RCR's body mods... (Page 64/66)
RCR APR 25, 07:40 PM
Been working on a few things. Lots to show...
Last post I started working on the door gap. I found that when the rear qtr was in place, I ended up with a large space between the door and the qtr. Out came the Dremel...





And the glass... All back together.



I also did some work on the gas door again. Although I was happy with the way it came together, I was unhappy that it installed like the Fiero parts, which resulted in a gap between the body and the inner filler piece.
So, out came the Dremel.

I basically ended cutting everything off and starting over. I ended up bonding the filler piece directly to the body. Took four attempts to get the door to line up properly.
Everything mounts from the inside, using all of the stock pieces. The trick was to drill some access holes to allow installing the bolts that hold the filler neck in.









more to come...
RCR APR 25, 07:50 PM
Another project I'm working on are the tail lights. My lights were in poor shape, namely the backs of the lights. The lenses are in good shape. That's a good thing, because replacements are like hen's teeth.

I don't know if other Mera's are like mine, but the backs were made of vacuum formed plastic. The heat of the lights totally melted 3 of the 4. So, I decided to make new backs, Still a work in progress, but here's where I'm at.

After carefully removing the back from the lens. One good, one bad


A little melted.


Cleaned the good one. Prepping to make a mold.


A bit of wax. Some PVA mold release, And some glass.


Voile...


Once the temps improve, I'll try making 4 new backs.

...to be continued...

[This message has been edited by RCR (edited 04-28-2021).]

RCR APR 25, 08:01 PM
And...
I also started working on the rear. That required finishing the lower rear quarter. Which required it to be sectioned into 3 pieces.

First it needed to be lowered.


Then it needed to be shorted.




Then it needed lots of glass and sanding.


All that so I can start hacking up the rear. Goy out the tape to help imagine things.


Put masking tape down to draw some lines. Getting serious now.


This is the look I'm after...


That brings us up to date. Thanks for stopping by.

Bob

[This message has been edited by RCR (edited 04-25-2021).]

RCR MAY 03, 07:55 PM
A few more pics from last weekend.

I pulled the rear off and started tying things together. I used a piece of old masonite and created a piece to hold the shape.
Then I fit all of the parts together with some screws. The masonite got a layer of packing tape to keep it from sticking.


Tied together.


Started connecting the rear exaust cutout to the bottom. I'm filling the openings with cardboard and created a rounded edge with foam and duct tape.


Started working on the bottom section. I pulled the form off, spun it around and placed it underneath, this allowed me to make a flange that really stiffened it up.
I plan on a couple more layers on the inside once it's more complete.




Thanx for the visit... Take care,

Bob

[This message has been edited by RCR (edited 05-03-2021).]

Trinten MAY 03, 08:48 PM
I applaud your mock-up creativity.

That's even better than the guy (I think he was doing a V12 swap on his Fiero, hasn't updated it in a while), he was buying Great Stuff expanding foam by the case and would fill boxes/bags with the rough outside dimensions, then just shave/sand it down to form his mock-ups.

Your method is definitely cleaner.
RCR MAY 04, 06:58 AM

quote
Originally posted by Trinten:

I applaud your mock-up creativity.

That's even better than the guy (I think he was doing a V12 swap on his Fiero, hasn't updated it in a while), he was buying Great Stuff expanding foam by the case and would fill boxes/bags with the rough outside dimensions, then just shave/sand it down to form his mock-ups.

Your method is definitely cleaner.



Hey there Trinten,
I did enjoy Engineman's build. Very cool.

I've used about every material possible on this build. Can foam is probably my least favorite, but it does have it's place. The whole rear section was formed using two-part foam, originally. For this, I just needed something flat and would take a bend.

Thanx for stopping in. and btw, enjoying your build. I might try some of that one day.

Bob
RCR JUN 27, 05:22 PM
It's been too long. A lot of reshaping going on on the rear. I've also been working on a side project to redo the tail lights. I'll post up pics later once I up[load them. I just wanted to give a shout out to Bloozberry. He posted up a great how-to on rewiring the tail lights.

tail light rewiring

I have an 84, so it did require running a new line through the C500 to the brake switch. A bit of a pain, and it required an 86 Monte Carlo at the salvage yard to donate the body connector for parts, but it's done and it works.

I ordered some Deutch connectors to wire in the lights, eliminating the existing bulbs. The new lights will be all LED. More coming on those, too (not going to be Ogre approved ).

I will also be doing a new reverse lamp and wiring in the third brake light.

Stay tuned (but off on vacation next week).

take care

Bob

[This message has been edited by RCR (edited 06-27-2021).]

Neils88 JUN 27, 10:04 PM
It's been a while since I've checked your build, Bob. You continue to do amazing work! I've got some catching up to do now...
RCR JUN 29, 06:43 PM

quote
Originally posted by Neils88:

It's been a while since I've checked your build, Bob. You continue to do amazing work! I've got some catching up to do now...



It's time consuming, but pretty simple compared to yours. Thanx for stopping by...

The connectors are in. I also took a pile of scrap wire from the trash bin at work to build harnesses. Making progress.

Bob

[This message has been edited by RCR (edited 06-29-2021).]

Awalker W02 JUN 30, 03:01 PM
Awesome work

[This message has been edited by Awalker W02 (edited 06-30-2021).]