NS F355 Project (Page 24/73)
Bloozberry JUN 13, 10:04 PM
Is the accent color a secret? Is it pink?
Yarmouth Fiero JUN 14, 07:03 AM
A hint.......think this car........



With this body material and color scheme....... - minus the gold wheels

[This message has been edited by Yarmouth Fiero (edited 06-14-2013).]

Yarmouth Fiero JUL 01, 02:31 PM
Well, we have agonized over accent colors for the car. The first parts to get powdercoated will be the roll over hoops as they must be welded to the transverse frame before coating and also before the frame is welded into the car. As I stated in the previous post, our plan for the car is a full carbon body with gold tone accents. We think this will give the car a unique look that is not exactly pretty, yet not too ugly. Sort of a " omg...... it's oddly strange yet I can stop staring at it" sort of look. We hope it will walk that fine line between gorgeous and hideous.

Its amazing how many choices there are to select from when it comes to powdercoating and finishes. We have narrowed it down to the following color..... 365 Gold Nugget. Its a true gold tone with a slight shimmer yet does not have that 24 k in your face gold shine. We shot one of the spare hoops with the gold nugget and also shot part of the hoop with a gloss finish and a matte finish as well as left the center section with no clear coat for reference. Its been raining in Nova Scotia for 3 months now so I don't have a good picture in the sunlight. However, we think the au natural finish is the nicest and will suit the satin finish of the carbon body. Hopefully, if and when the sun shines again, we'll get to see some shimmer in the color.

[This message has been edited by Yarmouth Fiero (edited 07-01-2013).]

Bloozberry JUL 01, 07:14 PM
Cool! I like it.

On another note, a big wooden package arrived today in Greenwood for us both all the way from Vancouver... it's getting off-loaded from the truck and will make it's way to my shop on Wednesday.
Yarmouth Fiero JUL 01, 07:27 PM
Yahoooooooooooooo. I can hardly wait Blooz. I hope you got a pic of it on the truck with the chopper parts. Let me know what your plans are and if you need a hand unloading it. Thanks again to Don and yourself for making this happen.

[This message has been edited by Yarmouth Fiero (edited 07-01-2013).]

355Fiero JUL 01, 11:30 PM
Glad to help guys. Hopefully the parts are put to good use and help you guys out.

Keep the posts coming.

I now have a 3" stretched convertible Fiero frame with 8" wider rear suspension and 4" wider front suspension I need to do something with...... Maybe a new project coming my way that doesn't entail copious amounts of fiberglassing like my last ones......

Good luck and talk to you soon
Don

[This message has been edited by 355Fiero (edited 07-01-2013).]

Yarmouth Fiero JUL 04, 09:34 PM
With all the frame modifications welded and ready for final installation, I had them all sandblasted and primed with a welding primer, Nippe Ceramo. Its a product we use extensively in the shipbuilding industry. They are now ready for final welding into the chassis. The transverse frame will have the rollover hoops welded in prior to powdercoating. Once the powdercoating is done, the frame will take up its permanent home behind the fire wall. The rocker frames weigh 40 lbs each and the transverse frame with hoops weighs 38 lbs for a total weight gain of 118 lbs. While this is quite significant, most of the weight is low on the chassis and the increase in structural rigidity is worth every pound. I expect the roof and original rockers that have been removed already will be a weight savings of about 25lbs. I'll confirm this when the roof is removed.



The rollover hoops have required alot of finish work to get them to a level of finish that I will be happy with. Even though I ordered quality pipe and handled it carefully, there are a million very small dings and nicks which I want sanded out prior to powdercoating.

Here is a picture showing the 4 steps the rollover hoops went through. The black steel pipe was formed using a hydraulic bender to get the desired shape and dimensions. The hoops were then hand sanded with emery paper to remove all the surface imperfections. I did it by hand to ensure that the pipes kept a nice smooth surface with no flats that can occur with power sanding. Also, powdercoating tends to reveal surface imperfections quite nicely and I didn't want to have to refinish them after they are welded to the chassis. Following sanding, I had the hoops lightly sandblasted to give the surface a nice even profile. Finally, the pieces were powdercoated with 365 Gold Nugget with no clearcoat.

[This message has been edited by Yarmouth Fiero (edited 07-04-2013).]

Sage JUL 05, 10:00 AM



Looks like a "kit" to me! Maybe you could get with Archie and have him produce these if you didn't want to get into it yourself. You've done all the hard work in figuring out what needed to be done, now it's a rinse and repeat deal! That has to be the best solution to "how to brace up the frame so you can cut off the top" that I've ever seen. Very nice work.

Your "hoops" also look fantastic! You've solved the problem of "jumping through hoops"....you made your own!

Still following your build, gets more impressive every time you post. Thanks for sharing and documenting the process.

HAGO!
Yarmouth Fiero JUL 05, 10:33 AM
Thanks for the compliments Sage. It has been alot of work to get it exactly how I want it. I don't think I would ever get into " production " as I do that for a living at the shipyard. I'm sure my design is far from perfect but I am happy with the results and the fact that they can be made and fitted to the chassis as complete units means that I achieved my goal. I would never " sell " my design as I have taken inspiration from others on this forum who have gladly shared their knowledge, experience and opinions. If someone wanted a copy of the 2D drawings so they could make the modifications to their own car, I don't mind sharing. Once the frames are finally fitted, I'll update my drawings to " As Built " status.
Yarmouth Fiero JUL 07, 01:49 PM
Today we welded the hoops into the transverse frame. With the height set to what I hope will be suitable for the finished car, we welded them on the top and bottom of the frame. When I was fitting the hoops to the frame, the top hole was easy as I simply drilled them the same size as the O.D. of the pipe. However, getting a tight fitting hole on the underside of the transeverse frame where the tube passed through and that lined up perfectly with the top hole proved to be impossible. So I drilled the lower hole slightly over sized. This left a slight gap so I fabricated washers that fit the tube O.D. and allowed us to get a nice sound weld rather than try and simply fill the gap.













Now the frame will be dropped off for powdercoating of the hoops. He gives them a light sandblasting to even up the surface profile and give a nice clean surface for coating.

We've finally had 2 nice sunny days in a row in Nova Scotia and looking at the finish on the test hoop, I'm kind of liking the clear coat more than no clear coat at all. The clear coat certainly brings out the gold flakes in the finish. I guess I'll make a last minute call when they get the powdercoat.