Once the flange was cut to size I flipped the hood over to see how the scoop fits compared to the trunk seal lip. I also want to see where the openings could be cut for air flow:


Once the flange out line and the approximate inside flange edge were marked I grabbed some paper to make a template:

The paper was taped down and I used a lumber crayon to trace the curve of the trunk seal lip:

I used the flange of the scoop to estimate the positions of the curved lines forming the intended hood opening. These lines ate approximately 1" inside the outside edge of the scoop and should be reasonably close to the inside edge of the flange.
The hood was then flipped back over and the front egde of the scoop marked and the template was taped for a trial fit.


Edit : WOOT! I own page three!

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 05-08-2007).]

Remove the center space all together. Leaving either one larger opening or you still have both openings but only a arm coming down to the hood that would look good and support the middle of the scoop.
Like Amber did here.

but then shorten it a bit too.

edit: oops, too late.

[This message has been edited by Fiero1Fan (edited 03-28-2006).]

Timo:

I though of doing that but it looses some of it's appeal to me. I like the effect of the two separate scoops rather than the single look. I dunno, I guess it's just a personal taste thing. Out of curiosity, why do you think it should be shortened? I assume you mean front to back?

Nolan

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 03-28-2006).]

nice .... verrrrrry nice ....

Yes. I think it might look better if the whole piece was shorter. Ignore that it will over hang at the moment and just move the pieces down about 10" and see how that looks. I have photoshop but can't get it to work like I want it to.

Timo:

I will have a look at it when I get home from work tonight.

Edit: I had a look at what you are saying. I agree that moving the scoop forward would look good as well. Part of what I like about this scoop is that it is fairly long and places the openings about midway on the hood rather than the fairly common front location of most scoops or the rear of the hood openings that are less frequent. I think it looks some what unique or at least different than most. I appreciate your suggestion but I think that I will keep the length, again it's just a personal preference thing. Besides, I had already cut the hood openings but it could still have been made to work.

Thanks
Nolan

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 03-28-2006).]

most definatly doing a splendid job! keep up the work!

Holy Cow, What detailed work. It just keepsgetting better and better doesn't it. I love the TA fender scoops. However I think that I may try to do a set like the second generation style on my 79'. I know I have seen someone on here do this before. Where did you learn about the fiberglass? I have one experiance with it and it was not good, I am very intimidated. Thanks david

QUOTE]Originally posted by poncho_101:

Holy Cow, What detailed work. It just keepsgetting better and better doesn't it. I love the TA fender scoops. However I think that I may try to do a set like the second generation style on my 79'. I know I have seen someone on here do this before. Where did you learn about the fiberglass? I have one experiance with it and it was not good, I am very intimidated. Thanks david[/QUOTE]

David:

Thanks for the comments. I have learned, the little that I know about fiberglassing, from this forum and a number of other websites but mostly from just doing it. I started with the battery box because it wasn't something attached to the car and if it didn't work it would be no big deal. I would suggest that you do something similar just to get a feel for how glassing works. Here are some links that I have found to be helpful:

http://web.njit.edu/~cas1383/proj/main/
http://www.televante.com/
http://www.garbled.net/tim/fiberglass.html
http://www.statikdesign.com/scratchbuilt/
http://ccs.exl.info/fbglass.html
http://www.glassmanscustomforum.com./
http://www.hotrod.com/howto/60478/
http://www.hotrodder.com/32Blowpar/page10.html
http://www.fbodyaudio.com/a...p?article=molds.tech
http://www.fbodyaudio.com/a...icle=stealthbox.tech

Nolan

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 05-08-2007).]

Sourmug - what an excellent thread!

It's good to see someone else jumping in and trying their hand at bodywork. It took me 2 years to start & finish all the bodywork on my "GreenGT" - and it looks like you're getting a much more solid start on it than I did (I ended up having to re-do things a few times because I didn't listen to the instructions as clearly as I should've).

The one tool I can't endorse enough is a larger (6" diameter) DA Sander. I picked mine up at Home Depot for around $50 - and it was the best money I ever spent when it comes to doing bodywork (it's much easier to get a smooth plain when you're working with a larger sanding surface!

As to the quality of the 'glasswork you've received from vendors... as I understand, your first two pieces (from Tiawan & DV) are going to be two of your "most difficult" pieces. I have Stage2 Scoops (although from an earlier 'glassworker), and other than a couple of air pockets in the gel coat - they are great quality. And air pockets (at least in small numbers) are just a side of hand-made glasswork that is tough to avoid - I'm just glad you located the voids before you got further along in the process!

quote Originally posted by MinnGreenGT: Sourmug - what an excellent thread! It's good to see someone else jumping in and trying their hand at bodywork. It took me 2 years to start & finish all the bodywork on my "GreenGT" - and it looks like you're getting a much more solid start on it than I did (I ended up having to re-do things a few times because I didn't listen to the instructions as clearly as I should've). The one tool I can't endorse enough is a larger (6" diameter) DA Sander. I picked mine up at Home Depot for around $50 - and it was the best money I ever spent when it comes to doing bodywork (it's much easier to get a smooth plain when you're working with a larger sanding surface! As to the quality of the 'glasswork you've received from vendors... as I understand, your first two pieces (from Tiawan & DV) are going to be two of your "most difficult" pieces. I have Stage2 Scoops (although from an earlier 'glassworker), and other than a couple of air pockets in the gel coat - they are great quality. And air pockets (at least in small numbers) are just a side of hand-made glasswork that is tough to avoid - I'm just glad you located the voids before you got further along in the process!

MinnGreenGT:

Thanks! I actually do have a 6" DA sander but forgot to mention it as it was really only useful for the top of the deck lid. I had done the majority of the top sanding some time back and didn't take a picture of it. But, here is a picture now:


You are right, it makes a big difference on the larger areas.

Speaking of air bubbles, I started to sand the two scoop pieces when I got home tonight, low and behold I found a number of additional bubbles that my "hunt and peck" method with the hammer didn't find. I guess my method wasn't very efficient. These all became evident when I was sanding so a word to the wise "sand your piece first thing and you'll find the holes"!



Nolan

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 05-08-2007).]

What can I say? I couldn't stay out of the garage.

After we went and got some Chinese, played a game or two on the computer, I went back out. I pulled the clamps off and.....




Hey! It worked!
It's a pretty subtle curve and I don't really know just how much it will help air flow (if any) but it's gotta be better than a flat vertical edge. Besides I like the idea and it just seems more finished.

Nolan

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 05-08-2007).]

Two thumbs up, Nolan. Keep up the good work.

Bob

And one more fiberglass site to add to the list. I found it yesterday: http://fiberglassforums.com/
And don't forget www.fibreglast.com - go to the forum section.

Bob:

Thanks for the links, I'll add them to my list.

Tonight I added the filler pieces where I bent the top of the hood down. These fill the larger gaps between the two layers of the hood:


Again I used the SMC panel adhesive. The filler pieces were cut from the sheet fiberglass that was once the top of the deck lid. I also made the cut lines on the flaps larger so that these pieces go all the way down and make contact with the bottom layer. Once set I roughly cut the pieces to shape with a dremmel cut-off wheel and sanded to match the top and bottom contour of the hood layers:

The odd shape of the bottom matches the contour of the bottom layer.

Then I sanded and applied filler to the underside of the scoops. Since this will be visible through the hood openings when the hood is in the upright position I want these to look as close to OEM as possible.

And I also began sanding the top of the hood to remove both the paint and the primer to make sure that the scoop will adhere well when bonded and so the fiberglass will stick when it's applied as well.

This is tedious work and not very exciting. I will probably work on this over the weekend before I update this thread again.

Thanks for looking.
Nolan

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 05-08-2007).]

To continue with my progress:

The underside of the two scoops have been smoothed:

One side required much less filling and sanding than the other but they were not too bad. The finish is not down to 400 grit paper yet as the underside will require some glass work but it's much easier to work on these before they are attached.

I want to maintain the original hood lines as much as possible. I remember reading in Skitime's thread that he had created a recess in the hood surface to accept the mounting flange on the scoop. This would keep the top edge of the flange as close to the original hood surface as possible. I PM'ed Skitime to see what he used to make the recess. Skitime apparently used a circular saw while holding the blade to the right depth. I asked him about using a router but Skitime said that he had difficulty with the bit burning the hood. I didn't fell comfortable with the circular saw idea so in the end I did use a router with a new bit and didn't have any problems with burning. The router is a little difficult to control freehand but it worked quite well, my lines are not quite as strait a Skitime's but they will be covered anyways. Here is a picture from Skitime's thread:

And this is how my hood turned out:


The mounting flanges on my scoops also needed some work as they varied in thickness from about 3/16" to 5/15" in thickness with a few spots that may have been thicker. I ground the bottom side of the flanges down until they were more or less a uniform thickness.

After a test fit, I realized that I would also have to router a groove down the center of the hood:

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 05-08-2007).]

By the way, the hood may not be completely uniform in thickness. I did penetrate in one spot:

It's very easy to do. I also did not make the center groove as deep as the others. Down the center line there is mostly only one layer to the hood and I didn't want to penetrate it which would only make more work when it comes time to clean up the underside.
Here is the bit that I used in the router, I don't think that I will keep it for wood use and fiberglass is extremely hard on cutting blades and edges:

This process of routering the hood produces a TON of dust and airborne fibers, make sure you are wearing the appropriate mask and face shield when doing this.

After cleaning the grooves and the scoop flanges it was time to bond the scoops to the hood. I "buttered" the underside of the flanges as well as the edge of the scoop opening that touches the hood with the panel adhesive:

The scoop was then placed in the grooves, checked for fit and screwed in place with drill point self-tapping screws. These little babies are great when you can't use a clamp:

Here is one side bonded and screwed down:

When the second scoop was buttered, the joint between the two halves was also buttered. Then it was placed and screwed:


When using these screws there will be penetration of the tip through the bottom layer but these will be easily patched and sanded when the bottom is finished.

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 05-08-2007).]

I like the way the extensions bring the scoops closer to the front hood line.

Thanks Timo.

Yes, I think it looks much better

Nolan

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 04-03-2006).]

Question - actual fiberglass, or fiberglass bondo? And, why?

quote Originally posted by ryan.hess: Question - actual fiberglass, or fiberglass bondo? And, why?

Ryan:

The fiberglass reinforced bondo was used to fill the gap because it has higher strength than regular bondo. I then used fiberglass over the joint as shown in the last pictures to prevent cracking. Does this answer your question or am I confused?

Nolan

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 05-27-2007).]

I don't know:

What's being used in this pic here?

Did you use fiberglass bondo, and just stuck some fiberglass mat into the mix, or did you fiberglass bondo it, wait, then apply fiberglass with resin over it? I'm just confused as to why you did it the way you did... Isn't the bondo enough?

Or... why didn't you use just fiberglass w/resin?

[This message has been edited by ryan.hess (edited 04-03-2006).]

quote Originally posted by ryan.hess: I don't know: What's being used in this pic here? Did you use fiberglass bondo, and just stuck some fiberglass mat into the mix, or did you fiberglass bondo it, wait, then apply fiberglass with resin over it? I'm just confused as to why you did it the way you did... Isn't the bondo enough? Or... why didn't you use just fiberglass w/resin?

The picture that you posted is when I applied the fiberglass mat and resin. It is my understanding that there is a risk when using just bondo on a joint that, if there are any stresses involved, cracking at the joint may occur. The hood is subject to stress when it is being opened and when it is being closed, especially if allowed to slam shut. Also in this picture:

you can see that under the duct tape the leading outside corners of the scoops are elevated off of the hood due to the scoops not completely matching the curve of the hood. These corners had to be pressed down when the scoops were attached and this also induces stress.

The reinforced bondo was used because when I removed material to make the groove for the flanges it would weaken the hood surface. My grooves did not perfectly match the outside edge of the flange and so I wanted to add some reinforcement back into the remaining gap. It also smoothed out the groove so that the fiberglass would go on relatively smooth.

Is it overkill? I don't know, but why take chances?

Nolan

Edit to add this picture which shows how the corners didn't sit down on the hood:

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 05-27-2007).]

Makes sense now, thanks.

Now, I thought there was a problem with polyester resin sticking to SMC? And in that respect, aren't bondo products made of polyester resin?

i'm pretty sure the hoods front and back are fiberglass.

[booktext}

quote Originally posted by FieroWannaBe: i'm pretty sure the hoods front and back are fiberglass.

FieroWannaBe is correct, the hood and deck lid are not SMC they are fiberglass. The fenders and door panels are SMC.
[/booktext]
Nolan

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 05-27-2007).]

The hood and decklid are SMC. I believe they are fiberglass *reinforced*. The door panels and fenders are RRIM (something reinforced injection molded plastic)

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Archive-000001/HTML/20021104-2-025461.html

[This message has been edited by ryan.hess (edited 04-04-2006).]

quote Originally posted by ryan.hess: The hood and decklid are SMC. I believe they are fiberglass *reinforced*. The door panels and fenders are RRIM (something reinforced injection molded plastic) https://www.fiero.nl/forum/A...021104-2-025461.html

OK, I sit corrected! ( I always get it mixed up) I guess I should quit using the term "bondo" as the fillers that I am using are Evercoat. I checked their products page and the fillers I am using are all compatable with SMC. About the fiberglass resin, it is a Bondo product and is polyester but according to the can it too is SMC compatable. I have not noticed any separation issues with the fiberglass and the SMC but I guess time will tell.

Thanks (for the heart attack!)
Nolan

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 05-27-2007).]

Ahh, well that's good.

quote Originally posted by Sourmug: Thanks (for the heart attack!)

No problem.

Here's a few progress shots. The first few are after the first coat of "filler" (not bondo ) has been applied and sanded:


You can see the overall shape starting to take on form. Here are a couple showing the low profile:


And the second coat has been applied:


Thanks
Nolan

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 05-27-2007).]

Hi:

Here is some more progress that I have made on the hood scoops. I have done most of the sanding on the top and have applied glazing putty in the more "obvious" defects and sanded it down as well. I didn't take any pictures of that as it's basically the same process as the deck lid. I did not want to finish the top off completely as working on the bottom will likely produce some marring and scratches on the top surface as it sit on the table. I will finish the top once the bottom is complete.

Here's how the hood openings look from the underside once the scoops were bonded:

Thew black finish was removed to allow the fiberglass and filler to adhere.
In this shot you can see where I have quickly sanded all the high spots at the holes that were made by the screws when the scoops were bonded on:

And now after cleaning the surfaces with acetone I have applied two layers of fiberglass to the scoop/hood openings:




There is one tricky thing about fiberglass and that is getting it so sit down on tight curves and angles. Air pockets trend to form near these curves and having small pockets like this seems to be almost unavoidable. once the fiberglass set there were a few of these pockets. I will grind them out with the dremmel and fill them later.

So I guess I may have been a little harsh with my comments about the quality of the scoops and the deck lid vent from an air bubble point of view.

[This message has been edited by Sourmug (edited 05-27-2007).]

Happy Birthday!! How does it feel to be 29?