Fauxre Posted February 11, 2012 Author Share Posted February 11, 2012 (edited) Well it actually happened! She fired up on the first try. Check it out! It Lives Sounds pretty good even without an exhaust system. Edited February 11, 2012 by Fauxre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Ahhhhh yeahhhh keep it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fauxre Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 Been green lighted by the Mrs. to purchase wheels. The little shop that imports them wasn't answering the phone today, and their voice mailbox was full. Closed for the holiday I guess. Hopefully I can get a set of these tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fauxre Posted February 25, 2012 Author Share Posted February 25, 2012 (edited) After three days of conflicts, I was finally able to pick up my new wheels. I spent no time getting them on and checking for clearance issues. The fronts are pretty tight, and depending on tire width, may need a small spacer to keep from rubbing against the spring. Even if no spacer is required, I may opt for a small flare to the front fender openings to get that hunkered down, slightly wider look, that I've seen on some of the Porsche Speedster replicas. Looks like the rears will need an adapter to push them out around an inch (again depending on tire width) to fill the tub completely. I anticipated this. Rota RB Royal Hyper Black Front: 17x9 -13mm Rear: 17x9.5 -19mm While I wouldn't describe these as "top of the line", I do feel they are a great value. For me, they are a good compromise between the styling I want and cost. I get a deep dish,slightly muscle car look, and save some cash by utilizing the stock suspension / brakes, etc. Custom wheels made to the specs I need are three times as expensive. Who knows, I might even placate some of the Ferrari guys who feel that wire wheels are the only way to go on these cars. Eight spokes with that Torque Thrust look?? Not enough spokes? Oh well, I like them. I tried to get the suspension to approximate ride hight, by supporting the car on its suspension as close to the outside as possible. But as one can see, it didn't work out that well. Can't wait to get them wrapped in rubber and finalize the stance. Alas, it won't be soon. But there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Edited February 25, 2012 by Fauxre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fauxre Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 Couldn't wait for new rubber. Adjusted springs and test fit rims... again. Lovin' the new stance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fauxre Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 This is the tread pattern.. and specs of the tires I'll be mounting. A little over 4 1/4" sidewall. I'd like a little more, but, once again, the price is right on these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docaam Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Awesome thread just read all the posts and your attention to detail is amazing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelsonian Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Fauxre, Love what you got going on there with the car build. It is nice to see a different option for wheels on that body style with a bit more of an aggressive approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fauxre Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 Awesome thread just read all the posts and your attention to detail is amazing Thanks.... maybe the word you're looking for is 'anal'. Fauxre, Love what you got going on there with the car build. It is nice to see a different option for wheels on that body style with a bit more of an aggressive approach. You wouldn't believe how many people feel that a wire wheel is the only way to go because of the Italian body style and '60s era lines. But I'm not building a replica... it's my one of a kind custom. Thanks for the support guys!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fauxre Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 (edited) Been dealing with a sore throat and sinus infection for the last week. Was feeling much better today, so I decided that my compromised respiratory system needed a good dose of fiberglass/bond dust to make my recovery move right along. Got around to finishing the front inner fender/headlight covers. Spent most of the day filling and sanding and I'm pleased with final result. I was going to finish them with undercoating, but it's been suggested that spray truck bed liner might be better. Edited March 14, 2012 by Fauxre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fauxre Posted April 1, 2012 Author Share Posted April 1, 2012 Still working under the front fenders. Quite a while ago, I started making a block off panel behind the front tires. It'll keep crud thrown up by the front tires from getting to the door hinges and side vents. I hot glued floral blocks to the under side of the cheek panel and shaped them until I got a curvature I liked. I removed the assembly, covered the blocks with foil and coated them with a layer of fiberglass cloth. After removing the blocks, the new piece fits nicely between the cheek panel and unibody. But there is still a gap I'll have to close. Using some sheet metal, I attached a sheet of fleece to the bottom of the upper frame rail. A little resin and it conforms to, and holds the shape of, the old body. I reattached the cheek panel with the new block off and wrapped the fleece around the edges, pulling everything good and tight. More resin... ... and it all comes off as one piece. All three pieces are tacked together only where there was actual contact with the wet resin. I reinforced all joints and filled any voids with fiberglass matting and filler. After some trimming and sanding, it's still pretty rough, but it'll get a lot more attention before finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fauxre Posted April 1, 2012 Author Share Posted April 1, 2012 Almost there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fauxre Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) Primed gray and black... ready to go back on for trial period before final paint. Now all I have to do is make one for the driver side. Edited April 3, 2012 by Fauxre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sq_creations Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 You are a wiz with fiberglass. I love watching your progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegnaZetr0 Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 (edited) Great progress keep up the motivation! Edited April 21, 2012 by 73FairladyZDriver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fauxre Posted April 25, 2012 Author Share Posted April 25, 2012 (edited) Thanks guys!! The driver side was much simpler, and cleaner, since I was able to make a cardboard pattern from the passenger side. I left the screen on one side black and painted the other silver for comparison. It's interesting how much easier it is to see through the black screen. With both cheek panels reinstalled the exterior feels almost complete. Thinking about a billet style grill for the front. Something like this Camaro maybe. Edited April 25, 2012 by Fauxre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fauxre Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Had some time this weekend, so I started some of the interior work. I need to create new panels to separate the trunk from the passenger compartment and cover the added reinforcing steel. I made several attempts to generate patterns out of cardboard. I thought that would be simplest route. Wrong! A total waist of time. Too many square corners. Stretching fleece over such a large area seemed like the best way to go, but I wasn't sure how to secure the material under the lip of the rear tub while applying resin. Here's what I've done . Laid out the fleece and trimmed it . I cut 1/2" pvc pipe to length (about 72") and sliced numerous grooves in the areas where it needed to make tight bends. I then attached the top edge of the fleece with a little trim adhesive. The pipe bends easily and holds itself tight to the unibody at the door jams. It kept drooping in the center, so I pulled the pvc up tight to the fiberglass with small screw. I used an old gas tank strap to get it tight around the wheel wells and an old wooden trim molding keeps the fleece tight to the wall under the reinforcement. I need the area on top of the wheel wells accessible in order to mount the roll bar. After it dries, we'll see how easy it is to get out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fauxre Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 Well... the fleece and resin didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. I misjudged the amount of hardener to use based on the temperature outside. The resin started to harden before it saturated the fleece. The result was a very bumpy and floppy panel. I wasn't thrilled with the amount of work it would take to cover the whole thing with glass matte, to make it rigid, and then filling and sanding to smooth it all out. Instead, I replaced the center section with hardboard. It's already rigid and requires no sanding to get a smooth surface. I did glass the ends... then filled and smoothed. A little trimming and some more filler... and the panel fits snugly around the roll bar mounting points. A little more sanding and it will be smooth enough to cover. Interior is starting to shape up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fauxre Posted May 29, 2012 Author Share Posted May 29, 2012 More progress... Got some color on the rear panel and started to bend up some sheet metal to direct air to the radiator. Finally got around to wrapping the Rotas in new rubber. I'm liking the new look... Somehow, it feels more like a real car now than ever before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fauxre Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 (edited) The VR left the garage today under it's own power since... well, ever! I spent the last couple of weeks working out the ride height and desired spacing of the wheels within the tire wells. The front wheels got 1" spacers which lets me use the Rota center caps, avoiding the ugly dust caps protruding through the center holes. The rears needed 2" spacers to allow the tires to fill out the wells. I really like the stance. Unfortunately, pushing the wheels out created a couple of clearance issues with the body, when turning. Easy fix. A little trimming to the corners of the tilt bonnet and to the edge of the inner blockoffs I made for the fenders, and everything is in the clear. I'm still waiting to install pipes and mufflers, but I just couldn't wait to see if she'd actually drive. So, with more than a little apprehension , I fired her up and backed her down the driveway into the street. I took a couple of laps around the court and to the corner and back. And although the total distance travelled was probably less than 1K feet, it was exhilarating. There were no loud bangs, no rubbing noises, no strange vibrations and none of those tell tale smells indicating a major problem. Once back in the garage, I did find two small leaks. Fuel, from a fitting not completely tight and oil, from the pan-to-timing cover seal. I was feeling so good, that I took a few pics to commemorate her first day in the sun. And with the bright light, I was even able to approximate a metallic paint finish. All in all... one great 'feel good' day. Edited July 3, 2012 by Fauxre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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