Ok,Ok,
Just for you two
Don't laugh! First take a trip to your local hardware store. Roofing department. Buy a roll or at least 8' of roofing flashing 12"s wide..catching on aren't ya?
Now I can either send you a paper pattern, email your address'
again, or take a piece of masking paper, or similiar to use as a pattern.
It actually only takes about 4 feet or so, 12 inches wide. Lay out you paper, mark center. Now lay out your pattern and roll each end inward. Now place in the snout of your car. Mark and trim to fit tight in the snout. It will overlap at the top, all you need is about a two to 4 inch overlap.
Going to take longer to describe this than to do it. The fiberglass inserts usually have a very small gap between them and the body. If your lucky it will be at least 1/4" all the way around. If there isn't you can disregard, but we take a cut-off tool with a wheel and slice between the panels for the needed 1/4". This allows the aluminum to slide right in between the inner and outer panels. Again, not needed but sure makes a very neat installation if you can get it.
You will find you have to have a very, very clean area to lay out your aluminum. Any dirt, chunks of cardboard, a small stone, anything will dent you new shiny aluminum insert!
After you have your pattern exactly the way you want it, transfer it to your new aluminum insert. Simply mark it with a felt pen and cut with a sharp pair of scissors.
Again, simply mark the center and instead of rolling both ends in on each other just let it roll back up, overlapping the ends at the top. You will have to squish it down a little to fit, but trust me, it will go in. Once you have it in the snout let it unwind, line it up and pull it into the little gap around the nose or at least tight against the inside edge of the nose.
OK...back up a little When you install the lower fiberglass piece, trim it where it over laps with the factory installed upper piece. You want the smallest over lap you can get. Now if you really want it to look slick, slap a thick coat of body filler over the seams and just smooth it out before it dries. Sanding is only necessary if you have any ridges.
Ok, back to the install. If you have a front sway bar, I simply cut a straight line from front to back, dead center of the swaybar. Measure but roughly one inch inward I then cut a circle out for the the bar, then while fitting I simply twist apart the initial slice pushing the panel back onto the bar.
If you're running an
oil cooler and coming in from both sides, I cut the holes in the fiberglass before installing the aluminum. Once installed I then simply feel around for them and use a dremel to make the cut outs.
Now you ask, how do you attach it?
Now you have it loosely installed, push it in as tight as you can. I simply use three large head rivets on each side, running front to back. You want to place these just below the left and right seams of where the original fiberglass pieces are joined.
Now at the top you should have the above mentioned overlap. Use large head rivets, three or four will do it nicely. being carefull NOT to drill all the way through the nose! Just the inner layer/shell please. Yes there is room, just be carefull. Pop rivet in place, re-install the cooler if you have one, and that's it!
Actually it takes less time than it did for me to type this. In fact, I am doing this exact procedure tomorrow. Yes, I will attempt to post photo's but this funky computer of mine has been giving me fits lately!
Is this clear as mud, or is it like my usual instructions?
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