Thread: Does this qualify as a Hot Rod?

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It will be badass when done!

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.

Any thoughts??
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I hope after all that work you are feeling better! It looks great too!

Wes - I used the truck bed liner on the underside of my fenders and the forward parts of the body and it works very well, particularly to reduce paint stars. The only advice I can give you on that 'stuff' is that overspray, and you will have some, is a real bear to get off. I still have a few speckles on one rocker that 3 years later are defying my attempts at removing. Oh and the sinus infection - I found that the 5 day course of pills didn't last. It came back!!! In spades!! I'll be again going to the doc this week

Nice detail Wes. Don't know much about glass to add any info towards undercoating.

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.

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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.

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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.

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I reattached the cheek panel with the new block off and wrapped the fleece around the edges, pulling everything good and tight. More resin...

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... and it all comes off as one piece.

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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.

Wes,
Check out Herculiner - Herculiner Truck Bed Liners It goes on with a roller, so you can easily control "overspray" issues with masking. I used it on the bottom of my '33, and it's great! Use at least two coats.

Thanks Roger, that looks like the best way to go.

That's some good planning and nice glass work on the inside!!!! Sure will help to keep the muck off the tires from getting all over everything. The Herculiner is also great for keeping the star cracks out of 'glass fenders!!!!

Almost there.

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As usual I got a little impatient to see the final look, so I glued some mesh behind the side vents using a couple globs of filler. I'll grind it out later and replace it with something that will be removable.

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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 drivers side.

The driver side was much simpler, and cleaner, since I was able to make a cardboard pattern from the passenger side.

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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.

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With both cheek panels reinstalled the exterior feels almost complete. Thinking about a billet style grill for the front.
Something like this Camaro maybe.

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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 .

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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. A couple of clamps ensure it's not going anywhere.

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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.

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After it dries, we'll see how easy it is to get out.

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Very nice work, Wes!!!! Always a challenge to work with all the angles and radius's, looks like you nailed a good plan!!!

Like the innovative approach! Fleece is an amazing tool, but can be challenging to anchor, for sure. Great job!