The last two pieces of the puzzle arrived today........(ignore the white specks on the chrome/fuzz from packing paper)...........





Tomorrow I'll lay out the cuts on the fiberglass and take a few pics....if it all looks workable I'll make the main cut across the top from fender to fender ...........

and Yes......I'm nervous/first time fiberglass work


98200

 

I know what you mean DG on the fiberglasss. I was curious as to what tool you plan on using to make your cuts. YOOOOU CAN DO IT!
ZIO

 

wait wait wait.i will have your bumper lip back to an inch or 3 up the headlight openings in a week or so. looks like i need to do the sides from the fender openings forward and from a little above bumper lip to bottom of fender. then you can put the 2 together and decide where to cut.

 

DG, do your guards have the little raised portion to match the raised part on the chrome hockey sticks? I know you aren't going for NCRS correct here. GM made some compromise guards as service parts, that are smooth like the 70-72 ones. Lou.

 

Good luck with search if you can get usable section of clip great, I think you know the practical solution if you can't.

 

I hava an aftermarket clip i am pulling molds from. I am thinking of trying to convert another 74-up nose or 2 to chrome.

 

Thanks R.........Lou.........Calo..........Deri k.

What tool should I use to make the cuts....I have an idea that I only need to go about 1/32" deeper than the thickness of the fiberglass.

Derik...I won't make ANY cuts that will affect the pieces that you want me to test fit for you/This will be practice for me since I have no bodywork experience.........Also, I'm going to stay 1/2" away from the cut lines in front of the headlight openings (1/2" factory + 1/2" allowance = 1" total) and same thing down the fenders to allow for mistakes.

I will definitely post pics before I make any cuts so you guys can correct any lines that are in the wrong place.

 

I recommend a chainsaw or or angle grinder with cut off wheel, your choice.

 

My first choice was a chainsaw.......that's when I knew that I needed help!

A 1/32 thick cut-off would keep me from doing anything dangerous.

 

Somehow/by mistake/LOL........ I bought the correct guards with the notch for the trim to fit in.

(I always wondered why some cars had a gap between the bumper guards and the lower chrome trim pieces)

 

we are talking cutting fiberglass right? the long straight cut across in front of the headlight openings i would use a circular saw. they cut the straightest. and you can set the blade depth as shallow as you need to. i have cut up a couple of glass boats. the saw blade works good. the glass eats chainsaw chains.

 

NOTE: For members who are new to Corvettes Derek is kidding about using a chainsaw to make the fiberglass cuts..........

Right, derek........... .............derek? Right?

 

Doorgunner's Rookie Chrome Bumper Conversion!

Fiberglass Modification Continued.................


I WILL INCLUDE ALL FUTURE PICS/INFO INTO THIS POST IN ORDER TO KEEP THE MODIFICATION ORGANIZED





GM engineers must have planned for this long ago.....the 2nd door on the SUV has the correct radius built into it so the Vette will not get nicked when the SUV door is opened all the way ................











First....I used 1/2" wide tape to layout the 1/2" flat area between the headlight openings and the "bumper notch" in the fiberglass.............................. ......













Then I made notes on the tape to keep everything in order.........














Then I laid the chrome bumper along the tape.............................

Since I only have pics to work from I laid the chrome bumper across the nose and taped it onto the car approximately where it should fit once the cutting is done (the camera angle distorts the distance from the chrome bumper to the leading edge of the nose)............





















Since it's raining 1/2" per hour, no fiberglassing will be done by this rookie........but I did lots of fitting of panels.

derekderek will get a kick out of the experimental "nose insert" that he made/I will notch the '76 front end to fit the insert........you can see how much the fiberglass "straightened out" during shipment..................










I used painter's tape to gradually pull the piece against the back of the bumper.....................









The rear view of the insert...................







I will definitely have to "mount" the front bumper directly to the fiberglass insert so it will be the exact shape of the bumper. Then I can fiberglass it to the car body.



Now I need to go back to the rear of the car and fit the trunk/cargo panels!

 

Gunner if you want to take some measurements off my 71, I'm right up the hwy from you.

 

Somebody else mentioned chainsaw. I tried it cutting up a boat for scrap. 5 seconds later chain broke. Circular saws make nice straight controllable cuts. The problem with this job, is we have less than a half inch in front of headlight openings. So the options are to leave the half inch and bodywork the seam there, go right to the lead edge of headlight openings and worry about making the peices match, or go farther up. The exact middle of headlight openings is another possibility. And worst case, go right to the hood opening.

 

THAT WOULD BE GREAT.......WHAT TIME COULD I VISIT YOU TODAY?


Also.......I keep having to re-edit the pics because they refuse to show up in the post where they SHOULD BE

annnnnnnnnnnnnnd.........the post times out/I lose all the editing before I can submit it into the thread

That is why it is taking me so long to add pics/info

 

Being a Rookie....I'm going to remove the least amount possible....I'll stay away from the white tape about 1/2" in case I get spastic with the cutting saw. It will also leave plenty of fiberglass for me to overlap your pattern for fitting purposes......now I understand what you meant about the pain of hand-forming the "notch".



Here's another question/thought...............................

 

That is a very good idea. I was thinking a curve into between the headlights to get the same effect, but straight lines are mucho easier to duplicate. So, you are removing the nose from the car? That'll make it a ton easier to glass the underside at the joint.

 

Ok, if you are going to baton rouge to compare cars, might be a good idea to take the tail light panel along too. First, you need to see if it is authentic dimensions or altered spoiler shape, then do some measuring to get an idea where the car and the panel need to be cut to line up.

 

thanks for the advice....I'll re-do the tape to make a straight line between the lights/then edit the pics to avoid confusion.







Another good reminder for me! With my A.D.D., I lose focus on the overall objective easily...may as well take my notepad/camera/tape measure/snacks/PowerAde/etc.


Remember....all this is practice for me/everything will be clamped or screwed into place....I really like your idea of the pre-fabbed notch/grill opening and want to test-fit the panels that you are making before I do any permanent bonding to the nose.