And so it begins...the AP build.

[joe]

The close outs were trimmed and fitted. Initially, I epoxied them to the headlight. After they are set up, I’ll start to fill the gaps and fillet the edges of n preparation for some 1708 mat.
I also noticed as I was fitting the panels and trying to get things symmetrical that the oval openings and the lower corners of the clam are uneven! Shocker.

 

[joe]

Zip clock bag trick I learned on a corvette YouTube video.

 

[Neil]

Zip clock bag trick I learned on a corvette YouTube video.View attachment 135650View attachment 135651View attachment 135652

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[Douglas]

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Looks to me like Cab-o-sil resin mix being used like an cake piping icing bag.

 

[joe]

Fill the bag with mixed epoxy. Cut a hole in the corner and squeeze out in a bead…like using a chaulking gun. Less mess when filling gaps, cracks, etc.

 

[Neil]

Looks to me like Cab-o-sil resin mix being used like an cake piping icing bag.

Thank you.

 

[Douglas]

Thank you.

Well, hopefully there is some kind of thickening agent and it gets reinforced more, just smearing resin in an open void between two panels will just lead to failures of the bond down the road, cracks, etc.

 

[joe]

See previous posts about the high density filler and eventually covering with 1708 mat.

 

[joe]

Reinforced the epoxy bond with a layer of 1708 and more epoxy on each side.

 

[joe]

For those that thought I was just smearing resin around…I could probably nail

a ground hog at the track and be just fine! Now I just have to figure out how to get it hinged and reinstalled.

 

[joe]

Going to double check rear clam, and rockers before I permanently mount the front clam just to make sure everything is where it needs to be.

 

[joe]

After weeks of head scratching and combing the internet for ideas…the front clam hing. The 3/4” nut will be welded to the 3/16” plate that will be in the backside of the headlight close out panel. The 2 steel plates will sandwich the panel and be bolted together. The 1” tube will be welded to the rad support frame. It will require slightly more work to get the front clam completely off, but not much!

 

[joe]

Installing the rear clam locating pins has been more challenging than expected, but I shouldn’t be surprised. This bitch seems to want to fight every step of the way.
I filled in the top with fortified epoxy to make it more ridged.
Locating the front pin was interesting due to the vent. I had to use a self tapping screw and my air ratchet to drill down through to the frame to get a pilot hole.
Now I’ve figured out that the bottom of the clam isn’t flat. This is preventing the plastic guides from seating properly. I’ll use the squeeze method and some short strand filler to make it flat. The riv nuts holding the pins to the frame are also preventing them from sitting flush on the frame. I’ll probably countersink the bottoms .
And I thought converting a 66 Mustang from a coupe to fastback, then mini tubbing it and installing a Watts link was gonna be hard!

 

[Devin]

Installing the rear clam locating pins has been more challenging than expected, but I shouldn’t be surprised. This bitch seems to want to fight every step of the way.
I filled in the top with fortified epoxy to make it more ridged.
Locating the front pin was interesting due to the vent. I had to use a self tapping screw and my air ratchet to drill down through to the frame to get a pilot hole.
Now I’ve figured out that the bottom of the clam isn’t flat. This is preventing the plastic guides from seating properly. I’ll use the squeeze method and some short strand filler to make it flat. The riv nuts holding the pins to the frame are also preventing them from sitting flush on the frame. I’ll probably countersink the bottoms .
And I thought converting a 66 Mustang from a coupe to fastback, then mini tubbing it and installing a Watts link was gonna be hard! View attachment 136464View attachment 136465View attachment 136466View attachment 136467View attachment 136468View attachment 136469View attachment 136470

Looks very similar to what I have facing me ahead and was thinking the same direction as you have done. Well done and it will all be worth the extra effort in the end. Keep at it…it’s like eating an elephant, just take one bite at a time.

 

[joe]

I guess bodywork has officially started. The plastic locator pieces are fitting flush now, but the pins are still too proud of the rocket. The plastic has an 1/8 lip on it that I suspect is used to establish the seam gap. The lip on the stainless pin plus the riv nut are contributing to the gap being too fat at the moment.

 

[joe]

My OCD won’t tolerate this, so the rocker lip will be extended and flush with the frame. I’ll weld up the hole that AP used for the original locator pin. There may be a 1/16” close out panel in this area, like the one furnished for the door area over the gas tank. If I put them under the rocker lip, this may solve a problem…or cause more. I’ll have to see what some finished cars have done.

 

[joe]

2nd side always goes faster and better. The 2” angle iron is used to establish a flat level surface the same width as the eventual gap.

 

[joe]

As delivered, the front clam locating pin would only be attached to the top of the rocker (1/8” of fiberglass). I decided to weld a mounting tab extension to the frame for a more ridged mount for the pin.

 

[joe]

It looks like a 3rd grader trimmed and installed my rockers prior to shipping. The top edge was terribly uneven, too narrow, and warped in the rear clam-spider area. In order to widen the tops, I thought it would be best to remove the warpage so that the extended edge would be as flat as possible. Plenty of spectators this morning.

 

[joe]

Fortified epoxy and a layer of 1708. I’ll be able to trim down to 2 1/16” when I pull it off the mold.