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| The WOLF CUB (1993 Suzuki Swift/Metro) | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 25 2014, 03:15 PM (14,635 Views) | |
| econoboxer | Oct 1 2014, 02:37 PM Post #31 |
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I am the one on the left.
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This is getting on it! Inquiring minds want to know how your real world fuel consumption changes- Current, and after mod- Tons of fabricating- takes more skill than I've got.
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| ZXTjato | Oct 1 2014, 02:50 PM Post #32 |
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bass heads
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glad your back posting dude ![]() |
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| Greywolf | Oct 1 2014, 02:59 PM Post #33 |
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Mostly Harmless
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No idea about FC changes - it will be a first time roading for the car since I nabbed it. But what I think will happen is clean airflow into the E-comp, and the knife edge of the lower dam will present small impact on air diversion, unlike a rounded lower lip. I'm also thinking about rear-of-fender air outlets Anything to make airflow around the car cleaner It IS going to have to have some expanded metal mesh added to the air duct for rock and debris protection. Sometimes I get stuff from friends in various industries that they just toss to me to see what I will do with it. The metal for the project was just given to me by a friend who works at a diesel repair center for example.... The closer you get to stuff like this, the more stuff spins out of it Edited by Greywolf, Oct 1 2014, 03:04 PM.
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| Greywolf | Oct 13 2014, 04:03 AM Post #34 |
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Mostly Harmless
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Okay - the fasteners arrived, I got all the other stuff moved ahead as i was planning to do (other projects not related) and the grill is now in a room I spend a lot of time in. Every time I have a free moment, or after thinking things over long enough - I move ahead on it a shade. In the two views here the spacing of the 1/4 20's is entirely determined by where I needed to put them to draw the metal and the plastic tightly together, squeezing out every mm of length I could and removing gaps. To ensure that it worked out that way - I began at the center of the top and moved slowly out to the ends one bolt at a time, after removing any fasteners that might have caused binding along the length. The "C" form bar in the middle top has about seven 1/4 by 20 bolts in it that can't be seen from this angle. Once the final cut and fit on the front piece is done - those fasteners will become clamps that hold the two parts together while the bonding layer of FIBERGLASS RESIN between them sets. I expect to give it several days to make sure. The foam rubber laying on it is the kind of material I hope to sponge up resin into and stuff into places that need filling, or edge bonding, and so on. I still have to test it and make sure the glass resin won't melt it. At this point the bottom panel is about to go away for a while - I was using it mainly to make sure I was getting the front piece lined up exactly where it had to be. Kind of a straight edge... ![]() In this pic I trimmed the end of the facing to the curve at the end of the bumper at the wheel well. To finish trim the top edge of the front panel it has to be completely removed. To form the duct in the center of this panel I need to mark it first, then remove the panel, then do a series of test fits with minimal fasteners. ![]() If you look close, you see a pair of mounting points that looked a bit rough. I also found a crack in the "Upper Lip" area of the airflow channel. My answer to both of these is to make and install a 'gusset' that will strengthen that part. (Hopefully my last edit to this post) The old anti-collision backing will be back in place at the end of it all, making it yet more rigid. Here I wanted to see especially if there were any wrap around issues at the bottom edge where a doubled up sheet of metal will enclose the upper edge of the opening. Styrofoam CAN NOT be fiberglassed over, because the resin melts it away like last years snow... ![]() * I plan on posting images in this wide format from now on because all of my PC and other monitors are being upgraded to hi-def The next images will be very different as things move faster. PS: I may have to cut another bottom panel, because the shape on the right side ended up not matching like I wanted. Edited by Greywolf, Oct 13 2014, 06:18 PM.
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| Greywolf | Oct 14 2014, 06:54 AM Post #35 |
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Mostly Harmless
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Trimming the front sheet - the hard way, naturally...![]() Pinned together, I can smooth up the edges with a belt sander - compare these next two images with the first pic in post#49 above... ![]() *YES. I need a better top bumper cover - this one is pretty shot. ![]() I test fitted a few pieces together, looking for bad ideas or problems. ![]() These caps were made from scrap. The bottom crossmember on this grill was cut out for what will be the air duct. ![]() The lower bolt will be removed in a while because it is also the mounting point for one of the bottom panel screws ![]() When the air duct sidewalls are fished through - these will provide an anchor point using yet another 1/4 x 20 screw and nut. I figured it was better to have a solid mechanical joint than to just stuff glass in there behind the metal. I wasted no time exactly spacing some of the hardware. This whole business is an exercise in seeing what works, pretty can come in a later project when I have time for that and already know what I can do, how it has to be done, and can choose what materials I want instead of working with whatever becomes available. For a "Beggers can't be Choosers" project though, this is going to be a milestone. Edited by Greywolf, Oct 14 2014, 07:17 AM.
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| snowfish | Oct 14 2014, 08:08 AM Post #36 |
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Basic GearHead
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Very interesting Mr. Wolf. Are you planning to fiberglass, the whole works, kind of EVmetro style?
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| Greywolf | Oct 14 2014, 01:38 PM Post #37 |
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Mostly Harmless
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There's going to be a lot of glass used in it and on it - but it's going to be mostly RUDE, RAW, and RACE TRACK looking... It's a funny thing I noticed about race cars. You don't see panel fasteners on the bodies of new cars for sale to the general public. Dzus fasteners, round panhead recessed allens (what I am using) and so on tend to make people think: "Whoa!!! I bet there's a wild engine in this car..." * No comments on the engine at this stage. It may well turn out to be a "BLACK OPS" project. PS: I read where someone in T3ragtops project thread said they were intimidated by the tech he was pouring into his toys, QUOTE: " ... we read this thread and wonder silently why you don't drive an Aston Martin instead of a geo" In my case I suppose that would be "Beat up old street rod". Umm... Frankly the hot rod truck needs a lot more than this one does. Edited by Greywolf, Oct 14 2014, 01:51 PM.
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| 68custom | Oct 14 2014, 02:45 PM Post #38 |
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Good idea! you can also get that dzus fastener as a 1/4 standard end screw. then you don't have to worry about people turning them as easily. FWIW
Edited by 68custom, Oct 14 2014, 02:45 PM.
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| Greywolf | Oct 14 2014, 03:24 PM Post #39 |
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Mostly Harmless
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I had mentioned before that the "Prior Owner" (often abbreviated to "PO", but in this case I think of him as "POS") was 'UNGIFTED'... That they were lacking in: "A Skill and a Knowlege of" automotive repair practices. Put bluntly the guy was a clueless punk. I was looking at the top cover and started cleaning around a crack I have to do something about for sure: ![]() I used a coarse wire wheel to strip off the paint. It is the least damaging to the plastic under it, and a softer wire wheel can actually buff out scrapes or score marks in the material. I'm not real worried because I think I want to try glassing this piece. Anyway - LOOK WHAT I FOUND UNDERNEATH!!! ![]() YOU SEE THAT PINK STUFF? It's BONDO!!! And it wasn't even in the crack, just slopped over it as if to hide it... I have a few tricks up my sleeve, and this isn't going to be pretty, but DANG.... How dumb can somebody be??? |
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| Mythstae | Oct 14 2014, 11:23 PM Post #40 |
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...I'm not sure this can be answered with a numerical value. ![]() Perhaps the infinity sign would do the trick... |
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| evmetro | Oct 14 2014, 11:43 PM Post #41 |
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Not just any bondo either. That is the crappy bondo brand that is sold at auto parts stores for the hobbiest, red hardener and all. Sorry about your find. These bumpers are polypropylene, so you can weld that crack together with a big soldering iron if you don't have a plastic welder kit... |
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| Nappers | Oct 15 2014, 12:15 AM Post #42 |
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Well, come to work with me someday, I'll show you..... Looking good on the Wolf Cub! |
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| Greywolf | Oct 15 2014, 01:45 AM Post #43 |
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Mostly Harmless
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"POLYPROPYLENE" - that's good to know. Armed with that I can research everything I could possibly want to know about stuff that can be done to and with it! Here's some more of the story... This will be the big test to see how it likes fiberglass resin. I'm also going to test the resin on a few other materials I have on hand so I know what I can get away with and what NOT. I definitely know glass resin and styrofoam HATE eachother 'Couldn't help it, I just had to see if I could work with this nasty thing. If this was a real job - the front office would cancel it because unless it was a Federal Project there would be no way to justify or re-coupe the man hours... ![]() *What you see here is based on a trick I learned from motorcycle and four-wheeler people. "FRANKENSTITCHING" is one of the main ways to repair cracked side covers and fairings on dirt bikes ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Depending on how good it holds (and there's no reason not to use this as a test rig) I may be able to just slip the zipties right out of it when the glass is formed around it so I'm not even going to trim off the 'tails' of the zipties until I see how it does. It closed the gap in the big crack a lot just stitching it - but that big wide gap is just not going to close up without SOMETHING in there to fill it, and I didn't know I could melt it together. It makes me wonder if I could use a torch or a heat gun to glaze sanded areas on this material. Pray for clear skies! I ain't doin' glass resin indoors, that stuff stinkezzz fer days... ~Wolfie PSonEDIT: On the OTHER hand, the stitches kind of give it "Character"
Edited by Greywolf, Oct 15 2014, 02:07 AM.
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| evmetro | Oct 15 2014, 02:03 AM Post #44 |
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As far as I know, fiberglass resin (polyester) does not stick to polypropylene. It may stick for a little while to sanded plastic, but I have not had much luck with it. When I need to apply body filler (also polyester) to a raw plastic bumper, I spray the sanded bumper with 2 part primer, which sticks to the plastic, and then apply my body filler to the primered surface. What is amazing about these polypropylene bumpers is how well a crack can be melted together. All you need is a big ass soldering iron. I just melted a 4" long crack up on the 93 that I am restoring right now, and I did not even need any body filler to cover the repair. |
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| Greywolf | Oct 15 2014, 02:13 AM Post #45 |
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Mostly Harmless
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I guess I'll try this and see, hate to waste all the prep, and the main parts of this project rely heavily on the use of resin, so if it's a NO-GO I may just have a huge problem. The bondo that was on there sure seemed to stick - it just wasn't the right thing to use and was badly done. I personally am frankly allergic to bondo on a mental and financial level, because the crap just takes too much hassling with to get it to a finished stage, and half the time it will split off over a couple of years. Edited by Greywolf, Oct 15 2014, 02:14 AM.
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Are you planning to fiberglass, the whole works, kind of EVmetro style?








7:23 PM Jul 10