Hi all,
I got every thing prep and ready for a used front clip to be glued and mounting on the car. Any tip and trick would be appeciated!

Thanks

 

I just finished bonding mine up. What a bee-itch.
I even had help (2 of us). Thanks Mark (Mpro72vette).

I used the 75 firewall that was split from the front clip. I figured that it would
fit together nice and bond up with less adhesive. I was wrong, and I F'ed it up.
On the first try, I mixed up a small batch of adhesive, thinking I could set one
side down, then get the other after. Well, I used too much hardener, and the
adhesive set just as we lowered the clip into place. DOHHH. I scraped all the
firm plastic as best I could and gave it a quick grind with a sanding disc. Now,
it didn't fit tight like before, but close.

Try 2: We made 2 batches of adhesive (still didn't have quite enough) and
applied to the entire bonding area while keeping the clip about halfway
lowered into place. We set it down just in time, and the adhesive set a few
minutes later. Think less hardener. Well, we needed more adhesive, and I
spent the following few nights squeezing adhesive into the open bonding
areas. This is best done with no motor.

If I were to do it over, I would:

1. dry fit and place enough screws to locate and pull the bonds into place.
1b. remove the doors
2. First, bond only the top strip and the door edges
3. replace all the screws and let it setup for the night
4. From inside the engine compartment, bond the forward cowl edges to fenders.
5. Go back and fill in any gaps, holes, cracks from earlier bonding

I think it is easier to set the clip loosly in place and squeeze adhesive into the
openings, rather than covering the surface and lowering. I used a quart sized
ziplock freezer bag (heavy duty), duct tape (stolen from Bubba), and a piece
of plastic drinking straw (~1") to make an applicator - similar to a cake
decorating bag. It worked well to get the adhesive into tight
cracks/areas/corners. Just watch out for sharp edges on the bag - and (of
course) wear rubber or nitrile gloves.

 

NHvette,
Thanks for the tips. Yesterday, I dried fit the front clip to where it should be. It fits nicely. Next step, I'll mark the clip with the duct tape for alignment, instead of using the screws.
I think the most critical step is to mix the adhesive just right amount of hardener with 1/2 hr working time, before It cures. This is the hardest thing to do, cause I made the same mistake as you did when replacing the headlight header bar.
I'll use a 25' ribbon ratchet strap (wrap around the car like the waist belt) to squeeze the boding area together, while waiting for curing. There is no screw hole any where to fix afterward!

I'll go back to fill in the bonding gaps with the "Cake decorating bag". Good tip!

NHvette, what type of adhesive did you use? What is the best curing time for you?

I'll take some pictures too.

Thanks

 

I did my 1971 3 years ago and used the adhesive from Echlers(Polyester based). One thing to be aware of if your not already, is to do all your fitting with the hood on the car. You don't want to get everything together and find out the hood won't close.

 

From what I hear, you may need to put the front bumper on and line up the body lines off the bumper. Good luck.

 

Oh yes, I did align the hood and the nose too! The bumper, I think it can be adjust by the two side brackets and front nose brace afterward.
I think the main point is to align the fenders with the doors, wiper door and the hood. If they all fit, the rest will fit with minor adjustment.

I'm going to use Eckler polyester base adhesive too. This stuff is hard to mix for the right timing.

Can the vacuum tank be installed afterward, without removing the master cylinder and booster?