The project 911R something...

[78SCRSMAN]

It's good to know there are folks following this... gives me motivation.
Thanks for all the positive feedback.
One thing I did get done is my "R" style tail lights. 911R Tail lights (a tech writeup + BONUS)

I still need to buy some LED bulbs and get them wired up but they should be nice.

Here's another detail/problem solved. Engine oil cooler block off? Henry?
I've got the parts on hand but have yet to run a tap into the block for the plugs I'm using. They are OXS bung plugs which fit perfect!

[schnellmann]

Wow. Holy crap, my friend.

You have made an amazing amount of progress. And I have to say it looks simply awesome. I would expect no less though... I know how meticulous you can be. Seems everyone has to monkey with the glass bumpers to some degree to make them fit right.

Again, wow.

P.S. I've been meaning to check in to see what else has been going on... I'll email you.

[Eharrison]

What a project! I'm about two years behind you (no rotisserie yet). That color you chose is fantastic too. My wife spotted that color on a 356 at a swap meet a month or so back and really liked it. I think I'll be going that route too, but don't worry I'm on another corner of the US so we might not run into each other.

As I read through your posts I had to laugh at the wire wheel post about the wires flying off. I was in the shower after working the grinder last week and hidden in my cheek with 3 day beard was a wire jammed in. I only found it after washing my face and it jabbed my finger....some how it missed all the nerves and stayed in there for a while.

[78SCRSMAN]

Ooh, ouch!
I did most of that wire wheel stuff while it was cold out so they ended up in various parts of the jacket I was wearing but always found them with my hands.

***Update coming soon****
been working on the front bumper... still!
Headliner is also in the works.

[78SCRSMAN]

Okay, so here's what's going on... the front bumper is coming along nicely now. I added some strength to it by glassing in a vertical panel along the top and bottom. The one on top also serves as a mounting point to the front of the tub. I glassed in some bolts so all I have to do is push the bumper right on and fasten down the nuts from inside.

I'm using a 964 "smile" gasket as they're called. When on the car, the gasket front edge doesn't sit flush with the top of the bumper so there ends up being a 1/8" gap along the outer edge. It doesn't look that hot so I went and built up a ledge to eliminate the gap. The fit is much better now. I'm not quite finished with the filler work but will take some photos of what I'm talking about later.

Here's the process:

Ground down the split about 4-5 inches wide, all the way through the original glass.





Got the top part of the bumper glassed back in and sanded





You can see the difference here:

[78SCRSMAN]

Here you can see the vertical strengthening strips I put in... this made the bumper MUCH more rigid. Also you can see the bolts that were glassed in from behind.



Here are some closer pics of the ridge I was talking about. I used several layers of tape to create a wall for the filler to go up against.





Getting close to being ready for some primer... as you can see, it's a multi-step process.

[78SCRSMAN]

Seriously???
Wait til' you see what I have to do to the rear bumper... It's a mess!

[78SCRSMAN]

Ok, I made some progress on the rear bumper... (at least I know what needs to be done) it goes like this. Cut in half like the front, then cut in half again on the corner. Why you ask? Uh cuz it doesn't fit right! WTF!!! It's not even close. Ugh!
You get what you pay for I suppose.
Anyway, here's the evidence:

A couple profile shots







Where this is marked, I need to cut out the sliver and move arch piece closer inward and then blend the panel back in (a lot of sanding) after glassing in from behind.




The license plate area wasn't quite straight so I decided to make some gussets. I use wax paper on a flat surface, wet out some mat and then cut out the shape I need. I may have covered that before but in case you missed it.







I plan to work on the halves separately until I get them up to par and then glass the two halves back together. If you look closely at the rear end shot, you'll notice where it was cut in half, it's about an inch short of the halfway point. So yeah, I need to come up with 2 inches of bumper some how. Stay tuned!

[drcoastline]

Looks great 78scrsman. Nice glass work.

To make 2" use the bumper as a mold. Wax the surface several times with a good carnuba wax (Collinite insulator or mold release wax are best) then you can lay up the wetted matt right on the bumper. After it cures you can take a plastic putty knife and slide it between the bumper and your lay up the piece will will pop right off. You can then trim it and bond it in just like you did to the two halves of the front bumper. When you make the filler part lay it up about half thickness then when you bond it in you can lay up to full thickness that way it will be stronger and less sanding.

She is looking awesome. Great work and good luck.

[78SCRSMAN]

Originally Posted by drcoastline

Looks great 78scrsman. Nice glass work.

To make 2" use the bumper as a mold. Wax the surface several times with a good carnuba wax (Collinite insulator or mold release wax are best) then you can lay up the wetted matt right on the bumper. After it cures you can take a plastic putty knife and slide it between the bumper and your lay up the piece will will pop right off. You can then trim it and bond it in just like you did to the two halves of the front bumper. When you make the filler part lay it up about half thickness then when you bond it in you can lay up to full thickness that way it will be stronger and less sanding.

She is looking awesome. Great work and good luck.

My thoughts exactly! I haven't actually done a "mold" before. I figured I would just use some car wax (I use Meguires) and just not wipe it off of the bumper. Obviously, I'll need to cut the piece I make down some as it will be slightly bigger dimensionally.

Also thanks! Glass work is actually real easy to do, it's just messy. You really can't screw it up. My "glassing tools" consist of scissors, cheap paintbrush, small plastic cup, sandpaper and a cutoff wheel. The requisite Acetone for cleanup rounds it out. All real cheap stuff. I think I'll end up having spent about $75 fixing both bumpers.

[drcoastline]

Meguiars will work just fine. You will need to do about three coats of wax to get a good build up as you said the last layer you can leave on. Your best bet would be to allow the part to stay on the mold for afew days to cure. the longer the better. Most of why glass parts are deforemed and need the amount of work they do is the part is removed from the mold to early. On your filler piece it wont be as critical but you will have much less work if you let it fully cure on the mold.

Glass work is very forgiving as long as you are not making structural parts and is very easy to make look good. To much glass grind it off, to little build up.

Can't wait for the next update.

[78SCRSMAN]

One of my pet peeves is that the arch profile doesn't seem to fit the cars profile.






I've seen this before in photos of others on this forum.
The trick when fixing this is not to screw up the wheel arch while altering the fender arch.








I decided to glass in some bolts for easy install/removal

[78SCRSMAN]

Making the halves whole again...




Making a mold






Back together and yes I did this while it was on the car








Corners are done in a similar manner

[78SCRSMAN]

Some final glassing...






Some more work I found.




A couple minutes later...

[78SCRSMAN]

Final fitment of the front bumper before a loving block-sand then on to primer!
















Here you can kinda see why the buildup was necessary.

[78SCRSMAN]

Finally done with both ends!!!
What a PITA that was. I'm just gonna say it now... If you buy fiberglass parts, consider the source. These were purchased from GT Racing. So there it is. Nuf said.

The results ARE worth the effort, don't you agree?






This shows the welting I will be using.






Arches in line like they should be.







That's it for now. For the record, I estimate both bumpers took a total of 30 hours to this point. Another 20 hours will be about right for painting, sanding and buffing.
Now how much are my bumpers worth?

[blee]

Holy crap! Who made those bumpers? Let me guess - GT? It's a good thing you have the patience and skills - I would have sent them back. She's looking great Derek.

[78SCRSMAN]

Thanks Brian,
Yes, GT Racing. He did offer to return them but it would have cost me close to $200 for shipping. If I had to do it again, I would try to find some decent used pieces that you know fit well. Even with some repairable damage it would be better that what I have done.

[D911SC]

Your patience and glass work is amazing. This is one of the best projects I have seen.

Looking forward to seeing the rest of it come together.

[Fishcop]

Nice work!

Don't you find the sanding cathartic?