As usual, I followed the "measure once, weld once...then remeasure and discover you welded something in the wrong spot, cut once, remeasure for the third time, weld hopefully for the last time..." approach.
Now for the new work of the day... I've removed the rear bumper molding and have started to build up the rear end framing. This should go fairly fast (famous last words...). The rear molding is quite rigid, so it's easiest to remove it from the car and build it up while I have full open access to it. Once the rear end framing is in place, I'll work my way forward to create the rear fender framing.
Unrelated picture:
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Most of the rear bumper mounting framing is complete. It's relatively simplistic but this is possible due to its rigidity. There are a couple more supports that will go along the top edge to ensure the top curvature is maintained, but I'll do those after the framing has been welded to the rear of the car. Once all the framing is mounted I'll be able to separate the rear spoiler. Lots of work to be done to it, such as adding the integral third brake light, building the active spoiler mechanism, stiffening it to account for the resultant load forces and giving it an appropriate airfoil shape. I'm really looking forward to that part of the build!
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The rear end framing is now attached to the car. Everything fits well, but I will need to adjust the two upper corners. Once the framing was in place, I checked the alignment of all the panels and discovered that the side rocker panels forced the corners of the rear fenders up an additional inch. This is not a big surprised since I had fitted the framing with the rear bumper in a "relaxed" state.
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I finished the last bit of framing on the driver's side forward door jamb. I decided to put some paint on the rocker framing...gives it a more finished look. I also removed the spoiler from the rear bumper molding since I'm creating an active spoiler system. I'll need to add a brace along the lip where the spoiler was removed, and of course the spoiler itself will get some internal framing.
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Went to the "Kenny-U-Pull" today. Picked up a couple of trunk hinges from an Impala. These are perfect for the rear hatch, plus as an added bonus, they have a turnbuckle that enables the hinge opening angle to be adjusted slightly.
(On an unrelated note....there was an 84 Fiero at the Kenny-U-Pull. First one I've seen there . Sadly there wasn't a single usable part on it...even the frame was completely rusted away . I'm not sure what was holding the panels on... Never seen a car in such bad shape that wasn't in a major crash. Subtract one Fiero from the availability pool)
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Nice find, love the adjust ability on those. What year impala did you grab those from and do you think the piston will have enough force to hold open the engine cover with glass? It is going to be pretty heavy.
Nice find, love the adjust ability on those. What year impala did you grab those from and do you think the piston will have enough force to hold open the engine cover with glass? It is going to be pretty heavy.
They are from a 2000-2003 Impala. Originally I had pulled some hinges off a Mazda 3, which were very similar. I switched over to the Impala hinges once I found these since they were adjustable and the shock was much higher force. I doubt that the shocks will be capable of supporting the full Aventador hatch once it's completed, but I could be surprised. If they aren't strong enough, I will replace them with some short heavy duty shocks. Of course I could use them in conjunction with some additional shocks, though I doubt that would look as good.
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I made some adjustments to the rear bumper framing on the driver's side, where it connects to the fender. I also began the work of fitting the rear hatch. This involved thinning out the edge, to bring it closer to what would be seen with a metal panel. I'm out of metal so I'll have to go pick some up on the weekend (of course my work schedule doesn't mesh with their business hours.) With that, I'll be able to build the support framing that will give the hatch its strength, and build the hinge framework.
I also decided to start the installation of the gas-filling system. I was worried that it would be a really tight fit next to the side glass. But once I put the fender in place and measured it out, it actually fits more or less in the exact position it does on the Fiero. Unfortunately I had already cut the gas fill pipe in anticipation of it moving forward...anyone have a spare? I'll probably just connect the two halves with hoses and make sure they are both well grounded. Best not to weld the two parts together since I'll end up with corrosion in the fuel system. The pictures below show the lower fuel fill housing in position. That piece will sit below the rear fender and be bonded to it (fender not shown in the pics). I still have to carefully cut an opening in the fender for the gas-door, which will be flush with the fender once it's attached with a hinge.
...and yes...I am putting the gas-fill-door on the wrong side of the car so that it doesn't match the OEM position of the Aventador. This is an example of exercising my right to "poetic license" as I mentioned at the beginning of the build.
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I am more than amazed at your talent, enthusiasm and dedication to your project. To be able to design, fabricate, weld, design all new electronics, use Excel, documents and photograph every mod you make PLUS hold down a job as a Mechanical Engineer is unreal. If you had your own you tube channel, I think your show would be more popular than anything that we find on our local Ottawa stations. Keep up the fantastic work!
I am more than amazed at your talent, enthusiasm and dedication to your project. To be able to design, fabricate, weld, design all new electronics, use Excel, documents and photograph every mod you make PLUS hold down a job as a Mechanical Engineer is unreal. If you had your own you tube channel, I think your show would be more popular than anything that we find on our local Ottawa stations. Keep up the fantastic work!
Thank you so much for your kind words. That's an interesting idea about a YouTube channel. Probably a little out of my league though...
I have a small issue with the gas door. If I keep it aligned as I did it in the last few pictures, then the curvature of the door doesn't match the curvature of the fender. However, if I turn it and align it so the curvature matches (which also would then match the OEM orientation of the real Aventador)...then it looks terrible. The lines just don't make sense, i.e. they aren't parallel with any relevant features as you would expect. I decided to sit on this problem for a bit and move on for now...I decided not to cut the opening in the fender until I can be sure of which way to go. I'll come back to it once I run out of fun things to work on.
So, for now I moved on to the rear hatch framing. Once I get the framing done I'll be able to get the hinges and latch set up. The hatch framing is quite significant, so I've got an inner part (as seen in the pic below) and then also an outer part that will be used to connect to the hinges and the latch.
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We drove down 5 hours to see Neil`s work on the Aventador... First Neil thank you very much for our time and passion. Your work is amazing.....your a first time builder and you kick..a... We were 3...Paul as built 4 high end replica ( Countach Diable Murcielago ) for himself...Michel is a machinist ( Rebuilding a Mercedes 190 sl 1958 ) and me Mario a car builder and car designer ( The Tomahawk Electric Sport Car ) not to judge but encourage you to keep the good work of high quality replica and attention to detail . Even if you doubt sometimes, your are good....and be be proud of your work.
We drove down 5 hours to see Neil`s work on the Aventador... First Neil thank you very much for our time and passion. Your work is amazing.....your a first time builder and you kick..a... We were 3...Paul as built 4 high end replica ( Countach Diable Murcielago ) for himself...Michel is a machinist ( Rebuilding a Mercedes 190 sl 1958 ) and me Mario a car builder and car designer ( The Tomahawk Electric Sport Car ) not to judge but encourage you to keep the good work of high quality replica and attention to detail . Even if you doubt sometimes, your are good....and be be proud of your work.
Thanks again
Thanks so much, Mario! I was amazed at the collective knowledge and experience that came down for a visit. My door is open for you guys anytime!
I took a few nights off due to an illness...but managed to get back to work today. I installed bolts into the hatch frame, and also welded some nuts into a couple of 10" steel sections. After attaching the hinges to the frame, and the two sections to the hinge, I put the complete hatch into place. Once I got the hatch lined up where I wanted it, I cut some small supports and used them to attach the two sections to the two long beams that extended from the roof to past the strut towers. The two beams run the length of the hatch along its edges. I still need to make some adjustments and eventually I'll have to correct all the gaps and make sure everything is properly aligned. I also added the two small struts to the hinges. As expected, they aren't strong enough fully support the full weight of the hatch, but they still do a pretty decent job for now and make it very easy to lift the hatch. The hatch will of course get heavier once I add a couple of layers of fiberglass to the underneath side to box in the frame, and of course add the three pieces of glass (acrylic?) that go in the large opening. I plan on using some full length struts, likely ones from the Lambo Hinge kit that I bought. They are much stronger and will have no problem supporting the full weight of the hatch. I will actually adjust the connection point to the hatch for the large struts...the further away from the hinge I move them, the more weight they will be able to handle (of course the less height will be achieved from the hatch, so obviously there is a trade off)
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The only issue with them was that the two angled points of the hatch actually drop down below the roof level. I had expected them to rise up slightly. As a result the tips rubbed against the back of the roof very slightly as the hatch was lifted. Fortunately, once I put the shocks on the rubbing stopped. I will make some adjustments in the roof panel (above the rear glass, and below the actual roof line) so that there is no chance of further rubbing once the gapping has been done.
I made some good progress today on the latch mechanism for the hatch. I started by installing the hook onto the hatch itself. With that properly installed, I put the latch in place onto the hook (with the spoiler off the car, there was lots of room for me to access the latch). I then built up a support structure for the latch, holding it in the exact position that it sits with the hatch shut. Everything is ready to go, I just need to finish welding the support structure to the car frame (it is just sitting there in the bottom three pictures).
Another view of the hatch hinge and its support connected to the rear beam...
A view of the latch hook...
The latch seen with the hatch shut, sitting with the support structure...
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Today I welded the hatch latch support bracket to the trunk frame. I notice that there is a little bit of flexing of the bracket where it connects to the trunk frame so I'll need to add a couple of stiffening braces. I'll likely add them behind the latch support and connect them to the rear bumper frame.
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Nice work again Neil......by the way.....Paul has ordered his body...Thanks again
That's great news, Mario! Is he going to keep some type of build thread anywhere? I'd be very interested in following his progress. I know I'd learn a lot by watching his work.
I needed to make some small adjustments to the rear bumper molding corner supports. As you can see in the first pic below (passenger side) the support angle doesn't quite match the lower lip of the engine hatch. The second picture shows the support after being adjusted (driver's side). The gap will be adjusted slightly later.
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Today I corrected the alignment issue on the passenger side rear bumper framing (as mentioned above), then started work on the driver's side rear fender framing. First I measured the dimensions of the the vent panel (using a 1:24 scale model that I have for that exact purpose...hope it's accurate!), marked it, then cut it from the fender. With it off, I was able to get the first part of the fender framing built. The pics below show the framing, the vent being test fit and the fender being fit without the vent. The vent will be hinged on the outer edge and the inner edge (next to the hatch) will rise with the aid of a linear actuator. It's activated when the engine bay temperature exceeds a preset amount. I'll likely build some sort of conveyor to ensure the air flows where it will help the most. I'll also have to reinforce the fiberglass vent panel since right now it is only 4 layers of 1.5oz mat. If a corner is lifted when activated, the force of the air against it will likely rip the panel right off...that would be a little embarrassing...
This is what the vent looks like when it's open. Much nicer than the Murcielago "batwing", in my opinion...
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I think your 1:24 scale model will get you close enough that 99.9999% of the people out there wont be able to tell if it is the right size or not. As for the air foil, it opens under 3 conditions 1) You are above 99 MPH. 2) Oil temp is above 230 degrees Fahrenheit. 3) Ambient temp is 95 degrees Fahrenheit or above.
Your frame work is coming along nicely. If you do the body work as quickly then you will be driving it this summer!! Mine is on hold until after the holidays... I keep watching your build to keep me motivated....
I think your 1:24 scale model will get you close enough that 99.9999% of the people out there wont be able to tell if it is the right size or not. As for the air foil, it opens under 3 conditions 1) You are above 99 MPH. 2) Oil temp is above 230 degrees Fahrenheit. 3) Ambient temp is 95 degrees Fahrenheit or above.
Your frame work is coming along nicely. If you do the body work as quickly then you will be driving it this summer!! Mine is on hold until after the holidays... I keep watching your build to keep me motivated....
Thanks Glenn. For some reason I thought I'd read that it was purely engine compartment temp related...of course I guess it doesn't really matter and I can make it open with whatever criteria I want. Looking forward to you getting your build going again!
I took a look at the base support that holds the radiator and decided that it needed some adjustments. Firstly it was too close to the wheel, which of course would be a real problem once I get the larger rims / tires mounted. Secondly, the cross beams sat at slight angle...which just looked wrong. So I removed that section of the frame and reworked it. Much happier with it now. There is still lots of room for the radiator fan. The next step was to carry on the fender / rocker framing. The new framing helps to hold the rocker in alignment with the fender.
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I decided to cut the next fender vent panel off. Basically the fender in this kit comes integral with 3 vent pieces that normally would be separate. Leaving the pieces attached makes things easier to align and secure, however, the downside with leaving them attached is that it is noticeable that they are attached...which looks cheap and obviously fake. I had already removed the active vent panel, so I removed the next main panel (I don't know what the names are for any of these...). The small inner vent next to the rear glass will come off next. Each of these panels will have to be carefully reinforced and then securely mounted, taking into account the force of the air flow while moving. I've also started to work on the framing that be used to secure each of these vent panels.
(The vent panel is just sitting in place in this pic, I hadn't created any framing below it at that point)
The smaller beam (seen in the next two pics, just tacked) will need to have a curve put into it to match the curvature of the panel. It is made up of 3/4" angle steel. This makes a good panel mounting surface and also a good surface for mounting the grill that will fit inside the vent. It is also a small enough profile that it should be hidden from view.
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... Sleep? What's that?
I also removed the spoiler from the rear bumper molding since I'm creating an active spoiler system. I'll need to add a brace along the lip where the spoiler was removed, and of course the spoiler itself will get some internal framing. 
. I'm not sure what was holding the panels on...
Never seen a car in such bad shape that wasn't in a major crash. Subtract one Fiero from the availability pool)
I'll probably just connect the two halves with hoses and make sure they are both well grounded. Best not to weld the two parts together since I'll end up with corrosion in the fuel system. The pictures below show the lower fuel fill housing in position. That piece will sit below the rear fender and be bonded to it (fender not shown in the pics). I still have to carefully cut an opening in the fender for the gas-door, which will be flush with the fender once it's attached with a hinge.
The lines just don't make sense, i.e. they aren't parallel with any relevant features as you would expect. I decided to sit on this problem for a bit and move on for now...I decided not to cut the opening in the fender until I can be sure of which way to go. I'll come back to it once I run out of fun things to work on. 
