Fasterpatricks Custom Cobra

[Skuzzy]

That is the longest and best thread read I have done in a very long time. Damn fine job. Heck of a read! Looking forward to more news!

[fasterpatrick]

Sorry guys' I haven't kept up with everyone with my project but we have turned another page in this never ending quest. Okay I went to make the cut outs in the body and discovered two things
A. This body was made thin where all of the tub parts (floor foot-wells and firewall) were to be glassed into the body.
B. The shape of the front wheel opening left me very limited space to put the aluminum panels protecting the exhaust and stuff from the onslaught of debris.
This led to two things,
1. I had to add glass to the body about ten yards of mat and 2.5 gals. of resin.
2. My louver openings when laid out on the car bisected the splash panel Ouch!, good thing I didn't just go a head and cut them I had to move them back a good 3" from stock to fit up right behind the panels. Yes they don't look right "tough" I would rather that than sacrifice expensive stuff to the road demons. I have gotten the trunk and hood fitted about the best I can this body is crap.Yes it's my own damn fault. I Have a HOT stock tip "body filler", it looks like I will be able to pull off that bank job as I will soon be sanding my fingerprints clean off.



Now I promise that I will try to keep regular with my updates, as long as I can get some support and encouragement.
Patrick

[Ozgur_Tan]

g'day patrick,
thank you for update about your project and eagerly waiting fresh news.
I would like to support you but I'm located other side of the pond.
peace,
ozgur

[Maurice Butler]

Your thread is one of the reasons I have decide to have a go with a scratch build.

I hav managed to collect parts over the last 12 months (Jag diff, suspension, 302W, stroker crank, gearbox) exercise book full of notes and ideas unshamably stolen from you and others. Busy finishing a couple of other project then I will be buying the steel for the chassis

[*13*]

Keep up the good work! The vent placement looks fine.

[lal Naja]

I'm impressed with the talent, skill and brain power that it takes to build a custom chassis with independent suspension. So one of you enlightened builders may be able to help my situation. I have a Butler Racing Cobra that I'm building. I have a Jag IRS and a IFS by Fast Cars. I've done the installation of both IFS & IRS units and I'm trying to figure out how to correctly measure everything for proper alignment.

But before I loose anymore sleep I may be trying too hard to get the measurements perfect. Perfect matters with suspension and that can only be good, but how much deviation should one accept.

Here is my situation. I've adjusted and measure my wheel base and the measurement is perfect between left & right. But when I measure diagonally to check for squareness, one diagonal measurement is 1/4" longer. Will this amount of misalignment seriously effect the performance.

I would have to setup a number of reference lines, etc. to try to locate where the alignment is off. But before I do this is is worth it to correct 1/4"

Thanks for any assistance,

Arthur

[fasterpatrick]

Originally Posted by lal Naja

.

I would have to setup a number of reference lines, etc. to try to locate where the alignment is off. But before I do this is is worth it to correct 1/4"
Arthur

If I would be that lucky!

Okay, Now everyone knows that I try real hard to not take this car building thing to serious but now I have too. I really do hate doing body work, but there was no way I was going to make somebody else try to fix my P.O.S. body. So I have been at it for two weeks and I have barely made a dent ( body work humor) in the back third of the car. This has got to be the biggest challenge in "Bondo Sculpture" I have ever attempted. This is a long way from fixing all my friends mid seventies blazers and pickups. You can tell by the way it looks just how far off this glass fits together thank god for reinforced putty. And it doesn't help that when he made the shell he only colored the first coat of gel-coat so it looks like I'm sanding right through the friggin thing. Enough griping, here are the pics.




Now I'm going to get out of the dust
Patrick

[*13*]

Props to you! Body work on a fiberglass car is nothing short of a dirty freakin' mess. To do it again I think I'd hand over the bodywork to someone who gets paid to breathe in dusty fiberglass. That said, I can't wait to see it in paint! Good luck!

[COBRANIP]

Wait a minute.......you mean to tell us the body DOESN'T come right out of the mold ready for painting????
Oh, great.........First there was that Santa Clause thing....now this. Guess I'd better book a little more time with my therapist.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND INSPIRATION!

[Ant]

I am doing the same thing rebuilding all the guard flares etc on the Ram SC, I have spent months making jigs fibreglassing etc so the flares are same side to side. This body is reasonable straight just that the general shape is wrong in places eg. left guard flare is 1/2" further out than the right.

The biggest thing I have dealt with is the body twist which was only in the right rear guard and was high at the tailight by 1-1/2", I now have it down to under 1/4" by careful tweaking and some spacers and it now sits there with no stress. I think the body was a bit green when it was loaded into a container from the UK.

Good luck Patrick with your bondo I will get to that stage shortly!

[fasterpatrick]

Well the smear, sand repeat portion of the build continues. Now it may look like I'm recreating this body in bondo ( come to think of it I may), but this is what it is taking to get this thing close to normal. learning a lot of things about the shape of this car. It appears that they must have had the idea when they pounded out the originals, that we can't make any piece strait or we will never reproduce it. This car curves in every direction and is never flat for more than 2 feet. What ever you do do not take a three foot strait edge to any surface you will find that will curve away before that. I never realized that the widest part of the body (not counting fenders and wheel flares) is the lead edge of the doors and it gets narrower as you go back to the fenders, that had me going for a while. here are some pics of the mess I'm in.


Later,
Patrick

[*13*]

It's a damn good thing you're not a perfectionist!

[fastraxsg]

Still keeping up with your build, we lurkers are always here, still amazed. Sorry you have run into body problems. Was wondering what type of tailights you are going for? Seems like the tailight area stands a bit proud of the body. Are you going to fill in the back of the light area then round 'em off a bit to taper into the tailight? My body came set up for the rectangular lights but I have round ones so a bit of roundin' in order here.

Get out side once in a while and get some fresh air and sunshine...

ken

[Jac Mac]

Originally Posted by Ant

I am doing the same thing rebuilding all the guard flares etc on the Ram SC, I have spent months making jigs fibreglassing etc so the flares are same side to side. This body is reasonable straight just that the general shape is wrong in places eg. left guard flare is 1/2" further out than the right.

The biggest thing I have dealt with is the body twist which was only in the right rear guard and was high at the tailight by 1-1/2", I now have it down to under 1/4" by careful tweaking and some spacers and it now sits there with no stress. I think the body was a bit green when it was loaded into a container from the UK.

Good luck Patrick with your bondo I will get to that stage shortly!

Ant...1/4"??? sounds like your letting your tolerances creep out a bit, I thought I was a bit slack trying to live with 2mm (0.080") on the coupe.
Maurice B.. its good to know your quite happy to do this sort of thing

[Maurice Butler]

Originally Posted by Jac Mac

Maurice B.. its good to know your quite happy to do this sort of thing

I have had a look around, like what you were doing but how long would I have to wait for you to finish your projects? quicker for me to finish my projects & and clear my garage of junk

[Aussie Mike]

Patrick,

Great work, I've been enjoying following your progress.

I think a lot of cobra bodies need work along their sides. It doesn't look too bad in gelcoat until you start blocking it back. I've been fighting with area in front of the doors and getting the door gaps looking acceptable. This has been the least enjoyable part of the build.

Fill and sand, fill and sand...







Keep it up.

[BJ's Snake]

Hi Mike

May change when you take it off the jack stands. I done mine on the floor as the car would sit finished.
Just a thought.
Cheers

[Aussie Mike]

Good point. It's sitting on it's wheels again now and the gaps seem to be OK.

There's a steel intrusion bar welded between the dash hoop where the door hinges are and the door lock post and that's bonded into the body so It's pretty stiff through that area.

[fasterpatrick]

Well, we are getting closer. I have smeared and sanded my life away, but I think I have the out side of the car as good as you can get it. At least that's what the guy who is helping me through the paint, not necessarily working but huge on the moral support(I'm my own worst critic) said. I guess I have to crack it all open and finish the insides of all the parts and spray the surfacer and then start blocking it down for paint. Okay I've done all the searching and I still confused about SlickSand or FeatherFill which one should I use, and do I need to Seal/Prime before paint. Also will a cheapo siphon gun work for it. I have one that I use to spray weird stuff with, I will need good gun to shoot paint, I never borrow tools like that, if I could "F" it up I'll buy my own, affordable recommendations please. Here are the pics.




Keep on sanding
Patrick

[Paul F]

I've painted my Harley several times (new color each year) with the cheapo Harbor Freight guns. Worked great. Nice pattern, nice spray, no dripping, clogging. Each time requiring many layers of primer, background color, iridescence, candy, clear. But I was using lacquer. It may not be the same for the paint you are considering.