Hood, Drip Rails, Door Jambs and Stuff

The results are in!  We will install the 1963 hood with the classic racing strip.  We might even paint the 67 hood with the 63 racing strip then hang it in the garage somewhere.  That would be cool.

We continue to find odds and ends of things that need to be finished before we shoot the next coat of primer.  In this picture I am getting ready to spot weld clips onto the drip rail.  These clips will hold the interior door molding.

The same drip rail had to have a tab welded onto the front.  This tab fits into a rubber molding.

3M Ultrapro Sealant was used on both drip rails.  It's a flexible sealant that can be sanded and painted.

The inside of the door jambs on the car body have been dressed up and prepared for primer. 

Tabs of all sorts continue to be a nuisance.  The front clip is full of them.

This is a fiberglass clip that was broken and recently repaired.  Right below it is a rusted metal clip.  This clip and others have been removed and will be replaced after the body is painted.

The lower part of the front end had a couple good size cracks in the fiberglass.  These were probably caused by large speed bumps or concrete bumpers.  Both have been repaired and are ready for primer.

I found a small super thin area of fiberglass on the left front fender.  Turns out there was an air bubble caught in a rivet hold from a couple years ago.  The hole was ground out then fiberglassed as shown.

With a flashlight on the backside you can see where the rivet hole was.  Because we use clear fiberglass this repair looks unfinished but it's actually a full thickness repair ready for primer.  All of the wheel wells were examined to make sure we didn't have similar issues.  None were found.

Ty continues to work on the 63 hood.  Now that we know this hood is going to be used it will become a priority item to finish.

The hood has lots of issues but all are easily fixed.

And in closing, Ty and I both fit in the Corvette but it's a snug fit.  There are several options found on the Internet, one of which is to swap out the 1963 steering wheel (left) for a 1972.  The diameter is smaller and it's not as deep.  Another option is to install a tilt wheel made by Flaming River.  We could just loose a little weight but we prefer to keep out options open.  More on this in a later issue.

As always, thanks for watching.

Hood Repairs

Only a few days left to vote on the hood and racing stripe.  Vote in the upper right corner.

While replacing the fresh air cowling I spotted a questionable section of fiberglass on the passenger side front fender hood lip.  I ground out the area until it was paper thin.

Fresh fiberglass and resin were laid in and allowed to cure.

A little feathering brought it back to new.

The area is super strong and I am glad I repaired it.  Better safe than sorry.

Our 1963 hood was purchased last year locally and it had been involved in a head on collision.  When that happens to a C2 Corvette the front end of the car usually jambs the hood to the point that it can not be opened.  Common practice is to use a reciprocating saw to remove the front end.  Unfortunately, the hood often gets cut in the process and that's what happened to this hood.  The hood has two cuts and this delamination.

The delamination was dressed up then bonding agent was applied.

While the clamps held the delamination the cut was feathered back then fiberglassed.

Both of the cuts to the hood were repaired.

Although the car is looking uglier by the day, it's getting better by the day.  After we remove the old paint from the hood we will shoot everything with fresh primer.

Before long we will start installing Dynamat on the interior.  This insulating and heat barrier needs a clean surface to adhere properly so I got out the Dewalt side grinder and a big wire brush. 

The results are pretty impressive.  This will take some time but I got a good start on it today.

Expect more on the hood, door jambs and drip rails.  After that... Fresh Primer!