended up being a simple 1/4 turn tightening of the bolt. I had to replace my throttle cable at the track. No big deal - I carry a spare. The spare cable was too short. I blew up 3 5 speeds before switching to a 6 speed. Then I broke an axle at Lagua Seca. I imagine we all have stories of such frustration. I just tell myself, "We'll get through this one just like all the rest and it will be worth it."
I'm thankful for advice (from this forum) that will minimize these stories and I hope others can learn from my mistakes.
PS I'd suggest painting the bracket at the bottom of the A pillar. It can get extremely rusty.
Last edited by Dave 53; 03-11-2024 at 04:59 PM.
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03-11-2024, 12:17 PM
#207
Senior Member
![Quote](images/misc/quote_icon.png)
Originally Posted by
BigDanSubaru
As for the seat and harness mounting, it has been a real challenge. Once we placed the hard top on, we realized that we (my dad and I) were too tall and we hit our head on the roof. So removing the seat sliders was the only way to gain headroom we needed. This messed everything up.
1. The lap belt mounts now interfere with the seat and need to be redesigned.
2. The mounting bolt for the anti-sub belt in the middle interferes with the seat bracket crossbar.
3. The tension adjustment point for the lap belts bottoms out on the plastic opening on the side of the seat. It needs to be moved up where they can be accessed.
4. The seat brackets need to be redesigned because they used to bolt up to the slide rails and now need to bolt to the seat itself.
This project can really bring you down sometimes. You work hard on a solution and invest time into it, just to find out much later that it actually doesn't work out the way you planned and you have to scrap it all and start over. But I think everything worth doing has highs and lows.
I managed to come up with a few solutions to the problems I listed. I ditched the bulky lap belt mounts and went with a bent L bracket design similar to what is used to extend the harnesses on Jeeps. This solves both problems 1 and 3. I can drill a hole in the crossbar for the seat to clear the mounting point for the anti-sub harness which solves problem 2. As for problem 4, the rear seat mounts still line up with the holes on the brackets. I will need to drill new holes for the front seat mounts in the brackets. I can re-use the front bracket holes to mount to the chassis.
Sometimes you have a rough day or night in the garage and it nothing goes your way. It really can be demoralizing and make you want to shove the project aside. But this is my dream and I cannot give up on it. I think about the project all the time and how much fun it will be when I can drive, race and show the finished car. Every hard day or night spent is progress towards that goal.
shoulder belt clearance.jpg lap belt adjuster access.jpg prototype lap belt extension bracket.jpg rear seat mounting points.jpg
That sucks having to redo everything.
I won't go into a discussion on the subject of harnesses on a non-broomstick complaint car, but I'd suggest investigating it.
Here's a good video on threading the belts.
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03-11-2024, 01:08 PM
#208
Senior Member
Dave,
Thanks for the video on the harness wrap techniques! I will revise the wrap on my harness bar once I get the seat position and rough strap length better determined. I know that it's not the safest thing out there. To be fair, the whole car is dangerous. Home-built tube chassis car with no traction or stability control, no ABS, no airbags, no power steering, no power brakes, poor visibility and RWD with a high enough power to weight ratio to get you into a lot of trouble. As they say "this is why women live longer than men".
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04-01-2024, 08:45 AM
#209
Senior Member
More Carpet & E-Brake Trim
Wrapped the center tunnel in carpet. I did not use the pre-cut one from the FFR carpet kit because my shifter and ebrake are not in the same position as the directions call for. I bought extra carpet from FFR and cut this piece custom.
Center console carpet 1.jpg Center console carpet 2.jpg
Did a little CAD (Cardboard Aided Design) on an aluminum panel to cover the emergency brake. A lot of back and forth test fitting and trimming but I got the aluminum version to fit pretty nicely. I wrapped it in carpet to match the rest of the interior. I didn't want to spray adhesive the carpet to the ebrake trim because I wanted it to be removable. Ran out of industrial strength Velcro, so the top panel is just resting on there in these pics. Hoping the Velcro will hold it down nicely and it will help hide the edges.
ebrake trim prototype.jpg ebrake trim aluminum.jpg ebrake trim carpeted.jpg
I bought a little shifter extension off of Amazon for cheap. It was more of a test piece to see if I liked it, and I think I am actually going to keep it. It keep the shifter at a really comfortable height, adds more leverage for shifting, and keeps my wrist from hitting the ebrake handle when I shift to 2nd gear.
shifter extension.jpg
I finished installing the carpet under the seats. Now I can focus on getting the seats installed again.
under seat carpet 1.jpgunder seat carpet 2.jpg
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04-01-2024, 08:48 AM
#210
Senior Member
Seats & Harnesses Installed!
The driver seat and harness are bolted in! I can't even begin to explain the feeling of relief, accomplishment, satisfaction, and excitement that pulsed through my body the first time I pulled down on the shoulder straps and felt my body pull down snug into the seat. This was a huge challenge to sort out and I'm so glad I finally did it! I also rewrapped the harnesses around the harness bar the appropriate way following the methods shown in the video link from the previous post. Much easier to rewrap them with the seats out.
first time buckled in.jpg driver harness installed.jpg
Another long night in the garage with the guys, but we got the passenger seat and harness installed! Plus we torque checked a bunch of suspension components. Some of them we have to wait until the car is on the ground. I have a few more things I need to do before we can do that. Making progress!
both harnesses installed.jpg both seats installed.jpg
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04-16-2024, 06:46 AM
#211
Senior Member
First drive!
I finally got the chance to take her out on her maiden voyage! I took the whole day off to prep things and get set up. My dad and my uncle came over on lunch to take video and go for a ride. I don't have any videos up on YouTube, but I posted some on my Instagram (links below). Sorry to anyone who doesn't have or can't see Instagram videos. In the future, I may create a channel where I post content about the 818. I am just too busy at the moment to do that.
first drive 1.jpg first drive 2.jpg
I didn't push the car much because the alignment is still a work in progress. Brakes are firm and the car runs and sounds great! It was an awesome day. Now onto the next phase....bodywork.
(I've heard it's a blast)
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5jvmcss...RlODBiNWFlZA==
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5nwr...RlODBiNWFlZA==
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Rob T thanked for this post
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04-16-2024, 07:36 AM
#212
Such an awesome day. I still remmember my go-kart. Congrats!!
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04-17-2024, 06:52 AM
#213
Congratulations on the 1st drive!
The body can be frustrating. A couple of tips you might consider...
The front fenders are not of equal length (at least mine aren't) at the line that joins the hood. I spent a while trying to even everything up before finally figuring this out. Then I ended up measuring everything. The frame is pretty square and true, so I marked centerlines front to back for reference.
You can check my build thread for some pics on this.
Good luck!
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04-17-2024, 07:10 AM
#214
Senior Member
Protecting The Body With Herculiner
I have seen a few builders apply truck bed liner to the inside of their body panels to protect them from the elements and debris. I also like the way it looks rather than just the raw fiberglass on the inside. So I scuffed up the inside of all of the body panels and washed them out with dish soap to remove any contaminants.
Panels scuffed and washed 1.jpg Panels scuffed and washed 2.jpg
I let these dry overnight, then flipped them all over to apply Herculiner. It is a roll/brush on product and it applies really easily. I only needed one coat to get good coverage. It took way longer to dry than the directions stated, but I let them sit for the entire day in the sun, then brought them into the garage overnight to dry. They turned out really nice. Plus I am getting way fewer fiberglass splinters handling them.
Herculiner1.jpg Herculiner2.jpg Herculiner3.jpg Herculiner4.jpg
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04-18-2024, 01:01 PM
#215
Senior Member
Rear Camber Issues
I had way too much negative camber at the rear. As in more than my magnetic bubble scale can read (over -6°). I thought I had the camber link about as long as I felt comfortable in terms of thread engagement. However, after talking with another coupe builder. He has 24mm of thread showing on either end of the camber link suspension tube. I had less than 20mm. I didn't think that adjusting it just that little bit would make such a large difference, but it seems to have done it. See before pics below.
CamberBefore1.jpg CamberBefore2.jpg CamberLinkTooShort.jpg
After adjusting the upper camber link to 24mm of thread showing on each end of the suspension tube my camber is much more reasonable. But there is not much thread engagement. I may order a longer suspension tube from Summit just for peace of mind.
Looks like it would be this part. Which is available in various lengths. I will measure my current tube and get a replacement that is about 1" longer so I have an extra 1/2" of thread engagement on either end. I will feel a lot safer knowing it's not right on the edge (or close to it).
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aaf-all57158
CamberAfter1.jpg
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04-18-2024, 01:18 PM
#216
Senior Member
Bodywork: Driver Side Panel
Okay [takes a deep breath], here we go with the body install posts. I have been doing a lot of thread reading and there seem to be a few good ways to approach this. The method that I am choosing is to set the side panels in place 5/8" back at the lower front of the panel from the vertical frame member behind the front wheel like the instructions suggest. These side panels will be my reference points to line up the rest of the body. Having too many degrees of freedom to adjust things sometimes makes the process of achieving fitment excruciating. Especially when the clamps are slipping or popping off which throws everything out of whack. I am not saying this is the best or the right way, but it's the way I am approaching the challenge.
Before attempting to install this panel, I hooked up the fuel filler tube and bolted on the door latch mounting bracket. I would recommend doing that before you install this panel, otherwise it can be a pain to get in there. You may have to adjust the location of that latch mount to get the correct body panel positioning.
For the driver side panel, I started by clamping the panel against the frame at the door sill like the instructions suggest. I made sure that the bottom of the panel was touching the bottom of the car and set the 5/8" distance back from the front frame tube as stated in the instructions. I riveted the bottom of the panel in place, then moved onto the top. The aluminum C-channel panel that wraps around the door sill does not allow for the additional thickness added if you install the FFR carpet on the inside. You may also have to file or sand down the fiberglass to the same level as the door sill frame so things are flush. To solve the carpet thickness issue I took a simple approach. I did not want to cut the carpet back, because I did not want to see the seam, or any gaps where I may have overcut by mistake. Instead, I dry-fit the panel as best I could and taped off an area of the carpet to be shaved. Yes, I mean that literally. I used my beard trimmer to shave the carpet almost down to the backing, and the metal panel fits great now. I drilled, siliconed, and riveted the top in place. I will probably wrap this panel on the car later, but that is a detail that can wait. The rear shock tower mounting point is just resting on the mounting tab for now. I will not worry about that until I get the passenger side panel and read panel on, then I can center everything on the frame.
DriverPanelClampTop.jpg DriverPanelRivetUnder.jpg DriverCarpetTrim.jpg DriverPanelClecoTop.jpg DriverPanelRivetTop.jpg
Onto the passenger side!
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04-22-2024, 06:58 AM
#217
Member
I recommend using just a few self tapping screws to start, until all the panels are fit up. Fully riveting them in would be frustrating if you need to bump it like 1/8in or so. I definitely had to fine tune the side sails a little once I got all the rest of the parts on.
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04-22-2024, 07:19 AM
#218
Senior Member
Oof, well they are riveted on now. I measured back from the firewall to the back edge of each side sail and they are dead even, so hopefully they are good where they are. I am working on the rear panel now. Once I get it ready to mount, I'll know how things are looking. Dropping the hardtop on after I install the rear panel will also really tell me if I have them in the correct place.
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04-22-2024, 01:28 PM
#219
Senior Member
![Quote](images/misc/quote_icon.png)
Originally Posted by
lpmagruder
I recommend using just a few self tapping screws to start, until all the panels are fit up. Fully riveting them in would be frustrating if you need to bump it like 1/8in or so. I definitely had to fine tune the side sails a little once I got all the rest of the parts on.
I agree and suggest drilling only the minimal number of rivet holes and only using clecos or tapping screws until everything is fitted.
I'd also suggest triple clamping any coolant system hose clamps or using Gates PowerGrip clamps in any locations that will be difficult to access after the panels are mounted. Because if you're ever gonna have a hose clamp leak, guess which one it will be...
And perhaps run the hoses for an AWIC now. Maybe you'll never use them, but if some day you want an AWIC, you won't have to take the car apart to install it.
Last edited by Dave 53; 04-22-2024 at 01:36 PM.
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05-07-2024, 06:47 AM
#220
Senior Member
Side Vents
I laid the Factory Five mesh and aluminum trim piece on and wasn't a huge fan of the look. I decided to just freehand the opening and lay my own mesh behind it. I think it turned out pretty nice. Freakin scary cutting into panels knowing that I cannot get replacements for them.
Side Mesh Outline.jpg Side Mesh Cutout.jpg Side Mesh Drying.jpg Side Mesh Complete.jpg
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07-12-2024, 12:32 PM
#221
Senior Member
Wiring Lighting In Rear
At this point I am way behind on updating my build thread (my bad). I will start trying to get caught up here at time permits.
Here are some photos showing the wiring for the taillights. I couldn't find the black taillight plugs that are supposed to come with the kit. That plug allows for the switchback turn and reverse LED bulb to be inserted. I stuck with the tan housing and used the standard bulb that came with the lights which blinks amber only. This is fine, because I already have aftermarket lights which have a white ring light for reverse. I also wired a trailer lighting unit up which allows the brake lights to operate as a flashing turn signal. In the future I may eliminate the amber light all together and do something different with the design of the back. But for now, this will get me on the road.
Lighting Wiring Before.jpg Lighting Wiring After.jpg
Here are some pictures of the lights operating.
Reverse Lights Working.jpg Lights Working 2.jpg Lights Working 1.jpg
Oh, and I started playing around with the quiklatches. These things are pretty slick. Kind of expensive, but I think they will look nicer than the huge hood pins and I don't feel like bonding in studs to hide everything underneath.
Rear Quik Latches.jpg
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07-12-2024, 12:42 PM
#222
Senior Member
Body Panel Fitment
Rear bumper lower grill cutout and light cutouts. Painted the cut edges and added my own mesh with a rubber strip to cover the cut edge. Turned out pretty decent.
20240422_195148.jpg 20240419_230235.jpg
Just messing around with the front of the body to see how much fiddling around will have to be done. Seemed pretty manageable, but we will see once I get deeper into it. It was cool to see the panels sitting on the car though. Really got me excited to keep pushing on with the body work.
20240419_230347.jpg
I couldn't get the camber on the rear wheels right because these camber links were too close to the end of their travel. Not enough engagement for comfort. I found a direct replacement that is a little longer and gave me the adjustment that I needed. Got them on Summit.
20240425_231201.jpg
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07-12-2024, 01:49 PM
#223
Senior Member
The lights look trick!
Looking at photos of my car on track, it's amazing how much / hard the hood get's pulled up. While those push button latches look awesome and are fine on other places, they might not be strong enough for the hood. The AreoCatch latches still look clean and are much stronger.
I share this picture because it shows the hood trying to rip off the car at about 70mph.
Buttonwillow 7-31-22.jpg
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07-12-2024, 02:11 PM
#224
Senior Member
Dave, that is wild how much the hood is trying to buckle in the center. I wonder if you enlarged the openings or used a mesh with a higher percentage of free area if that would help reduce that. The factory five mesh with all the small holes blocks a lot of airflow. I have the ZeroDecibelMotorsports hood hinge installed. So I will only have the quiklatches on rear of the hood. I also plan to use a more free-flowing mesh to help aid in evacuating airflow from under the hood. Maybe even open up the holes larger at some point and install the ZeroDecibelMotorsports hood louvers. Sweet pic!
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07-12-2024, 02:32 PM
#225
Senior Member
Tuner Evolution Harrisburg 2024
Here are some pictures of my 818 at Tuner Evolution 2024 in Harrisburg, PA. I had a decent time there, but was dealing with a lot of anxiety that day. It was raining off and on, and having a car that isn't even remotely close to enclosed yet added a lot of stress during transport. Plus everyone there had some picture perfect show car and I had...well...half a car. But I didn't want to let that stop me from bringing it out and showing it. Typical turnout where the Subie guys love it and ask lots of questions (more than just the usual "what is it?").
By the end of the show though, I was getting really tired of answering that question and describing what it is. I usually don't mind, but I was already feeling kinda sick with anxiety which made me uncomfortable and a little irritable. I also have signs on the front that say what it is. Apparently kids these days call those "Boomer Boards". Guess that makes me a Boomer at age 31. Anyway, my son had a ton of fun watching the RC drift competition. I had to get a picture of him with his big smile standing next to "daddy's red car".
TunerEvo with Cam.jpg TunerEvo1.jpg TunerEvo2.jpg TunerEvo3.jpg TunerEvo4.jpg TunerEvo5.jpg TunerEvo6.jpg
Unloading after a long stressful day of moving the car around. We had tarps and covers strapped down all over it. It didn't get all that wet, but backing it up the wet ramps was very sketchy. Next time I am going to hire a transport company to take it to a show. That would really take a lot of stress off and greatly reduce my show anxiety.
TunerEvoUnload1.jpg TunerEvoUnload2.jpg
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07-12-2024, 02:38 PM
#226
Senior Member
Awesome TunerEvo Pic
I forgot to add this picture in the last post. Honestly, I like it so much that I am just going to give it its own post. Factory Five featured it on their story too, which really made me fell good. In fact, if you go to their Instagram page, the photo is still featured there. Link here --> https://www.instagram.com/p/C7M-SkDuh2v/
TunerEvoRoller.jpg
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07-12-2024, 05:52 PM
#227
Senior Member
I don't think it's high pressure under the hood. It's low pressure above the hood. In cross section, the hood looks a lot like an airplane wing. But, for whatever the reason, the hood wants to fly off and needs to be robustly secured.
At least if you have the hood hinges and the latches fail, the hood won't fly away. I'd be curious to know the results of an experiment. At what speed will it get exciting if you forget to latch to latch your hood / the latches fail. With your hood hinges, it will probably just flop around a bit. On my car without the hinges, it will fly off!
I like that picture too. It's at Buttonwillow. The car in front of me spun out and made the big dust cloud. I had to blindly drive through it and when I popped out, the photographer got the picture.
Subifest is August 4th in California. This is the second year in a row I can't make it. One of these days...
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07-13-2024, 08:06 AM
#228
Congrats on the progress! I sorta envy you as I enjoyed building it at least as much as driving it.
As you may have seen from other build threads, the front end can be frustrating. My recommendation; if you haven't, measure everything. After a bit of pushing everything around to make it fit, I found the fenders weren't the same length at the hood line and the hood wasn't symmetric. So short of cutting something, the fitting near the windshield was never going to be even.
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07-13-2024, 01:55 PM
#229
Hmmmm... I've got the Mechie front hinges and quiklatches. I haven't seen any of that bulge up at well over a hundred. I do have his larger louvers as well so maybe that is letting some of the pressure out. Cooling is certainly good.
I did forget to latch them once and got on the freeway. It bounced around but showed no signs of rising. I don't think I got over seventy. I didn't even notice it on the way to the freeway.
Ed
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07-15-2024, 08:53 AM
#230
Senior Member
Rear Camber Links and Quik Latch Trick
Here are some before and after pictures of the longer camber links that I installed. Got them from Summit. Allows for much more thread engagement. The problem I was running into was that I had a ridiculous amount of negative camber, and I could not extend the link any further without having a dangerously low level of thread engagement.
20240425_232618.jpg 20240425_232610.jpg
Factory Five recommends in the manual that you dab some anti-seize on the top of the hood pin, then press down on the panel to mark the spot to drill. Only problem is that I don't want to remove the entire hard top again to drill from under the panel where the mark it. I found these really strong neodymium magnets at Home Depot. They are ring shaped and self center on each other through the panel. I simply placed the one magnet above the pin on the underside of the panel, then placed the other magnet on top. Located the hole for me with ease! I left one fastener out on the aluminum bracket so I could swing it out of the way when drilling the hole.
MagnetTrick2.jpg MagnetTrick1.jpg
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07-15-2024, 09:04 AM
#231
Senior Member
Hanging The Doors
The doors are definitely going to take a lot of time. I managed to get both frames mounted with the door skins on and they latch on the striker. They still need some fine tuning to help reduce rubbing, but they function for now so I am moving on to the rest of the body. I'll circle back to the doors later on. One thing I noticed with the doors is that you cannot just latch the door, then tighten the door frame to the chassis. The frame has a degree of sag to it when it opens. It was helpful for me to unlatch the door from the striker and hold it slightly higher that the latch engagement height. Then my dad tightened the frame to the car. Now it lines up nicely even after the slight sag.
I also countersunk all of the hardware that holds the door skin to the door frame. I also countersunk the 3 bolts that hold the latch mechanism to the door frame like some other builders have recommended. My gaps aren't very even, but I think I can adjust them to be better later. I know I will have to take the doors off again at some point to install the skins, so there isn't a point in getting them perfect right now. I also want to get the rest of the panels on before Boxerfest 2024 which is a little over a month away.
LatchCountersink.jpg DoorWithFrame.jpg DriverDoorOn1.jpg PassengerDoorOn.jpg
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07-15-2024, 12:14 PM
#232
Senior Member
Fitting The Hatch
The hatch required some trimming around the edges to fit into the opening. I laid the glass panel onto the hatch and traced the outline onto the fiberglass with the glass panel centered and placed where I wanted it. Then I taped that line and trimmed to it as close as possible, then finished leveling the surface by sanding. The hatch fits into the opening well now and the edges look good. I just need to adjust the hinges a little bit so the hatch sits a little further into the opening at the top. The hinges are bottomed out and the hatch is sticking up just a bit over the roof line.
Glass is just taped in place for now so I could play with the settings on the gas struts that open the hatch. I think I got them adjusted into a pretty good spot where they help open the hatch, but don't bow it up when the hatch is closed. I am sure once the glass in installed and the adhesive is cured, that will make the hatch more rigid as well.
HatchTrimming.jpg HatchFit1.jpg HatchFit2.jpg
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07-15-2024, 12:24 PM
#233
Senior Member
More Front End Test Fitting
I am back to evaluating the front end of the car and what needs to be trimmed/adjusted. I clamped some things in place and just fiddled with it for a bit. I am noticing (like most builders have pointed out) that the fenders are different lengths. My driver side fender is about 1" longer tip-to-tail than my passenger side fender. Pretty crazy that the molds are that different and it went unchanged, but I think I can kinda make it work with more adjustment.
I definitely need to trim the flange on the fender that the hood sits on up where it meets the windshield. It interferes with the A pillar and keeps the fender from coming in far enough. I also needed to trim the lower rear mounting flange of both fenders so it would not interfere with the door panel as it swings. I will also have to trim some of the return flange on the back of each fender so I can open the doors further without them hitting the fenders. Lots of work to be done here to get things to come out right. For now, I am waiting to cut anything until I can use a laser to make sure the hood is straight and true to the rest of the body. Then I will adjust the fenders to suit that centerline.
I think once I do that and I trim some of the areas that I have noted to be interfering with achieving a good fit, things will start to line up. Right now in these pictures, things are still kinda wonky due to excess material preventing proper positioning, and slip in the clamps. But it almost looks like a complete car here which is amazing to see. Makes me smile every time I walk back into the garage!
FrontEndFitup1.jpg FrontEndFitup2.jpg FrontEndFitup3.jpg FrontEndFitup4.jpg FrontEndFitup5.jpg FrontEndFitup6.jpg FrontEndFitup7.jpg FrontEndFitup8.jpg FrontEndFitup9.jpg FrontEndFitup10.jpg
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07-15-2024, 09:23 PM
#234
Its really coming together!
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