HELP!!!!! Need Measurement
- Thread starter SlnLax43
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reenmachine
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
reenmachine
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
I have no idea what you're talking about. What part are you trying to install?
I measured 46.5" between the vertical inside lips of the fenders (with the hood open) right at the VIN number area.
I measured 46.5" between the vertical inside lips of the fenders (with the hood open) right at the VIN number area.
1320stang
Founding Member
I think he means the body reveal line on the side of the car that goes back and forms the scoop area. The first time I read it, I thought he meant the top of the outside of the fender. I'm guessing he's dealing with a Eleanor nose piece or a Shelby nose piece, and if he's having problems and hasn't wrecked his car, it must be a poorly made piece. I'd like to know the manufacturer as a way to throw up a flag when dealing with them, but on the other hand, lots of people bitch about the fitment of fiberglass hoods and other such pieces as they expect them to just bolt on and fit. Many don't know the proper processes that you must go thru to put parts on a car. It amazes me to see some guys showing pics of how their "junk" hood doesn't line up to their fenders and you can easily see how the fenders don't line up to the cowl, the doors, etc.
And I'm not accusing him of not knowing how to do the front end, it just brought up the thought of past experiences.
And I'm not accusing him of not knowing how to do the front end, it just brought up the thought of past experiences.
1320, exactly.
Eleanor nose piece. I want to know whether it's a crappy part that is the wrong size or whether my fenders are too far apart. If the fenders are that way and it takes a ton of work to fix it I don't want to mess with it and will end up making a "Bullitt Cobra". I guess I made it up but it'll be a Bullitt style fastback with Cobra emblems I already have and a custom-ish interior. Thanks for the help!
Eleanor nose piece. I want to know whether it's a crappy part that is the wrong size or whether my fenders are too far apart. If the fenders are that way and it takes a ton of work to fix it I don't want to mess with it and will end up making a "Bullitt Cobra". I guess I made it up but it'll be a Bullitt style fastback with Cobra emblems I already have and a custom-ish interior. Thanks for the help!
reenmachine
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
That's what I figured after thinking about it for a while. I can't really accurately get that measurement for him without taking my headlight buckets off though...1320stang said:
Odds are it's ill-fitting glass anyway. It typically takes a decent amount of rework, at least in my experience.
1320stang
Founding Member
Ozsum2 said:
I don't think that matters, he didn't say he was cloning it and he spoke of custom interior with Cobra emblems.
I've seen a '65-'66 fastback that was the Highland Green with the Torque Thrusts and no horse in the grille and the first thing I thought of was the McQueen car. I don't know if that's the thought the owner was trying for, but it evoked that thought from me.
1320stang
Founding Member
No, I know, and I don't even know if that's what the owner was trying to convey, but insticntively, that's what it made me thing of.
WORTH
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
It's a hard choice between making a Black Eleanor clone with silver stripes or making it look like the green bullitt and I'm not sure I can decide on that yet but the piece I WAS trying to install is an inch shorter than it needed to be. I tried adjusting for about an hour and then just got ticked, started putting my stock front pack together, and shot Rebel Mustang an e-mail saying I wanto to return the product for a refund or I'm selling it because it sure wasn't ending up on my car. (Besides, they have BAD customer service!!!)
Thoughts on the nose piece or on which direction to go with the car are appreciated.
-Mike
Thoughts on the nose piece or on which direction to go with the car are appreciated.
-Mike
Speaking of the work required to make fiberglass parts fit, does anyone have a link with some basic tips/tricks/etc for someone who has never worked with it before? I'm not planning on anything too drastic, but was considering a hood and front apron. I've read plenty about how they don't fit the same as steel parts, and that you have to be willing to work with them, but haven't heard any kind of examples of what needed to be done...
Grant
Grant
reenmachine
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
Just my opinion, since you asked....SlnLax43 said:
I think the world is saturated with Eleanor clone clones. The Bullitt theme is easily returned to original appearance if you get sick of it in a few years, or if you want to sell the car down the road.
reenmachine
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
It's not that complicated, it's just a PITA. Get a book or google some articles on making fiberglass parts, and most of the same concepts are what you use to rework them. In a nutshell, you have to cut a section out of a piece and put the halves back together to shorten it, or add material to lengthen it. Chop up a nose section, for example, until all of the key elements bolt up where you want them, then fill in the gaps where you had to cut them apart. You use a combination of fiberglass matting, resins, and filler to make it happen. You'll have low spots to fill, high spots to grind/sand down, and lots of smoothing to do to get the lines right.Grant65 said:
My secret technique: take it to a body shop that knows how to do it.
I always get my glass work done at a body shop that does hot rods or Corvettes -- they know how to work magic with crappy glass.The sad reality is that the body kit market is so competitive that more and more corners get cut. This is due to the fact that 90% of consumers purchase on price first and foremost rather than quality. Most of these kits are made by laying the glass matting in a mold and wetting it out with polyester resin, then curing it at room temperature. The fiber/resin ratio is way off, and there is a lot of shrinkage during and after cure.
Some bold soul could come along and use high-quality glass, epoxy resin, vacuum bag the whole thing, cure it at elevated temperature, and produce a much lighter, stronger, dimensionally stable part. However, it would cost twice as much so nobody would buy it. This is coupled with the fact that the makers of the crappy stuff tell you their stuff is "premium quality" and the prevailing acceptance in the car world that aftermarket fiberglass products, by nature, require a lot of rework.
Am I bitter?
