Panel thickness
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,064
Likes: 141
From: Bornem
Panel thickness
This is how the body panel on my 64 just behind the headlamp looks. As you can notice, it's all but straight. Total thickness (including the metal frame) is roughly 12mm (about 1/2 inch). My question: is this too high? Or are the low sides too low?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 8,918
Likes: 27
From: New Hill NC
The original panel was about .1 inches thick, but it sat on a bonding strip and the metal bar in that location. It varied from car to car, and the bonding strip was not straight itself, but that is thicker than the original assembly.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,658
Likes: 3,665
From: Central Arkansas
It looks like there could have been some past collision damage there that cracked the fiberglass and slgihtly separated it from the metal reinforcement. If the repair has been made with fiberglass and resin then it should be sound enough to continue with. As said above, basically you have to match the contour of the hood on one side and the headlamp bucket on the other side - and then fill and block sand to contour it all to look uniform, even and original.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,064
Likes: 141
From: Bornem
It looks like there could have been some past collision damage there that cracked the fiberglass and slgihtly separated it from the metal reinforcement. If the repair has been made with fiberglass and resin then it should be sound enough to continue with. As said above, basically you have to match the contour of the hood on one side and the headlamp bucket on the other side - and then fill and block sand to contour it all to look uniform, even and original.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,658
Likes: 3,665
From: Central Arkansas
It will look ugly but I would grind out all of that filler back down nearly to the bonding strip if necessary. Then build it back up with mat and resin and roll in each layer as it's applied. It will be good as new when finished. You may have to grind and cut out that headlight reinforcement and re-do it. More work but it will save time later on with getting a straight line across the nose and consistent gaps around the headlight buckets.
Don't worry too much if the gap on one side of the bucket is a little different width than the other side. That is actually a result of the design. The best you can really do without messing with GMs original assembly is get the outside gaps on both sides to match and the inside gaps on both sides to match - but they may be a 1/32 to 1/16 inch different on either side of the bucket.
Don't worry too much if the gap on one side of the bucket is a little different width than the other side. That is actually a result of the design. The best you can really do without messing with GMs original assembly is get the outside gaps on both sides to match and the inside gaps on both sides to match - but they may be a 1/32 to 1/16 inch different on either side of the bucket.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,064
Likes: 141
From: Bornem
It will look ugly but I would grind out all of that filler back down nearly to the bonding strip if necessary. .... You may have to grind and cut out that headlight reinforcement and re-do it. More work but it will save time later on with getting a straight line across the nose and consistent gaps around the headlight buckets.
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That is exactly what I did, and I cut the wrongly fitted headlight endplate out. Now fitted the headlight back, and it starts to show what to do. Notice the panel 'gap' behind the headlight that had been corrected with filler and how the outer side of the headlamp is much lower than the line I drew based on the previous restorer's work...
Inner side looks quite ok. The holes are to check panel thickness.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,658
Likes: 3,665
From: Central Arkansas
There is a fair amount of work to be done there but you seem to have an eye for what will need to be done. That is one nice thing about these cars - for the most part it's just fiberglass and you can mold it and correct it to whatever degree is necessary to make it all work out. One other hint you may already be aware of - the corners of the headlight opening for the buckets have a small radius and are not square cut. Anything you do in those corners, do with fiberglass and resin. They are prone to stress cracks and you probabaly saw some before stripping the paint. Good luck.
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Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,064
Likes: 141
From: Bornem
There is a fair amount of work to be done there but you seem to have an eye for what will need to be done. That is one nice thing about these cars - for the most part it's just fiberglass and you can mold it and correct it to whatever degree is necessary to make it all work out. One other hint you may already be aware of - the corners of the headlight opening for the buckets have a small radius and are not square cut. Anything you do in those corners, do with fiberglass and resin. They are prone to stress cracks and you probabaly saw some before stripping the paint. Good luck.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 8,918
Likes: 27
From: New Hill NC
1/4 inch is well within normal production, but its nice to have it better.
To check the relationship to the frame, first jack the frame up level, and then check the body. I never worry about the wheel openings, just the front and rear corners. Thats the only thing you will notice when looking at the body from some distance.
To check the relationship to the frame, first jack the frame up level, and then check the body. I never worry about the wheel openings, just the front and rear corners. Thats the only thing you will notice when looking at the body from some distance.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,658
Likes: 3,665
From: Central Arkansas
I had another 66 years ago that had taken a minor frontal hit down near the parking light on one side. It had been repaired when I bought it but it kind of tweaked the nose down on that side - sort of what you describe.
Like Wombvette says, I think I would try to level the body up - probably using the top of the fender peaks for reference. Leveling the frame may work but some of these cars are shimmed quite a bit different from side to side and also the body assembly tolerances may be at opposite ends of normal from side to side. The frame could be set level but the body overall isn't.
I may be misunderstanding you when you said the inside of the front wheel wells were used for leveling, but if not - those wheel wells were probably never assembled with a lot of precision on the factory line. If the front fender peaks are level and the rear fender peaks are roughly level, at least if the rest of the body character lines are relatively level or consistent from side to side - it should look fine. That would be my 2 cents anyway.
Like Wombvette says, I think I would try to level the body up - probably using the top of the fender peaks for reference. Leveling the frame may work but some of these cars are shimmed quite a bit different from side to side and also the body assembly tolerances may be at opposite ends of normal from side to side. The frame could be set level but the body overall isn't.
I may be misunderstanding you when you said the inside of the front wheel wells were used for leveling, but if not - those wheel wells were probably never assembled with a lot of precision on the factory line. If the front fender peaks are level and the rear fender peaks are roughly level, at least if the rest of the body character lines are relatively level or consistent from side to side - it should look fine. That would be my 2 cents anyway.