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Doorgunner's '68 Convertible Project

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Old Mar 19, 2026 | 10:04 AM
  #8521  
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Good idea about taking temp readings. I’ll post numbers this week.
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Old Mar 20, 2026 | 07:42 PM
  #8522  
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SLOWIER I Turn. I finally installed the fender and rough sanded the door gap.
The tire is 1/4" off in the wheel well but I.m not tellimg anyone.

Hopefully I can lay the hood in plaace and buld up the top rear of the fender to match the LONG HOOD contour.

V.A. appoint.s have kept me busy all week...but i scrounged time to fit the fender....
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Old Mar 20, 2026 | 09:39 PM
  #8523  
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That door gap is perfect....I bet you will have the hood to fender curve perfect by next weekend!!
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Old Mar 20, 2026 | 11:18 PM
  #8524  
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tHYANKS You Guys very muchly.
I forgot I have to reinstall the coil and new gas tank hose before I do the gill/vent temperature test. The 10% Ethanol softened th hose so much it only had a 1/8" I.D. for fuel flow.
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Old Mar 21, 2026 | 12:42 PM
  #8525  
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Originally Posted by doorgunner
SLOWIER I Turn. I finally installed the fender and rough sanded the door gap.
The tire is 1/4" off in the wheel well but I.m not tellimg anyone.
Tony, with all the work you've done on that fender, I bet the wheel is spot on and that it's your tape measure that's providing incorrect measurements!
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Old Mar 22, 2026 | 12:31 AM
  #8526  
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Originally Posted by nwav8tor
tony, with all the work you've done on that fender, i bet the wheel is spot on and that it's your tape measure that's providing incorrect measurements! :d

now that right there is fuuuuuny....i laffed out loud.....
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Old Mar 23, 2026 | 02:02 AM
  #8527  
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I bogged down in home repairs this weekend and didn't get to the car to reinstall the coil and new fuel lines from the gas tank or do the vents/gills temperature readings...RATS!

Will try again tomorrow (yeah...Right) I should quit arguing with myself...I lose every time.
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Old Mar 23, 2026 | 02:50 PM
  #8528  
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O.K. The front half of the lip in the fender arch was just about destroyed so I decided to "install" another half-lip.

First a sheetmetal form/backing to wrap the new fiberglass around. The camera angle makes the form look like it is sticking out rather than at a 90* angle to the fender.

Then the first layer of fiberglass is bonded to the fender and wrapped around the sheetmetal form.

Naturally the fiberglass decided to "droop" away from the form...so painter's tape is used to hold it in place until it cures.
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Old Mar 23, 2026 | 05:00 PM
  #8529  
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The 2nd layer is bonded....2 more layers to go so that I can sand the flat area and blend it in on the outside of the fender at the opening....
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Old Mar 24, 2026 | 01:57 PM
  #8530  
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Rebuilding the damaged flat area also.
I decided to let the first two layers cure overnite before I add the last two layers of fiberglass. I will rough sand the inner arch and outer 3/4" wide flat area next to the fender lip. then grind out any air pockets before adding more layers....

Bonding the rear of the fender to the firwall and matching the hoodedge to the fenderwill be the last steps before applying fender filler.

Imagine...3 years ago that was a1976 nose grafted on the 1968 clip!
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Last edited by doorgunner; Mar 24, 2026 at 10:12 PM.
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Old Mar 25, 2026 | 12:47 PM
  #8531  
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Great progress Tony!
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Old Mar 25, 2026 | 03:16 PM
  #8532  
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Originally Posted by OldCarBum
Great progress Tony!
Thanks OCB....it;s PTSD UGLY...but stout...a few moremlayers of fiberglass before I rough-grind and sand the detais.

Meanwhile...before I install the hood to build up fiberglass in the low spots I decided to build up the low spots now to keep fiberglass resin off the hood..Here are before and after oics and also pics of rhe good driver fender for reference...
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Old Mar 25, 2026 | 03:43 PM
  #8533  
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Originally Posted by doorgunner
Thanks OCB....it;s PTSD UGLY...but stout...a few moremlayers of fiberglass before I rough-grind and sand the detais.

Meanwhile...before I install the hood to build up fiberglass in the low spots I decided to build up the low spots now to keep fiberglass resin off the hood..Here are before and after oics and also pics of rhe good driver fender for reference...
EDIT: PICS ARE OUT OF SEQUENCE....pICS WITH NEW FIBERGLASS AND RESIN SHOULD BE LAST TO SHOW tHAT i HAD TO BILD UP THE LOW AREA NEARLY 1/4" TO GET IN THE BALLPARK!
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Last edited by doorgunner; Mar 25, 2026 at 03:58 PM.
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Old Mar 25, 2026 | 05:03 PM
  #8534  
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That sure is one helleva contour duplicator. I just ordered 2 smaller ones to hopefully help repair my driver's side rear upper corner so it matches the passenger side.



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Old Mar 25, 2026 | 09:02 PM
  #8535  
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Originally Posted by nwav8tor
That sure is one helleva contour duplicator. I just ordered 2 smaller ones to hopefully help repair my driver's side rear upper corner so it matches the passenger side.


Even I can't go wrong with those gadgets! I had to clamp two 12" long contour gages together to get the damaged fender contiur correct between the bumper and the front of the fender arch.

I accidentall got something right on the first try in 13 years.
After letting the built-up low spot-- 10" long by 5" wide by 1/4" deep cure for 4 hours I started rough sanding the material down to a flat.
It's a good thing I stopped sanding when I did.

See the pics of the drivere side fender contour compared to the area on the passenger fender that I built up aalot and and sanded like a wolverine on speed.....

As Richard Pryor said...YEEEE HAAAA! I'm 90% done with fiberglass...and now gettibg the hang of it!!!

The driver side unmolested fender pic is first
The passenger side repaired fender is the second pic....Cose enough contour for this Rookie!
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Last edited by doorgunner; Mar 25, 2026 at 09:53 PM.
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Old Mar 25, 2026 | 09:56 PM
  #8536  
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It's a good thing I have PISD and Brain Trauma...at least I have SOMETHING to blame 13 years of rookieness on.
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Old Mar 26, 2026 | 12:49 PM
  #8537  
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Hey Tony,
I just thought of something but don’t want to throw a wrench into the works.
Don’t forget that the hood hinges, rubber stand offs and the hood release/pin assemblies all change how the hood will align with the contour of the fenders.
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Old Mar 26, 2026 | 08:25 PM
  #8538  
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Originally Posted by OldCarBum
Hey Tony,
I just thought of something but don’t want to throw a wrench into the works.
Don’t forget that the hood hinges, rubber stand offs and the hood release/pin assemblies all change how the hood will align with the contour of the fenders.
Keep both eyes on me. I forgot about that stuff.

I'm sending your info to my printer as we speak.

So THATS what the big black semi rigid crumbled piece of dog doodoo was..

.A FIREWALL-TO-UNDERSIDE-OF-THE-FENDER-SPACER !

No wonder the rear of the hood sits too high...the fender at that location has no spacer to make it level with the hood.
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Old Mar 26, 2026 | 10:38 PM
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Tony,
There are several good illustrations in both the AIM and the Parts and Accessories Catalog that show where all the different panel pieces fit, and what the separate pieces look like.
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Old Mar 26, 2026 | 11:41 PM
  #8540  
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Originally Posted by OldCarBum
Tony,
There are several good illustrations in both the AIM and the Parts and Accessories Catalog that show where all the different panel pieces fit, and what the separate pieces look like.
I'll get my AIM tomorrow...thanks for the info OCB!

I have some news I've been waiting 7 years for.....
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