Wheel Wells. I started by looking at the
areas that need to be closed off. I made a arch out of aluminum angle
iron that was bondoed and glassed to the inside of the fender. I used
a wire mesh to cover the open areas. I pop riveted it in place. I then
used drywall compound to fill in the mesh area. Once this had dried, I
glassed over it to complete the patch. This was then painted flat
black. I then used ABS that was cut and shaped to fit the inside of
the fender well. This was screwed into the aluminum angle and the
inside body panel. Be sure to check the clearance with the wheel
turned in both positions.
I finished off the rear window by
glassing in the lip of the rear window to the top of the firewall. I
then used bondo to fill in and shape the edge.
I
installed two 1/4" plates on eather side of the rear window. These
were tapped ro accept the bolts from the decklid hinges.
I glassed
in the sections that I had cut off to mount the body. This was
accomplished by bracing them in place, cutting matte and then applying
resin. I will finish off the bottom side with Bondo.
I took
the big plunge and permanently mounted the body. I started by running
a string from the center line at the back to the centerling at the
front. I then made sure the string lined up with the marks on the
body. I then checked the body in several places to make sure it was
level as was the body.
I started
mounting by welding the bar at the midpoint to the brace above the
firewall. Then I welded the post from the rear brace to the trunk
floor. The front hinge plates were welded to the posts in the trunk
area. A 1" rod was welded to the top between the two front posts. The
door shock plates were bolted into place on each side. The side panels
were tied into the support from the body to the tube that had been
glassed into the rocker pannel. This was then tied directly to the
body for added support.
The trunk
floor was welded in place and 1" tube welded from the trunk floor to
the back of the car.
Before I
mounted the body, I made a rolling cart that I could use to move the
car outside to sand on it. The picture on the right is my car cover.
It has been raining in the last month and this worked out just fine.
Key is to make sure it is stretched tight or you end up with pools of
water in the plastic.
After
removing the body again, I was able to mount the plates that will be
used to support the shock plates. They are bolted through the side
pannels. I will need to remove them to mount the body again but now
all the holes are drilled and can be fitted after the body is mounted
again.I also attached the filler cap, vent house and grounding strap
to the gas filler housing.
I mounted
the body and put the radiators on so I could take it to the muffler
shop to get new mufflers installed. Also figured out the A/C wiring
and plan on having the A/C hoses mated and system charged. I will go
with the R-134 as I will eventually have to go to that anyway.
Estimates: $600 mufflers, $400 A/C. All the pannels are just set
inplace and what I took to the Muffler shop just had the shell on it.
Even at that I still had a crowd. Can't imagine what it will be like
when its finished. The second set of photos shows the car without the
wing. It looks good either way.
First
time the body was mounted. Test fit, no supports had been attached to
the car at this time.
The body
is actually supported on either side of the car on a rail that is
fabricated and attached to either side of the car. The flat 1x3 tube
that fits under the door is best positioned when the body is
temporarily positioned in place. I then tack welded the tube in place
and then removed the body. It is necessary to trim part of the flange
off of the bottom to clear the rail. This can easily be glassed back
in after the body is finally in place.
The 1x3
tube is welded to 1 inch tube that is welded to the door frame. A
second 1 inch tube is welded along the bottom of the door frame and
extends back towards the rear wheel. This will be used later for
tieing in the body. These two tubes are connected with 3/4" tubes that
are cut and welded for additional suport.
I've had
multiple inquiries about the headroom in the roadster. I am 5'10" and
as you can see that I have a close fit. I am sitting in the stock
fiero seat and the one with the kit will actually give me some
additional headroom
