| Build Sequence – Part 8 Stage 8 – GRP body panels, Dash Panel, Boot
panel, Storage Box & Petrol Cap Bonnet, Nose Cone, Scuttle & Front Grill
Although the panels are supplied trimmed, some extra minor re-trimming
will be necessary to achieve a good fit. Make sure that you wear a face-mask
and safety glasses when sanding, cutting or drilling GRP. 1) Start by
fitting the nose cone. Locate this moulding tight up against the front
of the chassis, check for any obstructions, then mark through the position
of two holes in the top lugs. Drill through 6.5mm and countersink. (Remember
that old drill bits are better than new ones when drilling GRP). Fig.
1 Fig. 2 2) Fit the nose cone using two M6 countersunk bolts, and then
move to the underside front edge. This will require two small angle brackets,
fitted to the cone with M5 bolts & nuts, and two M5 Rivet-nuts in the
chassis. This method will allow easy removal for access latter. 3) Before
fitting the bonnet you will need to loose fit the scuttle panel. Start
by bending up an aluminium cover for the steering column. Rivet this in
place and seal with silicon. (See Fig. 3) Fig. 3 Fig. 4 4) Mark and cut
a notch around the column cover and the column mounting brackets. Fit
the scuttle loosely in place. 5) Check the front and rear bonnet edges
for excess GRP, and trim away if necessary, to achieve a fairly constant
edge thickness, and a parallel gap between bonnet/scuttle and bonnet/nose
cone. Cut two lengths of rubber edging, approx 20mm over-length. Wipe
the inside of the trim and the edges of the bonnet with methylated spirits.
Fit the rubber edging using adhesive, and trim to suit. (Upholstery/carpet
spray glue works quite well, when sprayed into a container, and then applied
to the rubber edging with a small stiff brush) Fig. 5 Fig. 6 6) Make a
card or thin plywood template* to fit over the exhaust manifold pipe-work.
Using two pieces of tape, mark the position of each end of this template
on the chassis tube. Remove the exhaust manifold, and fit the bonnet.
* If you are using a Pinto engine then Luego can supply this part pre-cut.
They can also make specials to your supplied dimensions. This part will
be supplied with the vertical legs over-length; trim these back to give
6mm clearance at the top, and use this as your template, and the same
technique for positioning etc. Fig. 7 Fig. 8 7) Determine a final position
for the scuttle to suit the bonnet. Clamp the scuttle in place, mark the
positions of the existing M5 rivet-nuts, remove and drill these 8.5mm.
Mark three extra holes on each side, drill to clear the head of an M6
rivet-nut. Reposition the scuttle, mark these extra holes, drill and fit
M6 rivet-nuts. 8) Fit the scuttle using allen cap-head screws, and oversize
washers. With limited access these will be easier to tighten. Fig. 9 9)
Adjust the bonnet and tape the template in place, aligned with marks.
Mark around the inside the template, remove the bonnet, protect the surrounding
edges with Duct tape or similar, and cut out the profile, using a fine
toothed jigsaw, keeping just inside the line. 10) Re-fit the bonnet and
fine-tune the cut-out over the manifold. Dress any exposed sharp edges
to a full 2.5mm radius 11) Using the same template make an aluminium or
stainless steel liner, about 22mm wide, for the hole. Bend to match bonnet
curvature, drill and pop-rivet this in place. Trim the hole to match.
Using masking tape, mark a centre-line for each bonnet latch, starting
at the position nearest to the exhaust cut-out, and matching this distance
to the other three locations. Fig. 10 Fig. 11 12) Hold a latch, with the
bottom edge aligned with the bottom ledge of the bonnet, and mark through
the two holes. Drill one of each 4mm, and then remove the tape. Fix each
catch using one 4mm pop rivet, check the alignment, drill the other hole
and then rivet in place. Note: When drilling these holes make sure that
the area behind the bonnet is clear. If you are not sure, remove the bonnet
before drilling the holes. 13) Make sure that the bonnet is fully down,
and correctly located, using Duct tape, if required, to hold this position.
Hang a catch, in its closed position, on the bonnet latch, and mark through
one hole onto masking tape on the side panel. Lower the hole centre by
approx 2mm, drill through and rivet in place. Check the catch operation
and alignment, drill through the other two holes, and rivet in place.
Note: When drilling these holes make sure that the area behind the panel
is clear. 14) If desired the bonnet can be additionally located using
4 conical studs and matching holes. (Pictures & text to follow …..) Fig.
12 15) Cover the inside of the vent with aluminium mesh, secured with
silicone or similar. Front Grill 1) Remove the nose cone, and place the
grill onto the upturned moulding. Use masking tape, and mark the centre
positions for each of the four cross bar ends. Fig. 1 Fig. 2 2) Transfer
the centre lines to the flange and mark out slots to suit for the four
tubes. Cut out the slots using a fine tooth saw, remove the tape, and
clean up the slots 3) Bend back two of the fixing tags on the grill to
clear the slots. Slide the other two under the flange, and push into place.
Fig. 3 Fig. 4 4) Turn the moulding over and straighten the bent tags.
Use M4 bolts and spacers to fix the grill, or bend the tags to hold it
in place. (Fig. 4) 5) To protect the radiator from stone damage etc, it
is advisable to fix aluminium mesh behind the grill. Start by making a
card template, and optionally a simple wooden former to add an 8mm flange
to the edges, for extra rigidity. (Fig. 5) Fig. 5 Fig. 6 6) Fix the mesh
with 3mm pop-rivets, and penny washers, drilled into the grill uprights.
(Fig. 6) Fig. 7 Fig. 8 7) Protect the exposed edges of the tubes with
self-adhesive rubber trim (SVA) (Fig.8) Front Wings 1) Remove both front
wheels. Lower the car back down onto blocks placed under the wishbones,
which will raise the suspension slightly, then remove the O/S & N/S bottom
swivel nuts and top upright pinch bolts. You can do this with the wheels
fitted, but access is very restricted. 2) Fit each front wing bracket,
feeding them through the wish-bones. Re-fit the swivel nut, and pinch
bolt*. (If necessary make a small adjustment to the brake hoses, and re-bleed
front brakes). * You may find it easier to drill the upright pinch bolt
hole right through, removing the threads, and then use an M12 bolt & Nyloc
nut. 3) Replace the front wheels, and then, using a suitable block of
wood, bend the wing support arms over the front tyres. The material is
fairly easy to bend, and will require two or three separate bends. 4)
Remove the brackets, drill two 6.5mm holes in each leg for wing mounting
bolts, and then send these back to Luego for powder coating. (Take care
to match the hole centres on all four legs.) Fig.1a Fig. 1b 5) Edge both
the front wings with rubber trim, glued in place, with the joint on the
inside edge or at the bottom. 6) Lay each wing on top of wing bars, determine
a lateral position over the centre of the tyre (Fig. 3), and a radial
position as shown in Fig. 2. Mark this position on the bars, and mark
the bar positions on the wing using tape. This may not be the best position
from a styling point of view, but it does meet the SVA requirement. Fig.
2 7) Remove the front wheels and align the wings. Mark the holes centres
through, onto the underside of the wing, and drill a small pilot hole
from the inside. Open out this hole to 6.5mm from on top, taking care
not the chip the gel coat on the way through. Fig. 3 Fig. 4 8) To fix
the wings to the bars, use dome headed M6 stainless bolts and nuts, with
a soft washer on both sides of the GRP (thin slices of petrol pipe work
quite well). Add plastic spacing tubes on top of the bars to obtain the
correct offset to the tyre. Dry fit the rubber trim, aligning the join
with the centre of the lower support bar. Glue in place, notching around
the bars if required. 9) Fix (glue) rubber trim (SVA) over the exposed
ends of the four support bars. (Fig. 5) Fig. 5 Dashboard 1) Remove the
scuttle, and dress up the inside edge of the flange. 2) Place the dash
panel over the flange, and align all edges. Trim away any surplus material,
to allow the dash to fit inside the scuttle, tight against the flange.
Fig. 1 3) Apply masking tape around the flange, then using a pencil compass
or similar, scribe a curve with an offset of 12-14mm to the inside edge.
Find the centre of the scuttle, and again using a pencil compass, mark
out 22 equally spaced holes, (at approx 63mm centres) along this curve,
with the first pair equally spaced each side of the centre mark. Check
the position of the last hole, and if necessary, rub out the marks, adjust
the spacing, and repeat the process. Drill each of these holes 4.2mm.
(Fig.1) 4) Align the dash panel inside, the scuttle and clamp in position.
Drill through the first hole on one side, and fit an M4 screw and nut,
and repeat every 5 or 6 holes. Finally drill through all the remaining
holes. 5) For the final fit you could use 4mm pop-rivets, but if you wish
to make it removable then countersink the holes and use 4mm c/sunk stainless
allen screws. To remove the sharp edge, sandwich rubber tadpole trim in
between the dash and scuttle. (Fig 3b) 6) Remove the dash and re-fit the
scuttle in the car using a couple of bolts. Make a thin plywood copy of
the driver’s side of the dash. Use this template to determine the cut
out for the steering column and the ignition key, allowing clearance for
the rubber edge trim. (Fig. 2). You may find that you need to pull the
steering column outward to clear the dash. Make this adjustment by loosening
the pinch bolt on the bolting flange and the connection at the downlink.
You may also need to re-position the lower bush as a part of this adjustment.
If you have an adjustable steering column then this is much easier job.
7) When you are happy with the fit, transfer this shape onto the back
of the dash panel and cut out, using a fine tooth jigsaw. Fit the dash
and make any final adjustments to the fit. (Fig.3) Fig. 2 Fig. 3 8) Dry
fit the rubber edge trim, using 45 deg mitres at the sharp corners, then
glue in place. Fig. 3a Fig. 3b Rear panel The rear panel is a tight fitting
part, and needs some preparatory work. 1) Dress the underside of the top
lip, to give a constant depth of between 8mm and 10mm (Fig. 1), use masking
tape as a guide if preferred. Dress a 4mm chamfer on the two rear chassis
corners (Fig. 2). Paint the bare edges with a rust preventing primer.
Fig. 1 Fig. 2 2) Mark and drill three 4mm holes just over the crest of
the top radius on the N/S and O/S corners (Fig3a), lightly countersink
both sides of each hole by hand. Cut a slot to the centre of each hole
using a junior hacksaw. Repeat this process on the underside O/S (Fig
3b). Add two extra slots on the N/S underside (Fig 3c). These slots will
allow the panel to flex, and the 4mm holes should prevent the panel from
cracking. Fig. 3a (O/S & N/S) Fig 3b (O/S) Fig. 3c (N/S fitted) 3) Fit
the O/S edge first, and work your way around to the N/S edge, pushing
the top lip over the top chassis tube as you go. (Fig. 4) Fig. 4 Fig .5
(trimming point) 4) To achieve a final fit you may need to trim back the
top to ends of the top lip, where they meet the chassis, adjacent to the
roll bar. If you are careful, this can be done in place, using a junior
hacksaw. (Fig. 5) 5) When you are happy with the overall fit, remove the
panel and run a bead of silicone along the bottom edge of the chassis.
Refit the panel, and hold in position with soft face clamps. (Do not over-tighten)
Fig. 6a Fig. 6b 6) Apply a clamp, and put a couple of 4mm rivets in both
ends of the top lip, one in each top corner and two in the bottom front
edges. Note: the rear wing needs to cover these two lower rivets (Fig
7c). Drill and rivet the two angled inner edges to the round chassis tube,
using 4mm rivets at approx 100mm centres. Fig 7a Fig 7b Fig. 7c Fig. 7d
7) Drill and rivet the underside edge at approx 100mm centres in the same
manner. The remaining top edge can be left until after the boot lid panel
is fitted. The boot lid panel will also cover the slots in Fig3a. Fig.
7e 8) Finally, apply a bead of silicon down the inside of each of the
round chassis tubes. Fig. 8 Rear wings The rear wings are fitted using
bolts, making them easily removable for access and possible repairs. They
can be fitted either way round, the choice is yours to make. 1) Start
by trimming the mounting flanges. Scribe a pencil line about 35mm in from
the outer edge, and cut off the surplus using a fine-toothed jigsaw. (Fig.1)
Fig.1 Fig.2 2) With the road wheel fitted, offer up the wing, finding
a central position, with the rear corner aligned with the bottom of the
back panel, and the front corner aligned with the bottom of the chassis.
With the wing in this position, check that top centre overlaps the chassis,
adjacent to the roll bar mounting, and if necessary raise the wing slightly.
Mark this position at the top and on the rear panel. (Fig. 2), then remove
the road wheel. 3) Drill a 5mm hole in the centre of each side of the
mounting flange, 50mm up from the bottom corner. Offer up the wing and
mark the position of rear hole on the back panel. Drill this hole 5.5mm,
and fit the wing with a temporary M4 nut, bolt and washers. (Fig. 3).
Do the same with the front corner. This will locate the wing whilst the
other positions are marked. Fig. 3 4) You will need five or six fixings
around the flange. Look inside the wing and mark these positions, avoiding
any problem areas. Transfer these markings to the back of the flange and
drill all holes 5mm at this stage (Fig 4). See Figs. 5 & 6 below for the
preferred positions, with three or four on the back panel, two in the
chassis arch, and two in the side panel. Fig. 4 (showing hole positions
and areas to avoid) 5) Offer up the wing and replace the temporary bolts.
Check and mark the holes onto the chassis and back panel. Correct any
badly positioned holes if necessary. Fig. 5 6) Drill the holes in the
back panel 7.5mm, then drill and fit M6 rivet nuts in the chassis and
side panel. (Fig. 6) Fig. 6 7) Open up all the flange holes to 7.5mm.
Apply glue to the flange, clean the rubber tadpole beading with white
spirit, dry off and stick in place, keeping the round bead tight against
the outer edge of the wing. Leave these slightly over length, then when
the glue is dry cut to length and cut out the holes using a craft knife.
Fig. 7 8) Fit the wing using oversize ‘penny’ washers and M6 x 25 bolts,
using a washer on both sides of the rear panel fixings. Fig. 8 Boot Panel,
Storage box & Petrol cap The boot panel is needs to be removable for access
and maintenance. The 4 main parts can be fabricated from exterior grade
6mm plywood, or purchased as pre-cut stainless steel parts from Luego.
The fabricated method is described below, but the fixing method would
apply to both. To avoid fitting and removal the final fixing could be
left until after all the rear lighting is in place and fully wired. The
petrol cap can also fitted in the O/S boot panel, with details for this
given below. 1) Start with the two outer panels, which need to fit around
the roll bar. Make these slightly oversize, and begin by cutting out the
‘U’ shaped notch and the corner notch. Allow sufficient clearance for
vinyl cloth to be wrapped around the edge. When you are happy with the
fit, trim the outer edges to overlap the crest of the GRP rear panel,
covering the slots cut earlier. 2) Cut out a simple rectangle for the
centre panel, allowing for two layers of vinyl cloth at the junctions
with the outer panels. Fig. 1 3) The boot lid, when open, needs to clear
the roll bar tubes. Mark out a rectangle on the centre panel: 520mm x
260mm, approx 55mm in from the rear edge. Round corners will make the
trimming easier and neater. Carefully cut out the centre with a fine tooth
jigsaw, and then clean up both edges to give an approx. 4-5mm gap between
the parts. Test the fit using scraps of vinyl cloth. Fig. 2 4) The panels
will need support, so glue and pin some 20mm x 8mm wooden strips on the
underside. The strips on the centre panel will also be used to attach
the lid support, detailed below. Before fitting the strips check for obstructions
inside the rear of the car. Fig. 3 5) At this stage, paint both sides
of the panels with two coats of a waterproof sealer, such as Quick Drying
Varnish. This will protect the wood, and help the glue to stick. When
the varnish is dry, lightly sand the show surfaces of each panel. 6) Cut
out the vinyl cloth to overlap each part by about 25-30mm all round. Apply
spray glue to both surfaces, and the overlap areas on the back of each
panel. Press together, smooth the surface, and fold over the edges, stretching
the cloth slightly as you go. Use a sharp knife to cut slits at the internal
corners, and ‘V’ notches at all external corners of the overlapping edges
to get them to fold over neatly. If in any doubt, practice on a scrap
part first to perfect your technique. The boot panel will need cloth on
both sides, where the outside cloth needs to overlap, and the inside cloth
needs to be cut to a shape that fits 3-4mm inside the outer profile. Keep
your work surfaces clean throughout; any unwanted glue can normally be
removed with White Spirit, test before use, or check details on the spray
can. Fig.4 (showing overlap) Fig.5 (dry test fit) 7) Cut out a 6mm ply
rectangle to match the outside dimensions of the battens on the back of
the centre panel. Cut a rectangular hole in this panel, 18mm smaller all
round than the boot lid opening (Fig 5a). Seal with two coats of varnish,
allow to dry, and then drill and wood screw this panel to the battens
at approx 85mm centres (Fig. 5b) Fig. 5a Fig. 5b 8) Using 6mm external
ply make up an optional removable storage box, 185mm deep x 2mm smaller
all round than the hole in the lower centre panel shown in Fig. 5b. The
box will require a 115mm x 50 mm step on the O/S to clear the petrol filler
pipe. Pin and glue the parts together, and then seal inside and out with
two coats of varnish, lightly sand between coats. Fig. 6 9) Line the inside
of the box with vinyl and/or carpet, and then fit two lifting handles
or ring plates (from your local hardware store). Woodscrew 15mm x 15mm
aluminium angle around the top inside edge of the box, notching the corners
of the two ends to provide a continuous outer edge. This will act as a
top flange and a seal support. Fig. 7 10) Glue a 10mm deep, tubular, closed
cell neoprene sponge seal (Coach Trimming Supplies part No. S16 or similar)
around the top trimmed edge of the box, with mitred and glued corners.
This will seal and support the boot lid panel. Fig. 8 11) Return to the
boot lid panel, adding a lock at the front (Coach Trimming Supplies part
No. 319 or similar) and two surface mounted hinges or latching plates
to the rear edge. You may also need to fit a latching plate for the lock,
on the centre panel, if the lever is too short. If you choose any other
type of hinge, you may need to adjust the lid design to suit. Fig. 9 Fig.
10 Fig. 11 (showing tadpole beading) 12) Check for possible obstructions,
then mark and drill a hole in the O/S panel to suit the petrol cap. Seal
the cut edges, using 2 coats of varnish and then fit the cap using the
supplied fitting bolts. Use a jubilee clip to connect one end of a 50mm
I/D flexible petrol hose, approx 375mm long, to the petrol tank filler
neck. Fit the panel onto the car, hold in a raised position, and connect
the other end of the flexible pipe to the cap filler neck, using another
jubilee clip. (Fig 10) Fig. 12 13) The final job is to pre-drill the holes
in each panel, having marked each hole at about 115 -140mm centres, avoiding
any existing rivets. Fit the panels using 20 off No8 x25mm stainless steel
self-tapping screws and cup washers, using rubber tadpole beading, cut
down to 25mm wide, in-between. A small drop of oil on the threads of the
self-tappers will make fitting a lot easier. Note: You may prefer to fit
and wire the rear lights before fitting these screws. (see Part 10) |
