DIY wide body conversion project
#41
Team Owner
I am interested in the rockers too.
From talking to a local body shop that has done some work directly for LPE and GM he said the rockers are tricky because the amount of bonding agent determines their fitment.
I know that sounds simple but for them to fit properly it has to be done exactly right. Not like you can have some extra and squeeze it out.
From talking to a local body shop that has done some work directly for LPE and GM he said the rockers are tricky because the amount of bonding agent determines their fitment.
I know that sounds simple but for them to fit properly it has to be done exactly right. Not like you can have some extra and squeeze it out.
#43
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16
jet vet, this is the most wonderful, astounding diy thread related to cars that i have ever seen anywhere, ever! i am amazed at the depth and breadth of what you have done and are doing. as someone who has done many projects over many decades, your skill and talent make me feel like a rank amateur. running across this one thread by itself is worth dealing with the hundreds of hours of nonsense that is so prevalent on some of the ego baiting and totally waste of time and energy threads that sometimes show up here. it never crossed my mind that you could buy the parts as reasonably as you did. kudos to what you have shown here. replacing the transmission cooler with a better one and then using the original as a secondary with an installation that looks like it was oem design and installation....what talent and dedication to perfection! i look forward to seeing your finished product. i started in 1951 by replacing broken spring centerbolts and fuel pumps (often) and rebuilding the carburetor on a 47 ford, and still do some of my own work. how do you like your coilovers? i'd be interested in any comments you have about them including ride quality, handling difference from stock and anything else you'd care to comment on. thanks for the details that you have shared with all of us.
The coilovers are only necessary if you drive hard on a road course, then they are almost a must. There is a wide range of adjustment on mine so they can provide anything from a slightly more solid ride on the street to rock steady cornering at the track.
I am interested in the rockers too. From talking to a local body shop that has done some work directly for LPE and GM he said the rockers are tricky because the amount of bonding agent determines their fitment.
I know that sounds simple but for them to fit properly it has to be done exactly right. Not like you can have some extra and squeeze it out.
I know that sounds simple but for them to fit properly it has to be done exactly right. Not like you can have some extra and squeeze it out.
JV
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1ccrider (07-29-2016)
#44
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16
Cool side note: The A-7 below was in one of my sister squadrons (the VA-105 'Gunslingers') at NAS Cecil Field, Jacksonville, FL when I was one of the 'Golden Warriors' of VA-87 in the mid '70s. It is now on display at the 'Big Daddy' Don Garlits Drag Racing Museum in Ocala, FL. Here's how it got there:
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/W...g_Racing_Plane
Last edited by Jet Vet; 07-30-2016 at 01:00 AM.
#45
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C7 & C8 Events Correspondent
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2020 C8 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2020 Corvette of the Year (track prepared)
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
C7 of Year Winner (appearance mods) 2019
2017 C7 of Year Finalist
2015 C7 of the Year
St. Jude Donor '14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19
This is what my aperture panels looked like after removing them to replace with Z06 panels...
#47
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C7 & C8 Events Correspondent
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2020 C8 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2020 Corvette of the Year (track prepared)
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
C7 of Year Winner (appearance mods) 2019
2017 C7 of Year Finalist
2015 C7 of the Year
St. Jude Donor '14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19
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Jet Vet (07-30-2016)
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Jet Vet (07-30-2016)
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Jet Vet (07-30-2016)
#50
Melting Slicks
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First, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY, Second, thank you for the amazing thread. One of the truly useful threads on this board, and so unlike what most of the corvette forum has become... Kudos, you remind me of the guys back in the "old days", that used to come here to share valuable information and stories as opposed to the trolls and in-fighting and pointless posts (C7 Jake and numerous others), I will follow your thread with admiration...
Last edited by AVETTE; 07-30-2016 at 12:27 PM.
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Jet Vet (07-30-2016)
#51
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16
My last post showed the beginning of my attack on the aperture panels. Since then I have found a much more efficient way to go about it, and that requires these tools: heat gun (the stronger the better, a blow drier won't get it), 4 1/2" power grinder with cutting blades, wide blade wood chisel (I found 2 1/2" to be the best), shop vac, pliers, 12" carpenters pry bar and a heavy duty hammer. First I used the wood chisel and hammer to pry loose the entire length of the flange that wraps under the frame by driving it through several individual spots of epoxy. Then I used the cutting tool and shop vac to make a long incision on the middle of the top, from the door latch in the rear to the lower door hinge in the front. The aperture does not sit on the frame, but rather about 1/4" away on a thick bead of epoxy. So I could cut all the way through the fiberglass without cutting into the frame. I then made several cuts perpendicular to that long one and used the heat gun to dissolve the bond. When each section was good and hot I grabbed the end of it with the pliers and pulled it away from the frame. This process was repeated, sometimes with very small sections like near the quarter window, until I had it all removed. Next I'll go about getting rid of the old epoxy. I have an idea, however, to leave several small sections of it as a shim, or bumper, to position the new panel at the proper distance from the frame.
Important note: The cutting tool creates lots of fiberglass dust, so I held the shop vac hose end right next to the wheel as I cut. I still needed to wear a wet mask, shop glasses and drape/cover the open area of the car to keep the mess manageable.
JV
The five small squares of rubber along the door frame in this picture are permanent, and they sit over the holes that the trim panel clips fit into. See you again after I finish removing the other aperture. Then comes the critical step of epoxying the new apertures to the frame. They sit at the center of this project, and the front fenders and rear quarter panels have to align with, and gap fit, to them properly. I'm half way home...
Important note: The cutting tool creates lots of fiberglass dust, so I held the shop vac hose end right next to the wheel as I cut. I still needed to wear a wet mask, shop glasses and drape/cover the open area of the car to keep the mess manageable.
JV
The five small squares of rubber along the door frame in this picture are permanent, and they sit over the holes that the trim panel clips fit into. See you again after I finish removing the other aperture. Then comes the critical step of epoxying the new apertures to the frame. They sit at the center of this project, and the front fenders and rear quarter panels have to align with, and gap fit, to them properly. I'm half way home...
Last edited by Jet Vet; 07-30-2016 at 07:57 PM.
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ryryokeefe (07-30-2016)
#52
Amazing work! Add me to the long, long list of admirers of your bravery and skill.
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Jet Vet (07-30-2016)
#53
I'm wondering if a multipurpose tool would have worked better than the grinder. Less dust maybe? Also might have been able to just cut the epoxy blobs rather than beat on them with a chisel?
This is gonna be good!
This is gonna be good!
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Jet Vet (07-31-2016)
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16
JV
#56
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16
Its Sunday morning but I managed to get in about 30 minutes of work cleaning out the last bit of aperture panel in the upper forward corner, just under the windshield. This is a very tough area to work in because it is tucked away under the weather stripping, and in order to get to it I had to partially remove the windshield side trim piece. That only requires pulling the large rubber strip out of its channel from the lower corner to almost the upper corner. I didn't want to dislocate too much so that it would be easier to put it back in place. Then I removed the torx screws and rotated the trim up and out of the way only enough to have clear access to the upper edge of the aperture. The same reasoning applies here, only move/remove as little as necessary to get at the area you need to work on. Then I put the heat gun back to work to soften the fiberglass and adhesive enough to pull away piece after piece, strip after strip of fiberglass. It seemed at times like I was removing one strand at a time, but it didn't take all that long. The white areas you see in the pictures are thin layers of fiberglass 'skin' only a strand or two thick, which will strip away with the adhesive removal. Next I have to remove the old adhesive, and there are several options: chemicals, heat and freezing. I'll try them all to see how effective each is. The more I look at how to position the new panel when bonding it in place, the more I like my idea of leaving a handful of strategically placed 1" segments of the old adhesive to act as natural shims. That way I can epoxy around them and simply press against them. Meanwhile, I'm off to HD to get supplies. I'll also need to spray some black Rust-Oleum on the scratches I put in the frame to inhibit corrosion.
Last edited by Jet Vet; 07-31-2016 at 02:52 PM.
#57
Burning Brakes
wow...that is a lot of work! Someday I might be interested in doing something like this but I think these rocker panels are too much for me! You clearly have a handle on this! I bet it will be awesome when you are finished!
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Jet Vet (07-31-2016)
#59
Race Director
I replied to the post you have in the 'paint and body' section.
DUB
DUB
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Jet Vet (07-31-2016)
#60
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16
For the benefit of those following this thread, here's that Q&A:
A heat gun will soften the adhesive so it can come off....BUT.....you have to know what you are doing in some areas where the thickness of the adhesive makes replacing parts EASIER....because GM had already set up the thickness so gaps of panels are PERFECT. SO...removing ALL the adhesive on some panels is a BIG NO-NO!!!!! Or it will make it harder for you when you go and set-up a new panel.
AS for the specific product will depend on the metal of the frame where bonding adhesive is applied.
Many companies offer the adhesives...such as LORD FUSOR, SEM, ASHLAND CHEMICALS "Pliogrip"...and each of them have requirements on the type of finish their product gets applied to.
http://www.lord.com/products-and-sol...pair-adhesives
https://www.semproducts.com/
http://www.ashland.com/strategic-app...llision-repair
Some manufacturers want bare steel and you make sure the bare steel is covered with their product...some want an epoxy primer and lightly scuff it. SO...it depends.
I do not yet have a C7 service manual. But I can look in my C6 Corvette service manuals and see if they specify anything specific for the rocker panels. I do know GM does usually spell out a specific product..but also add "or equivalent".
You REALLY need to watch HOW you prep on these panels and DO exactly what the manufactures states. If they say 'scuff' then scuff it....if they say grind...then grind it. because it has been a long time since I have had to write this...but REMEMBER it is that 1/1,000,000th of an inch of crap on the surface...or improper surface prep that will cause for a product to loose adhesion.
DUB
Hello,
I'm doing a wide body conversion on my '15 Z51 by replacing the body panels with Z06 parts, including the front fenders, aperture panels, rear quarters and rear bumper cover https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...n-project.html and I have two questions. First, after cutting away the old apertures, what is the best way to remove the old adhesive from the frame? Second, what specific adhesive product should I use when reinstalling the aperture panels? Thanks for any help.
JV
I'm doing a wide body conversion on my '15 Z51 by replacing the body panels with Z06 parts, including the front fenders, aperture panels, rear quarters and rear bumper cover https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...n-project.html and I have two questions. First, after cutting away the old apertures, what is the best way to remove the old adhesive from the frame? Second, what specific adhesive product should I use when reinstalling the aperture panels? Thanks for any help.
JV
AS for the specific product will depend on the metal of the frame where bonding adhesive is applied.
Many companies offer the adhesives...such as LORD FUSOR, SEM, ASHLAND CHEMICALS "Pliogrip"...and each of them have requirements on the type of finish their product gets applied to.
http://www.lord.com/products-and-sol...pair-adhesives
https://www.semproducts.com/
http://www.ashland.com/strategic-app...llision-repair
Some manufacturers want bare steel and you make sure the bare steel is covered with their product...some want an epoxy primer and lightly scuff it. SO...it depends.
I do not yet have a C7 service manual. But I can look in my C6 Corvette service manuals and see if they specify anything specific for the rocker panels. I do know GM does usually spell out a specific product..but also add "or equivalent".
You REALLY need to watch HOW you prep on these panels and DO exactly what the manufactures states. If they say 'scuff' then scuff it....if they say grind...then grind it. because it has been a long time since I have had to write this...but REMEMBER it is that 1/1,000,000th of an inch of crap on the surface...or improper surface prep that will cause for a product to loose adhesion.
DUB