correct, and all the way down the front edge of the door openings
front clip
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 124
Likes: 3
From: Pittsburgh Pa.
front clip
i bumped into a 65 driver, that the owner will sell, i looked at it,seemed solid, looked at birdcage,frame,seems ok, but bothers me is the front clip at the bottom of the fenders does not line up, it hangs down maybe three eights of an inch past the doors on both sides.im not an expert on how the clip is even attached to the car. my question is, is this something that can be simply adjusted , or is this a major repair. we havent got the price phase of the car yet. thanks
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 124
Likes: 3
From: Pittsburgh Pa.
Originally Posted by voltal
i bumped into a 65 driver, that the owner will sell, i looked at it,seemed solid, looked at birdcage,frame,seems ok, but bothers me is the front clip at the bottom of the fenders does not line up, it hangs down maybe three eights of an inch past the doors on both sides.im not an expert on how the clip is even attached to the car. my question is, is this something that can be simply adjusted , or is this a major repair. we havent got the price phase of the car yet. thanks
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 17,901
Likes: 751
From: Inverness FL
St. Jude Donor '07
at least 3 things:
1. the front end was fabricated a bit sloppy by the fabricator. unless they were press molded parts, molds for hand laid parts tend to get out of shape as they are used more and more; edges move and curves change, panels get wavy.... i have seen some really ugly pieces from some well known suppliers...
2. the installation was sloppy...
3. it was the best they could do with what they had to work with...
Bill
1. the front end was fabricated a bit sloppy by the fabricator. unless they were press molded parts, molds for hand laid parts tend to get out of shape as they are used more and more; edges move and curves change, panels get wavy.... i have seen some really ugly pieces from some well known suppliers...
2. the installation was sloppy...
3. it was the best they could do with what they had to work with...
Bill
Last edited by wmf62; Sep 9, 2006 at 07:19 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 17,901
Likes: 751
From: Inverness FL
St. Jude Donor '07
it's possible that the door could be adjusted. you didn't say if it is a coupe or a convertible. if it's a coupe, moving the door at the fender area in or out will effect how the top of the door fits the roof. the critical gap on a coupe is how the door top fits the roof opening. on a convertible it would be how the door wing vent post fits the windshield post.
if it doesn't adjust out, then the only solution short of breaking the joint loose and resetting it would be to build up the surface of the low panel to bring it up straight with the level of the highest panel. not a big deal, just time and $$$$$....
look at this picture: the brown colored material on the top front edge of the door is filler material used to bring the door surface up flush to meet the frontend panel contour.
Bill
if it doesn't adjust out, then the only solution short of breaking the joint loose and resetting it would be to build up the surface of the low panel to bring it up straight with the level of the highest panel. not a big deal, just time and $$$$$....
look at this picture: the brown colored material on the top front edge of the door is filler material used to bring the door surface up flush to meet the frontend panel contour.
Bill
Last edited by wmf62; Sep 9, 2006 at 10:19 PM.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2000
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Likes: 27
From: New Hill NC
Originally Posted by wmf62
at least 3 things:
1. the front end was fabricated a bit sloppy by the fabricator. unless they were press molded parts, molds for hand laid parts tend to get out of shape as they are used more and more; edges move and curves change, panels get wavy.... i have seen some really ugly pieces from some well known suppliers...
2. the installation was sloppy...
3. it was the best they could do with what they had to work with...
Bill
1. the front end was fabricated a bit sloppy by the fabricator. unless they were press molded parts, molds for hand laid parts tend to get out of shape as they are used more and more; edges move and curves change, panels get wavy.... i have seen some really ugly pieces from some well known suppliers...
2. the installation was sloppy...
3. it was the best they could do with what they had to work with...
Bill
That sounds like the process at the factory. Sloppy! In actuality that is rather good for the factory. Many even most were like that.
Glenn
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 116
From: AUSTIN Tx
The front clip has a set of panels that contain the gills, and that panel can be removed and reset to correct the gap without pulling the entire clip off. these panels go from just below the body line to the bottom of the door. I order my front clips with these panels not bonded on, and then bond them on after the rest of the clip has been installed. It sure makes for a whole lot better fit, and less bonding adhesive to put on at one time. Also, the repro panels do not allways line up with the existing structure, and quite often the existing fiberglass bonding strips at the fender bottoms will need to be trimmed to allow the gill panels to mount in the correct position. With patience, you can split the bonding seams apart and remove the gills. It is then just a matter of fitting them properly and bonding them back on in the correct location.
Regards, John McGraw
Regards, John McGraw