SawgrassRaven Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 (edited) Hello all! I'm not sure if this is the right place to place this post, so I apologize if it's in the wrong location. I have a question that perhaps you all can lend some knowledge to. I've recently purchased the Round 2 General Lee Charger. The hood-to-fender fit is bad; there is a nice gap between the hood and fender. My idea is to add some .020 styrene strip to the edges of the hood to add some material, then putty and sand smooth to fit to make a nice tight (but operable) hood fit. Does this sound like a good fix? Have any of you done similar? Opinions and advice more than welcomed! Thanks in advance! SR Edited January 9, 2019 by SawgrassRaven
Tommy124 Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 (edited) Hi Jason, in case the bad fit is caused by the hood being kind of warped, I recommend to cautiously warm the hood up (using a hairdyer or hot water) and then try to get it back into shape. If it's really about the kit's poor fit, well... Edit: ah okay, I got that wrong. I thought this was about a gap in height, not in width. Edited January 9, 2019 by Tommy124
afx Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 Yes you can add strips to either the fenders or the hood.
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 Yup...that's the way you do it...and I do it frequently. Below, the decklid opening on thisold Corvette is being shimmed just as you describe. And now, presto-chango, my new decklid fits the opening perfectly.
Snake45 Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 Yeah, that'll work. I'm planning to do exactly that for the hood of the AMT '55 Chevy 2DS.
MrObsessive Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 What the others have described is an absolute MUST for me especially when it comes to opening doors. Kits are too expensive to buy multiples of, only to cut one up for the doors or trunk so you'll have a smaller gap. I add the plastic as the others have shown, but I want to add that one way to check to make sure you don't have too large of a gap is what I do as shown in the pic below............ Here's WIP pic of my '63 Turbine Car from years ago. Now the doors were already cut open, but the shut lines left much to be desired IMO. I added plastic (.020 thickness) to the perimeter of the doors and I like to use the 3x5 card method for checking gaps. If the card slips through the gap fairly easily without trouble, then it should be okay. One has to allow for paint thickness down the road so the shut lines can't be too tight. It can also ensure that your gaps are pretty much even all the way around. Hope this helps!
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 8 minutes ago, MrObsessive said: ... One has to allow for paint thickness down the road so the shut lines can't be too tight. It can also ensure that your gaps are pretty much even all the way around. ^^^ Heed this man's words !!
MrObsessive Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 1 minute ago, Ace-Garageguy said: ^^^ Heed this man's words !! Why thanks Bill!
89AKurt Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 1 hour ago, SawgrassRaven said: [...] My idea is to add some .020 styrene strip to the edges of the hood to add some material, then putty and sand smooth to fit to make a nice tight (but operable) hood fit. [...] Good advice above! I wanted to add, avoid using putty, except in very thin applications. It's brittle, and can crack and break off. I'm using superglue more, especially when working with resin, I have no choice. I also use baking soda to accelerate the cure, but when the part is washed, it dissolves chunks and creates tiny holes, that's when putty is used. It's a good idea to glue in more plastic than you need, which will be removed when getting the final shape. In this case, I screwed up the cut, so had to correct. Putty will shrink over time too. Just my two cents, for what it's worth.
SawgrassRaven Posted January 9, 2019 Author Posted January 9, 2019 Excellent advice gentlemen, particularly the part about allowing space for the primer and paint; that hadn't occured to me. Thank you!
SawgrassRaven Posted January 9, 2019 Author Posted January 9, 2019 3 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said: Yup...that's the way you do it...and I do it frequently. Below, the decklid opening on thisold Corvette is being shimmed just as you describe. And now, presto-chango, my new decklid fits the opening perfectly. Yep. That's exactly the procedure I had in mind. Best, Jason
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