Neil's Aventador build (Page 67/74)
Neils88 MAR 10, 06:26 PM
So somehow, I have misplaced the keys for the car... specifically for the door locks I was planning on using. Unfortunately, I've been forced to order some new locks as a result.

While waiting for the replacement keys/locks to show up, I decided to tackle something that I actually started 3 years ago... the scuff plates under the rocker panels. A lot of work for something that no one will see. As with the driver's side (which had been completed previously), I created a mold using polystyrene foam sheets cut and filed to shape. The parts are glued together with a hot- glue gun and then sealed with packing tape. It's a great way to quickly make a mold, especially ones with large flat areas. In this case, the finish isn't really important since these parts are hidden from view. If everything goes as planned, I'll try to get it fiberglassed tomorrow.
Neils88 MAR 13, 02:26 PM
I finally finished fiberglassing the passenger side scuff plate. Took me a couple days longer than I had wanted, but at least it's finished. Almost. I still need to trim the edges and cut the two vent holes. Also, before the two scuff plates are permanently installed, I'll spray them both with a layer of undercoating.... easier to do before they are installed.

My new keys/locks arrived today... so hopefully I can get them installed quickly as well.
Neils88 MAR 17, 08:34 PM
The scuff plates are ready to be installed. The passenger side scuff plate still needs to be trimmed along the edge to match the rocker panel, but I'll do that after it is installed.

Scuff plate in mold...




Grills (rock guards/vents) were mounted into a bead of urethane...




Rubberized undercoating...
RCR MAR 18, 06:02 AM
Nice job Neil.

At the risk of sounding stupid (maybe the coffee hasn't kicked in yet), where do the scuff plates mount? Up under the rockers???


Bob
Neils88 MAR 18, 09:23 AM

quote
Originally posted by RCR:

Nice job Neil.

At the risk of sounding stupid (maybe the coffee hasn't kicked in yet), where do the scuff plates mount? Up under the rockers???


Bob



Thanks, Bob.

Yes, they mount under the rockers (from just behind the front wheels, all the way back to under the radiators). As you can see from previous pics, the car has the additional framing outside of the Fiero spaceframe and there are a number of items mounted in that area. I want to keep water, rocks, debris, etc. from getting up into that area.
Neils88 MAR 20, 09:21 PM
I attached all of the necessary "bonding bolts" to the scuff plates using 3M panel bonding adhesive. However, in addition to bolting the scuff plates in place, I will also use a urethane adhesive between the framing and the plates to ensure they don't come off.




Neils88 MAR 27, 06:07 PM
I decided it was time to get the passenger side of the car caught up with the driver's side. Everything is fun the first time round... less fun when you have to duplicate it. The first step is to modify the section of the body where the latch/ lock connection mechanism gets mounted. As with the driver's side, it needs to be moved in to allow for the curved body panel that forms the main vent. I spent some time today cutting away the old body work and framing that interferes with the new panels. Hopefully tomorrow I can weld in a new plate to seal it all up.


pmbrunelle MAR 27, 09:26 PM
Whenever I have multiples of something to make, I always build all instances of them in parallel, so they all get done at the same time.

I do this to make the quality of my work equal across all parts. I wouldn't want to start doing something super-attentively, and then have the last parts look sloppy because I ran out of patience.

[This message has been edited by pmbrunelle (edited 03-27-2019).]

Neils88 MAR 28, 05:56 PM

quote
Originally posted by pmbrunelle:

Whenever I have multiples of something to make, I always build all instances of them in parallel, so they all get done at the same time.

I do this to make the quality of my work equal across all parts. I wouldn't want to start doing something super-attentively, and then have the last parts look sloppy because I ran out of patience.




That's always my plan when building an "item"...but it doesn't always work that way when you are prototyping a full setup of something. It can sometimes take me several months to get the prototype side set up satisfactorily. When many things are being built to work together, certain parts can be built, then pulled apart and rebuilt multiple times before you're happy with it. In those cases, there isn't any point duplicating anything until you know exactly what you are duplicating.
Neils88 MAR 29, 10:04 PM
I managed to get the plate welded in place and painted today. This modification effectively eliminates the interference between the Fiero spaceframe and the OEM Aventador vent panel.