Three... two... one... lift off!
07-23-2017, 02:15 PM
#321
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Getting my rear bumper to look presentable
According to my estimations I'm now 0.76% closer to completion since the last update. I have been focusing on the rear bumper's sides and center lately. You can see from my last postings that the quarter panels were sticking out by as much as 5/16" in the middle. Here's what I ended up with so far.
I bought a couple of sanding kits that were very helpful. When I was done with the VPA, the bumper and rear clip looked totally fused. So I was concerned about damaging them during separation but it turned out that the mold release liquid I had put on the rear clip flange worked well. A few little kicks and the bumper cover came off without damage and with a clean edge. I'm in the middle of adding a bit of VPA to the bumper's flange now to make it flat, like the rear clip flange.
A lot more VPA'ing ahead of me, in particular at the bottom-rear ends of the quarter panels so they transition nicely into the bumper cover. That's next.
As for the center of the rear bumper, I opted for a flat enough surface that I can use the '77 Corvette emblem if I want to.
I bought a couple of sanding kits that were very helpful. When I was done with the VPA, the bumper and rear clip looked totally fused. So I was concerned about damaging them during separation but it turned out that the mold release liquid I had put on the rear clip flange worked well. A few little kicks and the bumper cover came off without damage and with a clean edge. I'm in the middle of adding a bit of VPA to the bumper's flange now to make it flat, like the rear clip flange.
A lot more VPA'ing ahead of me, in particular at the bottom-rear ends of the quarter panels so they transition nicely into the bumper cover. That's next.
As for the center of the rear bumper, I opted for a flat enough surface that I can use the '77 Corvette emblem if I want to.
07-23-2017, 02:32 PM
#322
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
The front begs for attention too
In other news, I have ordered the front 2" flared quarter panels and started to grind down the old adhesive. Some of it gets removed with a heat gun and scraper. Still one baby step each evening.
Thanks for taking a peek!
Thanks for taking a peek!
07-23-2017, 03:43 PM
#323
RVZIO
07-23-2017, 03:46 PM
#324
Nam Labrat
Member Since: Sep 2013
Location: New Orleans Loo-z-anna
Posts: 33,899
Received 4,179 Likes
on
2,739 Posts
Keep it up/looking good!
07-24-2017, 11:02 PM
#326
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Merci RZ, DG & bazza 
@bazza, no I don't roll it out for sanding. I typically work on it daily from 10:30pm to 11:30pm, so it's real dark. Instead I vacuum the sanded area and the floor after 5 minutes of sanding.
Here's the bumper flange after applying some VPA and mold release.
@bazza, no I don't roll it out for sanding. I typically work on it daily from 10:30pm to 11:30pm, so it's real dark. Instead I vacuum the sanded area and the floor after 5 minutes of sanding.
Here's the bumper flange after applying some VPA and mold release.
08-11-2017, 10:10 PM
#327
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Smooth transitions
What does a man do when he has a few days off work? He posts an update on the corvette forum of course.
I have been focusing on the transitions at the bottom edges of the rear bumper and quarter panels. I added VPA to make the left and right transitions smooth. Adding VPA against gravity is a long painful process.
I added thin washers in between the bumper cover and rear clip/quarter panels for the final fine tuning. That added little space is to simulate the coats of primer and paint that will eventually be sprayed on the flanges. That space actually made a difference: I had to sand off a bit of VPA from the sides of the bumper. That's why I added the space after all!
I have been focusing on the transitions at the bottom edges of the rear bumper and quarter panels. I added VPA to make the left and right transitions smooth. Adding VPA against gravity is a long painful process.
I added thin washers in between the bumper cover and rear clip/quarter panels for the final fine tuning. That added little space is to simulate the coats of primer and paint that will eventually be sprayed on the flanges. That space actually made a difference: I had to sand off a bit of VPA from the sides of the bumper. That's why I added the space after all!
08-11-2017, 11:56 PM
#330
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Spoiler alert!
And I personally don't like any of the spoilers I have seen on '74-'82 models.
The following users liked this post:
bmans vette (08-12-2017)
08-12-2017, 08:16 AM
#331
Thanks Bman! No plan currently for a rear spoiler. I realize it would fit the racer theme, but frankly I have not been able to imagine a rear spoiler that I would like on a '74 rear. Trust me, I have tried and tried...
And I personally don't like any of the spoilers I have seen on '74-'82 models.
And I personally don't like any of the spoilers I have seen on '74-'82 models.
Kepp up the nice work!
RVZIO
08-12-2017, 07:25 PM
#333
08-16-2017, 03:55 PM
#334
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
One down, one to go
This happened faster than I expected. Why? Because the inner fender skirt had completely detached from the front clip and came off with the quarter panel.
