Preparing For Dallara Body Kit

[kmead]

This vertical gap? That bothers me. What you’re looking at in terms of edges is all the original metal - I haven’t added any material. I’ve tried tweaking the hinge adjustment but nothing changes the vertical gap - this door is not original to the car. Don’t recall if it was as bad with the original.

As the door has a hard line which you can work off of, I would keep the door as it is and work the bodywork to it, if it is possible.

It just looks to me that the glass parts have an inconsistent edge that could be built up to give a consistent gap/reveal.

 

[lookforjoe]

As the door has a hard line which you can work off of, I would keep the door as it is and work the bodywork to it, if it is possible.

It just looks to me that the glass parts have an inconsistent edge that could be built up to give a consistent gap/reveal.

Yes, I agree. It needs further attention. It’s going to bother me every time I approach the car otherwise

 

[Black-Tooth]

This vertical gap? That bothers me. What you’re looking at in terms of edges is all the original metal - I haven’t added any material. I’ve tried tweaking the hinge adjustment but nothing changes the vertical gap in a meaningful way - this door is not original to the car. Don’t recall if it was as bad with the original. I can use cardboard as a gap setter if need be. I do need to address it. It’s that area at the top that bothers me the mo st

I've seen pros on TV actually MIG or TIG weld onto the edges of doors and fenders... then grind, file, etc for a perfect gap. Yours is about "normal" from what I have seen.

As Karl has suggested though, there are about 50 other ways to do this with 'glas and Bondo and since there really isn't any load or stress (especially on the fender), it should last more than our lifetimes.

Keep up the good work... and don't let anything except a trip to the ER sidetrack you!

 

[Dr.Jeff]

I'd agree the preferred method (and really no more difficult in my opinion) is to build up the gap by welding on some material and shaping it as needed. But like everything it takes time. This kind of stuff seems to be what keeps me from ever finishing my projects.

 

[lookforjoe]

Taped cardboard shim to the door edge. Cut back fender to the metal/ fiberglass and filled with bondo. Filed & sanded to contour, here it’s puttied.

Sanded and primed. Lower gap is still a little wider, but the way the door pivots, I do think I can narrow the gap.

 

[lookforjoe]

I'd agree the preferred method (and really no more difficult in my opinion) is to build up the gap by welding on some material and shaping it as needed. But like everything it takes time. This kind of stuff seems to be what keeps me from ever finishing my projects.

That's way more work, and certainly more difficult and labor intensive. Any welding would destroy the caulking used to bond the door skin to the frame. Not possible to use that method on the fender as the fibreglass will not respond well to that much heat. For a ground up balls-to-the-wall resto-mod I could see doing that sort of work to avoid bondo.

 

[Black-Tooth]

LOOKS GREAT... and I forgot all about the fiberglass fenders and the like... It should hold up well for all time!

 

[kmead]

Huge improvement!

I wouldn’t do this by welding, the door edge was good and a fine surface to work from.

Any way to crisp up the edges of the fiberglass part to better match the crispness of the steel on the door at least near where they mate up? Or is there already a depth problem of the relative surfaces?

 

[lookforjoe]

Huge improvement!

I wouldn’t do this by welding, the door edge was good and a fine surface to work from.

Any way to crisp up the edges of the fiberglass part to better match the crispness of the steel on the door at least near where they mate up? Or is there already a depth problem of the relative surfaces?

View attachment 12226

Yeah - if I cut back the fibreglass to get rid of the 'soft' creases it's going to compromise the integrity of the panel. However, maybe I can 'fudge' it by adding a little bondo to the crease. I may just redo the lower half as well. If I taper the fill on a diagonal I may get away with it.

I don't like the soft edges there, or the door/fender gap - I'm surprised at how much the door arcs forward as it is closed, there is virtually no gap between fender & door when the door is about 1/2 open. I'll take a pic.

I have the same problem at the back of the door & quarter panel junction, the seams really don't align at all, and the door is not flush with the panel either.

 

[lookforjoe]

Worked on the lower half of the DS fender, improved alignment. Had to rework the upper lip as well. Took about 3 hours or so.

Cut back area to metal/fibreglass. Tape cardboard to door edge, angled forward behind the fender. Apply bondo.

preliminary file & cut gap

sand & file it back to meet contour

putty

inner lip formed with the angled cardboard, cleaned up contour with a scalpel to clear door lip

primer to help evaluate overall alignment

top edge

Next I have to do the same for the passenger side: looks like crap compared to the DS now.

 

[Black-Tooth]

Oh my...

You keep this up and its all gonna be TOO perfect. As always, your craftsmanship is impressive!

Out for now...

 

[sub-zeroil]

good times

 

[lookforjoe]

Oh my...

You keep this up and its all gonna be TOO perfect. As always, your craftsmanship is impressive!

Out for now...

Thank you, Tony

Worked on the passenger fender today after work. Cut back the edge to the metal, and scored the fiberglass.

After couple layers of bondo, filing, sanding & putty later

had to revisit a secion on the DS to bring it out to meet the offset of the door crease

Just needs the detail cleanup now.

 

[kmead]

Impressive.

Great work. Detailing like this will really make the car look of a piece once painted.

On to the next spot...

 

[Black-Tooth]

What Karl said...

I remember many years ago doing the same with Black Tooth going back and forth and back and forth... I dunno if I thought I had everything perfect or just gave up due to exhaustion. It seems you can never really be DONE when it comes to filling and sanding...

 

[lookforjoe]

Little more done today after my last spring Graduate class ended early today. Yesterday I cut a tree down for my mum, so didn't get anything accomplished on the car. Wet sanded the two door/fender junctions & primed again to check. Besides minor scratches, I'm done here. Moving on to the rear panel, trunk lid / quarter panel troughs.

More filler work on the MWB-supplied lid. I had removed the FAZA/FORZA embossing in the middle.

 

[lookforjoe]

Impressive.

Great work. Detailing like this will really make the car look of a piece once painted.

On to the next spot...

I'm still debating whether to re-introduce the panel seams for the front fenders and the rear panel/ quarter panel seams. The problem up front is where to run them to.

I'd also need a way to cut a uniform depth & width groove that could be easily finished. It may be OK without, as long as I do the full Dallara decal set, as that runs down the front fender caps & across the nose, so it breaks up that (proportinately) oversize panel.

this:

or this:

 

[lookforjoe]

Transferred from this thread

You should consider applying a barrier coat sealant to minimize any interaction between the top coats and the various materials underneath. This is a thin coating applied which should be applied such that you don’t get any runs. Thin coating is the operative word, it can be sanded but any sand through should be recoated.

Given the number of materials used in the preparation of your car it is something I would recommend.

Can't find any specific sources on Barrier Coats- I'll have to call the paint company I used for the primer, base & clear & see what they say about it.

 

[kmead]

I wouldn’t try to create seams/break lines in the front panels.

As you say they really don’t have a place to go to aside from maybe down to the edge of your headlight openings but it would require reworking that area as well.

I vote you ensure it has clean edges, the surfaces are good and the curves and forms sweet. Continuing down the path of high quality details is going to be key to making it all that you want it to be.


Barrier sealant is used to give you a layer which is all one color and to serve as a barrier to prevent interaction between the various paints, fillers and so on so they don’t interact with the top coats. Sometimes you can have reaction such that the top coat reactivates the sub layers.

You could use a 2 part primer to create that barrier as an alternative.

 

[Janis]

I wouldn’t also make in this case seams/grooves.