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 Posted 7/19/2005 11:35:42 PM |
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DH was once A mail order bride...............
Last Login: 12/22/2020 2:14:32 PM
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| Funny Jack 2 1/2 years thank you very much. Dick, Ass, poopy guy.
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| Posted 7/19/2005 11:52:55 PM |
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Forum Member
 
Last Login: 3/19/2014 12:18:48 AM
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yea, i started working on my plans when i was in high school and ways i would do things and made a list of what i would need to learn, that all took me about 4 years to get my plans all worked out and to get knolage on enough stuff i would need, started building the 1/4th and prob been wroking on that for almost 2 2-and half or 3 years (i totaly forget) but i took some time off form it to work on some other things, while building the 1/4th ive been learning even more stuff.
u may not agree but i do belvie it best to start small, a firend of mine jumped right into fiberglass, dient know a thing about it otehr then he wnated to do soem killer mods to his car, and he did a gr8 job with it, i chose to start small learing some tircks about fiberglass, he had a 2 year jump on me but now comes to me askign me how to do something.
learning everything u want is not bad, i used to be that way too till someone wise told me "you can know everthing in the world, but it is those who stick to a subject that will master it" thinking u know everyhting about one subejct and moving on just doesnt work cuz new things always pop up.
but jack was right about saying its cheaper to just buy a prefab shell, unless ur going to jsut lay fiberglass over the plug as i was orignal gonna do but decided agenst it, now im gonna build a mold and that has rasied the cost of the body up a lot. if money is not a object for u then if u still want the challge which im sure u would i suggest scratch building and making a mold. reason cuz if u ever had a bad accdent in the batmobile, its gonna be eayser to just replace that part of the body, if u mkae ur own and dotn have a mold, its gonna take u a good amounht of time before u get it back ont he road, but if u have the mold u can create a cut out part (or just replace the whole section) and save time and trouble, and if you got the shell form someone im sure tehy wouldent mind casting just the section you need to replace.
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| Posted 7/20/2005 12:01:53 AM |
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DH was once A mail order bride...............
Last Login: 12/22/2020 2:14:32 PM
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Jon do you have the book Glass Fiber Auto Body Construction Simplified by John A Wills? Very good read ,but does not go into foam construction, but very good for the basics and direction. 
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| Posted 7/20/2005 12:17:34 AM |
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Junior Member
Last Login: 7/30/2006 10:38:52 PM
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Well I think moulding will be the easy part because I already do molds when making special effects masks. I use anything from silicone to hydracal. The main issues I'm having is figureing out which car to use as base then exactly which fiber, weave pattern, and resin (although after reading the book I ahve on composite fibers in compitetion racing I'm pretty sure I'll be using epoxy), and figuring out gelcoats. Once I know which materials to use I think it will be just a bigger version of the special effects body armor I create using liquid plastics now. Its just that this armor needs to function and be bolted to car. When I get ready to learn or do something I do it rather quickly and money is no object. Like I said I've spent about $300 on books and videos just because I thought it would be nice to learn how to do fiberglass. If it turns out I like doing it then maybe I can make some money at it. Otherwise I jsut have one kicking car and don't ever have to touch stuff again. I love to bite off more then even I think I can handle because then its personal and I never let a project beat me. Learned how to set up solar arrays (building solar capacitors from scratch) and wired it into remote control cars in a matter of 2 weeks. When I decide to do something I do it quick and I pick over every little detail.
So what do you guys think of the pictures of the old cadillacs? short back ends with huge fronts and wide.
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| Posted 7/20/2005 12:38:26 AM |
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DH was once A mail order bride...............
Last Login: 12/22/2020 2:14:32 PM
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| Man money must not be an issue because epoxy is 3 times that of regular resin. great stuff but damn.You know if your gung ho enough go with the caddy. I had a circle track frame builder help me I cut the frame and added the length but with his guidence . I used a 1991 caprice.If you are determined enough which you seem to be try the caddy ? There is no right or wrong with this car make it your own.
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| Posted 7/20/2005 1:20:20 AM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 10/27/2014 6:30:59 PM
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Jon one of the things you can gain by using a Caprice is that Nitro and Kevin will have both figured out what works and what doesn't. You can get them pretty cheap too. I think Kevin only paid a few hundred bucks for his. You can simple copy what they did. That was one of the reasons I went with the 72 Impala chassis, I figured I could just copy the car that I saw in Tallahassee. It hasn't quite worked out that well though.
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| Posted 7/20/2005 2:21:26 AM |
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Junior Member
Last Login: 7/30/2006 10:38:52 PM
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Found out they made a Caprice coupe in 80-83. If I were to find one of those would I still need to move seats and firewall and such. Trying to find something that will require as little moving around of the interior as possible. I plan on customizing the interior, but I don't have anyone that can move the firewall back and weld the seats in new spots. Plus wouldn't you have to redo all the wiring and steering column if you move around the firewall? Looks like with the steering column it would have to be moved way back and that seems harder then anything else. So question becomes: If I were to find a caprice coupe by some miracle, would I still have to move the firewall and move seats around? The few pictures I've seen looks like seats are already far enough back.
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| Posted 7/20/2005 2:29:47 AM |
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Junior Member
Last Login: 7/30/2006 10:38:52 PM
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| If anyone knows where to get a 80-83 caprice coupe let me know. lol. I want to do the bodywork myself instead of buying a kit. Just hard to call it mine if I'm going to have to have someone else mount the engine, extend the frame, AND make body for me. At least if I do body work then its mine. Not that I don't think you guys' cars rock. I just want to do this myself, but thanks for offering.
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| Posted 7/20/2005 2:34:10 AM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 10/27/2014 6:30:59 PM
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Jon, you might as well get ready for a lot of relocating and a lot of welding. I suggest you go buy a mig welder and start learning. Mig welders are pretty simple and easy to learn. Again it's no easy take. I've been working on the exhaust tips for a week now and only have 1 half way finished.
Don't let this scare you off either but some of the parts you will need are very expensive in my book. The 4 taillights will set you back around $600, $800 for the machine guns, $1000 for the wheels, $1500 for a new engine, $400 for a new transmission, $200 for a radiator, and so much more.
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| Posted 7/20/2005 2:56:38 AM |
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Junior Member
Last Login: 7/30/2006 10:38:52 PM
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| I don't plan on having machine guns in mine. I also plan to put the smallest windshield wipers possible in top of hatch window and give the hatch somewhat of an eyebrow look... try to imagine an angry car, so that you can't see wiper's if I'm not using them. I do plan on spending around $3000 for new 350 to drop in, and I guess another $1500 for new transmission. What would you guys think it would cost to have someone do the firewall, seat move, and frame lengthening? I might just pay someone to do all the mechanical aspect and me do the interior and body and lights and other small items. Any clue on prices? I figure it would cost about $5000 in resin and fiber... is that somewhere close? Any guesses on getting someone else to handle the frame work and moving seats around if I just go with normal cheap (easier to find I learning) 4 door caprice?
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