And so it begins...the AP build.

I’m pleased with how this turned out. Once it gets trimmed down evenly, it will cover the frame rail underneath.
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Hard to tell from a variety of kits and me working with an “original” splash mold that needs some modification for my scratch build, but did/do your sill panels have a slight curve to them or are they pretty much straight from end to end along the top edge? One of mine looks to be straighter than the other so not sure what should be the goal.

Anyone with access to or have knowledge of this? In the end I’ll probably make it “look right” but helps me make some better decisions for panel & door alignment and bodywork when making all these things work together in a scratch build.
 
Correct, at least this side curves in at the rear tire end (I'll have to check the front tire end). I noticed this when I was trying to mark it to cut off the excess epoxy. I realized that the area over the frame will need to be straight, but the outside top of the rocker isn't.
 
Refitting the rockers…the underside of the lip will need to be worked down a little since it is now fatter than shipped due to the extra epoxy and 1708 layer. The alignment pins now sit below the top of the rocker. The receiver on the clam now dictates the panel gap.
I came up with a simple way of mounting the quick releases for the top of the clam. The Allstar mounts will be trimmed and welded to the roll bar. The push buttkieil eventually be painted body color to make them less noticeable.
The tire to clam gap is set even front to back and side to side. This then dictates where the rear of the rocker needs to land. Not too pleased with where the lower front of each rocker meets the frame. I need to come up with an inner fender anyway. This area will somehow be covered up and incorporated into the front of each rocker.
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Body shop jail of a different kind. Final fitment and gapping of the interior close out panels for the 66 fastback to accommodate the mini tubs. I used photos of a $400,000 GT350R that sold on Bring a Trailer. Factory gaps were terrible! It was good practice using the West System epoxy and filler to extend and fill gaps. There will be plenty of that on the GT40. The goal is to have bodywork done on it by fall and get the motor ordered….mechanical mock up this winter.
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The rear seat delete was far from perfect, but only 1 coat of Raptor Liner made it look perfectly smooth! I think I’ll be using this stuff on the inner clams after nocking down the high points in the glass to make everything look more presentable when they are open.
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Man, it’s been a while. My hopes of having bodywork done and the car in primer by the end of summer went out the door a long time ago. However, the bugs are worked out of the fastback and it is ready for paint, and the new gauge package is now in the 69.
I started working on getting the clam latches installed, since then will be needed before bodywork starts. They are larger that what AP usually uses, so I had to make new cut outs and figure out how the latches will be installed.
BTW...bodyworking the inside of an area that will never be seen may be the definition of OCD.
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Either these cars were slapped together originally…or my car was, the clam cutouts were off by an inch side to side. I’m gonna do my best to even them out, but you can’t see them both at the same time, so no one will be able to tell anyway! I may bend the mounting tab a little so that the clamp follows the contour of the clam better.
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I thought that it would be a good idea to get the rockers secured before I finalized the latches, since I want them to be nearly flush with the top of the rocker. The rear of the driver’s side was warped about a 1/4” inward, so out came the heat gun and clamps. The bottom of the driver’s side is complete. I need to do a little research to see what should be done with the top.
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I’ve noticed this on a few hard edges. I bumped this with an air tool while modifying the front corners of the frunk because the pin receiver cups would fit. There seem to be voids between the gel coat and the fiberglass. Wondering how everyone handle this. I suspect it isn’t an uncommon problem…or maybe it is.
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I guess bodywork has officially started. The plastic locator pieces are fitting flush now, but the pins are still too proud of the rocket. The plastic has an 1/8 lip on it that I suspect is used to establish the seam gap. The lip on the stainless pin plus the riv nut are contributing to the gap being too fat at the moment.View attachment 136490View attachment 136491View attachment 136492View attachment 136493
Joe, what was your source for the clam locator pins? I have a cheesy nylon set but like the style and size of those you are using. BTW how long are the stems that hold them in place and are they threaded?
 
The locator pins came from RCR. I had to supply my own button head stainless bolt that goes into a riv nut in the frame. I tried to source something that would work from McMaster Carr, but couldn't find anything to my liking.
 

Randy V

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Joe - I’ve spent many hours with a small flux chipping hammer, going over “light tapping” virtually every square inch of a number of fiberglass bodies to expose voids. I use Spot putty or polyester filler on them.
 
I’m not happy with the gel coat and have questions about what is beneath it. It’s all coming off this winter and will be repaired where needed and covered with epoxy primer for a base for bodywork. I was looking at the underside of the rear clam last night and can see spots where there is gel goat with barely any fiberglass over it. I was already planning on refinishing the bottom side of the clam anyway….since it is all in your face when it’s open. I’m trying to devise a plan to add a crossmember panel to the front of the clam as well, similar to a Superformance or RCR clam to stiffen it up ⬆️ n the front.
 

Randy V

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Joe, on those spots where you can see very little fiberglass on the inside of that gel coat, you may want to consider beefing those areas up with either fiberglass or kitty-hair (fiberglass laden body filler) before you sand away the gel coat. I don’t know of any stripper that removes gel coat without also attacking the resin in the fiberglass…
Fiberglass shops are inherently dirty places. About the only part of a fiberglassing operation that’s even remotely clean, is the mold cleaning, waxing and gel coat process..
 
I plan on refinishing the underside of the clam with more CSM and/or 1708 before I mechanically strip the gel coat. Hopefully, that will prevent any holes developing after the gel coat is removed...and the clam will be beefed up. I see lots of dust in my future!
 
This area has puzzled me since the car arrived. It was shipped with 1”spacers below the lip in the front corners of the spider to push it up. With the doors mounted in the general area where they will be (lower gap roughed in, style lines where it meets the clam matched up), the corner of the spider sits much lower than the door’s corner. Thoughts?
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