Pantera parts ! (Page 41/75)
goyal99 JAN 15, 04:05 PM
Just a question to the builder:

Where do you get your supplies for the 2-part expanding foam and Duratec primer??

I've see those at Fibre Glast website but I'm not sure if that's the best place to shop for those.....if you have another, cheaper supplier please let me know..

Thanks and keep up the great Pantera build project.

VK
opm2000 JAN 15, 04:54 PM
The overall best prices and also very fast response time is from U S Composites, if your living in the eastern half of the US. BTW, I use the least dense foam. It foams great at 70 degrees, and will perform not as well if 10 degrees cooler, but still works. At 70, you can cut and sand a fresh pour after 15 minutes. It cures all the way thru, and saws or sands nicely, and is compatable with both epoxy and polyurethane resins.

uscomposites.com

David Breeze
goyal99 JAN 15, 05:18 PM
Thanks Dave

another question on the thickness of Fiberglass mat you use in your project:

sometimes (usually when starting a mold) you use 3/4 oz mat....other times you use 2 oz FG mat....what the reason for this besides building up the mold for strength??

I'm assuming that you get your fiberglass supplies from the same place as well....are you using 3 LB density Foam or higher for your projects??

Regards - VK

[This message has been edited by goyal99 (edited 01-15-2007).]

opm2000 JAN 16, 06:04 AM
I've allways used the 2 lb density foam. Maybe I need to expand my horizons....

I am in the middle of building a Pantera dash, and I am also using the foam boards made from this same type foam. I've only found these at Fiberglast, so they are a bit pricey, but they are extremely handy to use. So it depends on what your application is.

When doing any type layup using polyester or vinylester based resins and gelcoats, I almost allways will lay down a "skin" layer and let it peak or exotherm. Then I'll layup a second and thicker layer, and let it peak. Then I'll finish the layup, usually with two more of the thicker layers.

Polyesters have an ability to generate a lot of heat when curing, and the more resin present, the more intense the heat buildup is. When polyesters generate heat, they also shrink a bit...it's the bane of polyesters. It is possable for a part to shrink 1 %. That may not sound like much, but if your 100" long car body shrank 1", it just wouldn't fit.

Other considerations are how the gelcoat in a mold reacts to too much heat, the mold surface or mold itself and how it will react to too much heat, and on and on.

Now if you are just putting a fiberglass patch on the backside of some existing part, as a repair, I wouldn't be near as cautious.

I do recall an occasion in the shop when 2 gallons of mekp was added to 2 gallons of resin, obviously by mistake. Talk about fireworks
goyal99 JAN 16, 10:23 AM
Wow, really interesting explanation Dave, thank you!

I would be interested (and others I'm sure) to see photos of your Pantera dash progress, if you have any....

BTW, my next project is to make a copy (mold) of an existing 308 dash I have and make it fit into a Fiero to give it a different look....I haven't started this project yet but your idea of using foam boards sounds interesting....will investigate further.

now back to work - Cheers!

VK
opm2000 JAN 18, 02:31 PM


I've been working on & off lately on this, getting the annual inspection done. But after getting the engine & cradle back into the chassis, it was time to attend to a few details. One problem was what you will eventually run into if you drop many Fiero cradles. Sometimes the thin metal that cages the rear cradle nuts will just rust away. Then the "witch-hat" nut will just turn, making it difficult to get the rear cradle bolt out. That was the case with this chassis, and there are several ways to correct it.

In this case I cut open a small window in the side of the beam where the nut sets.



The ruined cage was removed, and the base steel cleaned up to allow the nut to set flat, and to allow welding.



And the sides of the opening were cleaned up for welding a patch back on.



The nut was centered over the pass-thru hole, and tightened in place with a bolt, and welded in place.



A patch was cut out of 14 gauge steel and tacked into place.



And it was welded in place.



BTW, I painted as much of the insides as I could after welding in the nut, and of course painted over the new patch.

David Breeze

[This message has been edited by opm2000 (edited 01-18-2007).]

opm2000 JAN 18, 03:25 PM
As mentioned earlier, I've begun working on a new dash. I wanted to create a dash that was inspired by a version of the Pantera dash. There were several versions. I also wanted to make it so that the Fiero instrument pod was used, and the Fiero center console was used. I wanted it to be able to be finished either by painting, upholstering, or overlaying. And I wanted to replace the Fiero defrost vents.

So what I've come up with uses the main instrument pod, sans any of the plastic mounting pedestal. Only the white instrument box and metal tab that secures it to the steering collumn is used. The stock Fiero instrument cover facia may be used, as well.

Over at the center console, the plastic "skeleton" frame that runs along the armrest console and supports the radio & hvac head is left in place. The radio & hvac head are also in place. And above that, you can either leave the two heater vents in place, or remove them and install the Fiero GT instrument pod (the oil pressure & voltage meter).

Since I'm reworking the vents for my own use, I put the GT pod in place above the hvac head.

To replace the two heater vents at the far ends of the dash, next to the doors, I'll be installing these:



I've used these eveball vents in experimental aircraft, and they are the berries, and just $14.00 each. Replacing the in-dash heat vents, and the defrost vents are two of these:





These rotate 360degrees and have angular adjustability, and can be closed off entirely, just like the eyeball vents. These are exactly the type of vents used in Lamborghini dashes, but they just don't have a raging bull embossed into them. I found them in a Ford backhoe, and they cost $25.00 each.

The under-dash ductwork frame is removed and replaced with a box-like plenum that will recieve air in both the vent & defrost modes. CAT hose attaches to the two eveball vents, and the Lambo vents just set in the dash, and it forms the top of the plenum. So you have full controll of where your defrost air goes, and can run both defrost and vent at the same time. Keep It Simple.

To the afore mentioned list of design parameters, I wanted the dash to match up with the door upholestry ques, just as the stock dash does. So the first step was to stretch reference strings to locate the top and bottom leading edges of the dash, and to make sure they would line up with the instruments.

Most of the dash is being built out of urethane sheet foam from Fiberglast. It comes in 2'x4'x1" sheets, and is the same material as the two part pour foam. It is a bit pricey but really helps in a project like this. Templates are made first for any panel using foam cores poster board. So the first templates & foam boards made were the top & bottom of the dash. To reproduce the windshield edge of the dash, the Fiero dash was simply turned upside down and traced onto foam-board. This was sut out and fit, making sure it squared up with both the windshield, the sides, and the string. Pretty much same thing for the bottom panel.



The foam core poster board cuts, saws & sands very well, and is fairly stout. It really helps if you have a small bandsaw.



Here you see the urethane board cut out and in place. The leading edge is rounded, and there is a cutout for the instrument pod. Height was set by both the string, and the fact that I wanted the GT pod fully visible.

Once the upper & lower panels were cut out of foam and the fit look ok, they were prepared for glassing.



A slurry was mixed of resin & micro, and this was squeeged into the surface of the foam. The slurry was allowed to cure over night and then lightly sanded, to ensure there were no stickups. The slurry seals the foam and makes it adheare better to the fiberglass, especially if you have a layup where gravity wants to pull part of it down.

And that was the case here. I wanted the top panel to be glassed on the top, the rounded nose, and about 4" along the underside of that panel. Same thing for the bottom panel. To avoid a slow process of several seperate layups and endless sanding....I sstarted each panel out by cutting out the cloth and taping it to the last 1/2" of that 4" underside. This was laid on the worktable edge so that the excess cloth hung over. The 4" side and nose were then wetted out....and the whole assembly was flipped over and laid on a piece of wax paper. This then allowed the topside to be wetted out, and gravity was happy.



This shows how the 4" side was taped to the foam, using furnace tape. BTW, tape just will not stick to foam, so the slurry step is necessary to make the tape work.



This pic is also after, but shows how both sides and nose are able to be glassed at one time, and not bag off the foam mold.

Once these were trimmed up they were jigged in place, and templates made for the various verticle pieces. These pieces are now being made up as fiberglass parts, as well.



Here you might notice the armrest console. It's all ready for making a production mold. And that is the same goal of this dash project.

David Breeze
PaulJK JAN 26, 03:33 PM
Dave, I have a question about the linear actuators you're using on the rear hatch. If the power fails, can you raise tha hatch by hand ? I talked to Dakota Digital about theirs (the most expensive stuff in the automaotve world ) and they said if the power fails, their linear actuators CANNOT be moved by hand.

I'd like to use them on my car, but I need the actuators to be "free-wheeling" if the power goes off.
opm2000 JAN 27, 03:47 AM
Pauljk,
The units I have also are locked up if power fails. That is why I located one of the pivot points at the rear window on the chassis. It could have been located almost anywhere on an arc using the hood-end as a pivot point, and that might have visually buried it even more than it now is.

As it is, the unit is nestled up into the strake and is pretty much out of sight. It certianly is not in the way when the hood is raised up and you need to lean into the engine compartment.

So what if the power fails? The Pantera rear hood has that opening just behind the chassis rear window. It acts much like the Fiero rear hatch vents....it lets air out of the engine bay. And it also lets you easily reach the pivot point of the actuator. Instead of a bolt & not at that end, I'll be using an AN bolt with a hairpin clip, just to make it easier to reach in...pull the clip....and pull both bolts.

I went thru the exercise when I first installed the actuators, and once the pivot point is pulled, you can open the trunk easily. So I guess that is a consideration in your application. Can you locate the actuators so that you can easily release one of the pivot points?

FWIW, the actuators seem to be well made, and I'll bet they last a very long time.

David Breeze
PaulJK JAN 27, 04:04 AM
Much thanks. I'll have to study my rear hatch, but I think it's too far enclosed to allow much access.

I'm watching your dash build-up with much interest; I may be in the market for a new dash someday soon . Here's a link to some cool interior accessories as food for thought:

http://www.zigsstreetrods.c...interior.html#ACVent

Actually, i think I like the idea of being able to use the fiero instrument cluster, but would something like this be able to fit as well ? :



Probably without the brushed aluminum plate ?

[This message has been edited by PaulJK (edited 01-27-2007).]