I got my little project done (see it in the Tech section) on the IMSA in short order today so I was able to work on the trailer a bit more. before I started cutting things apart I did some comparisons with two decklids and my idea of sectioning the front lid ran into a glitch right away. the overall shape between the two is pretty similar but the rib lines are about 3/4" closer together on the front lid........ so sectioning it another 2" would make for a lot more body work down the road. If the whole substructure can be removed intact I may look at just sectioning the substructure down the middle, in order to keep the sealing surface, and cut the edges off the top skin to narrow it. I'll study on it some more next weekend.
I couldn't resist doing a little grinding on the rear 1/4 to see how it was going to shape up. it's looking pretty straight forward and shouldn't even require much filler to even things out. I like that.
I also pulled the nose off of an 84 parts car for this project. the black one was kinda warped on top and had been drilled and had the nuts crimped in for a license plate mount. the 84 one is much cleaner in both of those areas and as a bonus, it's the right color
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09:40 PM
Jan 27th, 2006
Russ544 Member
Posts: 2136 From: S.W. Oregon Registered: Jun 2003
Wheew. a lot was accomplished today so this will be a multi part installment. Also the decklid is the most challenging part of building a trailer like this, so I'll spend a little more time showing how I did it. The rear of the front lid needs to be about 3" narrower to match up with the rear section. removing a section out of the middle of the substructure was gona be a lot of work and also would require building new hinge mounts as they would have ended up closer together. It finally occurred to me what the best way was to narrow the front portion of the decklid, wile retaining the flat seal surface, and as is generally the case it turned out to be the easiest way to do it as well. first I carefully removed a pie cut out of the substructure in the amount that it was to be narrowed on each side.
then the outer piece of substructure was pried loose from the skin and slid over towards the center
then the skin was trimmed the needed amount which was ~ 1 1/2" per side in the rear and 3/8" at the headlight opening. note that the piece next to the opening was simply trimmed off.
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09:02 PM
Russ544 Member
Posts: 2136 From: S.W. Oregon Registered: Jun 2003
Joining the two sections takes a lot of pre-planning. the substructure needs to overlap the two parts as much as possible in order to make the finished product solid and stiff. by interlocking the two parts as much as I have I think it will be.
Although the shape of the joint resembles the original rear edge of the front decklid, it's actually been trimmed off an inch or so, as the original rear edge curled up to deflect air over the windshield and provide clearance for the wipers. here again a straight cut would have been much weaker that this "puzzle" edge and this pattern also places the skin better over areas of the substructure where it can be glued down more effectively.
A 4 minute cure time isn't a lot to work with (8227 Automix) so having all the screws, tools, rags, etc. at the ready really pays off. I glued down the edge strips at the same time. Some fiberglass work and filler will be required to clean things up after this cures, but it should be fairly "stock" looking underneath when it's done.
[This message has been edited by Russ544 (edited 01-27-2006).]
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09:33 PM
Russ544 Member
Posts: 2136 From: S.W. Oregon Registered: Jun 2003
The two decklid halves were glued together wile setting in a simple form cut out of two pieces of plywood so the curve of the decklid will be assured to match the curve of the fender.
[This message has been edited by Russ544 (edited 01-27-2006).]
This pic was a trial fit prior to glueing. the lines are pretty close and should only require minor bodywork. The front lid has a very slightly higher crown than the rear lid, but because the skin was detached from the substructure where the two halves are cut, that allows them to be tweeked the small amount needed for a near perfect alignment when glued.
[This message has been edited by Russ544 (edited 01-28-2006).]
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11:38 AM
fieroguru Member
Posts: 12330 From: Champaign, IL Registered: Aug 2003
Russ, your hood looks a 100 times better than mine! If you were closer I would have to talk you into building another one for me!
Thanks guru. I don't know why I've spent so much time on the decklid when I've pretty much been using the "good enough" criteria on the rest of it. sometimes I just get carried away as further evidence of that I spent a lot of time today building 8-10 small filler peices and gluing them in any openings, then using bondo to smooth things out. it will likely look better on the underside than most decklids do on the top when I'm done.
Say guru. as long as you're here, I've been meaning to ask you. did you make a hood support on yours? gas struts or stock type?
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09:20 PM
Jan 29th, 2006
fieroguru Member
Posts: 12330 From: Champaign, IL Registered: Aug 2003
Say guru. as long as you're here, I've been meaning to ask you. did you make a hood support on yours? gas struts or stock type?
I was thinking about recycling the stock hood support, but I didn't tie in the hood structure between the hood and decklid, so the hood would flex about 6" from 1 side to the other. I ended up using a peice of 3/4 alumunum tube to just prop it open at the center.
I learned a lot building my trailer and have learned some more watching you do yours. This is one of my favorite threads!
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09:12 AM
Russ544 Member
Posts: 2136 From: S.W. Oregon Registered: Jun 2003
I think your trailer looks great guru ! Every project is a learning experience. that's what keeps us building new stuff all the time. t's the "shoulda' woulda' coulda'" syndrome . I'd speculate that I've been fabricating car stuff for about 30 years longer than you, but I haven't built the perfect one yet either. good thing to, as I'm reminded of the old saying: "the worst thing that can happen to a man is to achieve all his goals".
Cheers, Russ
[This message has been edited by Russ544 (edited 01-29-2006).]
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03:17 PM
Russ544 Member
Posts: 2136 From: S.W. Oregon Registered: Jun 2003
Kind of a lazy day today. I finished grafting the chunk of front fender on to the rear facia. the patch is a slice out of another rear facia so it matches the curvature. the reason I did the zig zag edge is so the patch won't show through over time. not seen here are three pieces of 1/4" plywood, ~1 1/2" wide and 6" long which are screwed on to the outside, across the seam, to hold the two pieces in alignment wile the adhesive cures.
After the next pic was taken I striped a pair of headlight lids of their hinges and substructure and bonded the skins into the hood. I think I'll leave an indentation around the covers to simulate functional eyelids.
Next comes the really fun stuff................. I hate sanding.
[This message has been edited by Russ544 (edited 02-11-2006).]
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08:18 PM
PFF
System Bot
Russ544 Member
Posts: 2136 From: S.W. Oregon Registered: Jun 2003
LOL. it just occured to me.... I've created a timeline of the Fiero here. starting at the front, which is from an 84, to the 85 fenders, 86 hood, and ending with the 88 rear facia. the only year not represented is the 87............ maybe I'll use an 87 "pontiac" emblem on it.
Hey Nice work man! I'm going to have to post pics of my trailer! My trailer is the back half of a fiero~! Again Nice work i hope it turns out well for you!
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09:32 PM
Russ544 Member
Posts: 2136 From: S.W. Oregon Registered: Jun 2003
Hey Nice work man! I'm going to have to post pics of my trailer! My trailer is the back half of a fiero~! Again Nice work i hope it turns out well for you!
That sounds cool. I'd love to see a pic of it here.
Russ
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10:37 PM
3.8 SC Member
Posts: 577 From: On the Great Lakes-Ohio Registered: Dec 2003
Great work, Russ! This thread is bookmarked for sure. I have had this idea in the back of my head for a while. One question for you - do you know how much the trailer weights?
Great work, Russ! This thread is bookmarked for sure. I have had this idea in the back of my head for a while. One question for you - do you know how much the trailer weights?
Don Z.
just by using my crude methods with a bath scale I get about 375 lb. I was actually a little surprised as it doesn't feel even that heavy, just moving it around in the shop.
[This message has been edited by Russ544 (edited 01-31-2006).]
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11:51 PM
Feb 5th, 2006
Russ544 Member
Posts: 2136 From: S.W. Oregon Registered: Jun 2003
I wonder how hard it would be to use more of the rear deck lid and use the coupe wing and bagage hold downs. Very nice work.
It would be very hard to use more of the rear decklid as it's very flat, front to back, so it wouldn't mate up with the curvature of the fenders at all. in fact the less of it that gets used the easier it is to make everything line up. Putting a luggage rack on, as mine is constructed now, would be no problem anyway however.
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10:30 AM
fieroguru Member
Posts: 12330 From: Champaign, IL Registered: Aug 2003
Originally posted by Russ544: I think your trailer looks great guru !
Thanks for the compliment. Your is looking great too! I am starting to like the nocky look... it would look right at home behind my formula!
quote
Originally posted by Russ544: I'd speculate that I've been fabricating car stuff for about 30 years longer than you, but I haven't built the perfect one yet either.
I have been heavy into the mechanical side for close to 10 years, but only in the last couple have I done much with bodywork/fiberglass. I am too much a cheapo to pay someone else, so I will have to learn and get better with time. I have learned quite a bit on this thread!
quote
Originally posted by Russ544: Watch your mirrors Guru. I'm coming.
Yeah, I see you back there! I will wave when you pass me by.... I am too busy with house/honeydo lists to even give you a good run. Someday I will get back to mine...
Any chance of you bringing the trailer to a Fiero show in MO, IL, IN sometime this year? It would be nice to have the trailers meet and say hi!
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06:55 PM
Toddster Member
Posts: 20871 From: Roswell, Georgia Registered: May 2001
I have been heavy into the mechanical side for close to 10 years, but only in the last couple have I done much with bodywork/fiberglass. I am too much a cheapo to pay someone else, so I will have to learn and get better with time. I have learned quite a bit on this thread!
I'd say you and I think much alike on these subjects. I to prefer mechanical projects over bodywork anyday, but I always want to do everything myself because (1) I truely enjoy the process and the sence of pride + (2) I'm cheep! . In fact for this project I plan to even shoot the paint, which is the one thing I generally leave to the experts. I've painted several cars over the years but generally have been less than thrilled with the results. heck, this is the perfect thing to practice on though as it's "just a trailer" .
quote
Yeah, I see you back there! I will wave when you pass me by.... I am too busy with house/honeydo lists to even give you a good run. Someday I will get back to mine...
LOL. see signoff
quote
Any chance of you bringing the trailer to a Fiero show in MO, IL, IN sometime this year? It would be nice to have the trailers meet and say hi!
That would be fun, but not very likely. I haven't been much for going to shows out of a days drive away and I'm in the left side of Oregon so....
Happily single,
Russ
[This message has been edited by Russ544 (edited 02-06-2006).]
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09:12 PM
Feb 11th, 2006
Russ544 Member
Posts: 2136 From: S.W. Oregon Registered: Jun 2003
My criteria for when bodywork is ready for paint: .............. when the sanding block gets thrown out the door in anger. it was time to paint today . actually this is tintable primer/sealer. the finish coat of paint will go on tomorrow. the primer/sealer came out pretty well considering I haven't had a paint gun in my hand for ~6 years. a few dry areas (a sure sign of inexperience) but nothing some 600 wet won't take care of. it was good practice for when the finish coat goes in the gun tomorrow.
Wile that was drying I did some exhaust work
[This message has been edited by Russ544 (edited 02-11-2006).]
Ha ha that exhaust its awesome!!!!! Pure Genious!!!!! Well i have my trailer parted out back of my shop and there is alot of snow on it so basicly i have to get up off my sorry ass and take a couple pics.
Continue the great work Russ!
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07:32 PM
Russ544 Member
Posts: 2136 From: S.W. Oregon Registered: Jun 2003
Even though I haven't painted a car since......... well it was with enamel, if that tells you anything.... but either I've mysteriously become a better painter, or the quality of paint has improved a heck of a lot since then . Same old Astro siphon feed spray gun I've had for 20 years but this is Concept paint by ppg. just a basic single stage acrylic urethane. when this shot was taken it wasn't wet. in fact I could touch it lightly without a problem but still too soft to pick up the parts. Do I sound impressed with todays paints? if so it's because I am. I may have to actually buy a decent gravity feed gun and paint all my own stuff from now on.
I should be able to get the parts mounted to the frame later this evening, then I'll need to paint the trim (metallic charcoal like on my IMSA), build a hood prop, and a couple other little do daws.
I very carefully installed the fenders and facias but the paint is still just too green to risk trying to put the decklid on. guess I'm getting impatient but it'll have to wait til next weekend to button things up. better safe than.... pissed
Cheers, Russ
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08:12 PM
BobadooFunk Member
Posts: 5436 From: Pittsburgh PA Registered: Jun 2003
It's been a tough couple of weeks for me. A good friend of mine drowned recently in a kayaking accident, so my motivation level has been rather low. anyway........ I've gotten the trailer reassembled. the trim painted (except for the piece below the rear bumper), lights all hooked up, (except for installing the plug). etc etc. Other than building a new bracket for the bottom, the decklid support assy is all original and seems to work well.
I'll be in the market for a small (2" wide) wing if anyone has one. just looks naked without just a little something back there IMO. other than that it came out pretty good I think eh. rear
frnt
I removed the rear license plate and cut a small hole to see what I have to work with as far as attaching a hitch. doesn't look too bad. I think I'll be able to cut a hole in the steel bumper and weld in a receiver. the receiver will extend through the bumper and join up with a new crossmember for additional support. maybe next weekend I'll do that.
rear
frnt
You're right about the big blank white canvas though. It does need something. The rest of it looks freakin' awesome!
