She's getting close to paint....
She's getting close to paint. When we last looked at our fastback project a month ago, the fiberglass parts were just being bonded on. Here our fastback has the majority of its custom touches complete and the first layer of body filler sanded down. It won't be long now.
Last month we shared with our readers some great tips and photos of the custom fiberglass work that was performed on our '68 Mustang project by Classic Creations of Central Florida. While fiberglass parts fitment can be hit or miss, getting the parts to fit and line up is no harder than trimming them or adding more fiberglass to the part. Frankly, if you cut off too much you can just add some fiberglass back on to it. The same can be said for working with metal parts, but the welding skills required are a little more involved than the basic skills for fiberglass work.
Can you still do it? Of course you can. Prices on welding equipment have really come down in the last few years and you can equip your home shop with a nice 110v MIG welder for $300-$600, depending upon options. A 110v MIG will get the majority of sheetmetal work done with no problems and allow you to modify your project to your heart's content. You want to weld in your own custom cowl vent treatment, or perhaps weld in foglight pockets to a stock front valance? It's no problem with your little shop welder, some bulk metal materials, and some patience.
Upper Air Extractors
If...
Upper Air Extractors
If you look closely at our concept drawing we devised a filler panel for the upper vent area. While the illustration shows it as an inlet, we decided on an extractor type look for the upper panel To begin, a paper template is made of the opening shape so it can be transferred to a piece of sheetmetal.
Our '68's fiberglass work is nearly complete, with just a few small things left to tackle, like the rear valance and bumper. Do we bolt them on or bond them on? Do we cut out openings for exhaust tips or use turn downs? Do we flush mount the bumper, leave a small gap, or completely mold it to the car to match the front? These are all things we'll be tackling soon between stories. But this month we're focusing on some custom sheetmetal treatments that anyone can do and then we'll get started on applying our filler and the fun task of hours and hours of sanding. So let's get started, this fastback's not going to paint itself!
Sometimes You Just Can't Be Gentle
In a perfect world a replacement sheetmetal part would practically "fall" on your car. The reality of it all is, while the reproduction parts are getting better-much better in many cases-they still aren't brand-new production line parts. But let's be honest with ourselves too. We're not repairing a car that's a couple of years old with a minor fender dent. The newest classic Mustang is still 37 years old and the most popular classic Mustangs being worked on today are north of 40 years old.
These unibody cars have been rusting away or have been tweaked by hard driving and road damage so it's no wonder some of these parts don't fit like they should; and in cases like our fastback conversion where so much of the car was replaced at once it's really hard to get a car perfect. Within specs, yes; perfect, no. So don't be surprised when you're putting together your project that a little finesse with a hammer and spoon or dolly is required to line up a fender and door surface or that you have to drill or grind out an adjustment slot a bit to get things to fit. No one has to know and your project will look better when the shiny stuff is laid down in the paint booth. In a nutshell, do what you have to do to get the parts to fit right and the end result will be a nicer looking car.
The paper template is cut...
The paper template is cut to size and then the shape is traced onto a section of 18 gauge steel sheet. But don't cut it out yet! We have to measure the depth of the opening to correctly shape our part.
Using a standard tape measure...
Using a standard tape measure Classic Creations of Central Florida's Danny Gaydos checks the depth of the factory vent opening at the front and at the rear to determine the filler panel's edge depth. This will give the filler panel the correct angle for it to look like an extractor versus just a flat patch panel.
Using a sheetmetal brake is...
Using a sheetmetal brake is certainly an option, but Danny finds he makes such weird shapes and angles with some of the custom metalwork he performs that a section of steel angle iron clamped to the workbench along with a block of wood and a hammer give him more freedom to create the bends and shapes he needs.
Once the panel's ends are...
Once the panel's ends are bent, a gentle curve is hand formed in the main panel to match the Mustang's quarter-panel shape and then the new panel is tapped into place and checked for fit. Danny ends up pulling it out a few times to tweak the shape before he's happy with it.
Once the panel is where he...
Once the panel is where he wants it, Danny fires up the shop MIG welder and proceeds to apply a few tack welds to the panel, being careful to ensure the panel does not move during the process.
Once the panel is tacked and...
Once the panel is tacked and Danny is happy with it he finish welds the panel into place, working in different sections a little at a time to prevent warpage of the metal. He then finishes the area with a grinder to dress down the weld beads.