Factory Five Roadster Build Body Refinishing And Paint Prep - Part 15

While each body needs a different amount of filler work in different places, every fiberglass body requires sanding of the body seams before final shaping of the body contours. Roeder uses a 90-degree sander with a 3-inch sanding disc attachment. Always remember to use a respirator/filter protection; you don't want to inhale all that fiberglass dust.

As you can see by this test section, it takes only a few seconds to cut down the body seam. You can also see the large amount of dust a small section creates. This is why we stress wearing some sort of filtered air apparatus, even if it's simply a disposable particulate mask. Pay attention to the amount of material removed as well. While it can be built back up, it creates more work for you.

The finished body seams should look something like this. These areas still require a small amount of filler to sand and shape properly, but for now, Roeder will hold off on any further work until all moving panels (trunk, doors, and hood) are aligned.

The trunk hinges included with the FFR kit are a chrome-plated, pot-metal assembly that mounts on the exterior of the car. While functional and easy to use, the original aluminum-bodied Cobras used internal or "hidden" hinges on the trunk. We like the look of a smooth posterior using a hidden hinge setup and purchased these FFR-specific hidden hinges that bolt to the trunk frame from Breeze Automotive [www.breezeautomotive.com; (508) 533-6455].

Roeder used a strip of painters tape to help visualize placement of the hinge assembly on the trunk hoop and aid in marking the mounting holes.

A small section of wood is used to lift the body, as the hinge assembly slips over the trunk hoop during mounting.

With a section of wood at each end of the trunk hoop supporting the body, the two hinge-mounting brackets are slipped over the trunk hoop...

...and centered with the marks that Roeder already placed on the tape. The mounting holes are marked on the tape, and the hinge brackets are temporarily removed.

Once the holes are marked, Roeder uses a small drill bit to create a pilot hole completely through the trunk hoop for each mounting location.

He then increases the bit size and opens the holes to the indicated size in the installation instructions included with the hinge kit.

After the mounting holes are drilled to the proper size, the painters tape is removed and the two hinge brackets are slid into place and bolted down. (After everything is aligned we'll pull the brackets and paint or powdercoat them.)

The hinge itself is bolted to the mounting bracket. There's a vertical adjustment to the hinge through this mounting point, so the pivot bolts will be left loose for now until the trunk is aligned.

Using the original external hinge-mounting hole as a starting point, Roeder marks up the body with more painters tape and measures the hinge-mounting pad to the body from the front and rear edges.

This measurement is used to verify that the left and right hinges are in the same place on each side of the trunk opening and to locate the stud plates that require bonding to the underside of the trunk lid so that the trunk lid can be attached to the hinges (which is also another point of adjustment).

In future installments, we'll align the door assemblies, install the hood hinges, and continue with our Roadster's body prep. Stay tuned.