Panel gaps

[sambo]

visited my escort last night and i wasnt pleased to say the least. Not that i am faulting the guys work (it's in for a re-paint) but the blooming panel gaps are atrocious!! Where the wing meets the scuttle panel, there is about 1/2" gap on one side and a little bit more on the other!!

This is a result of having a pattern front panel, 2 fibre-glass wings and a fibre glass bonnet! Does anyone else have/had similar problems?

He had spent all day on getting the panels lined up and it is literally the best he can do

It's gonna look a bit poo really. Anyone else have huge panel gap problems??

any pics??

 

[johnny_h]

I feel your pain. I have crap panel gaps but then I didn't pay the guy very much.

[antz]

my panel gaps arent the best thanks to pattern wings ut i got what i could afford.

[kirk10]

with fibre glass wings he could build the edge up with some more fibre glass and shape them would look perfect then

but time consuming

[sambo]

Any pics Antz?? that may put my mind at ease?? !!!

[MightySprocket]

I have fibreglass wings and bonnet and non original panels but they fit spot on thanks to my fabricator, cost lots though

 

 

dont forget fibreglass gives unlike metal maybe they just need persuading a little hope u get it sorted

[Rick]

my wings are fibreglass and looked shit there too, my dad spent about 2 days sorting it though,

 

lots of fibreglass and then cut the proper shape back in to it.

 

thats the problem with glass items they are popped out the mould too early and set wonky

[johnny_h]

I don't think he wanted pics of a perfect fit.

[shaun1.6ghia]

i've got pretty big pannel gaps too, but hey i didn't break the bank,

[sambo]

I don't think he wanted pics of a perfect fit.

 

lol, yeah cheers guys! just make me feel worse why dont ya!!

 

seriously though, cheers guys, i think i may just have to live with it and just justify the bad fitment of the panels as "its a race car" !!

 

 

 

 

 

Damn.

[Rick]

really if the bloke was professional he could have asked you if you wanted them modifying before he fitted them

[payne'e]

i had new front panel and fibreglass wings, cost me £500 labour, bloke had it for about 2 months, wasn't that bad till i fitted the grill.drivers side , still need to get them sorted lol

[MightySprocket]

I don't think he wanted pics of a perfect fit.

 

lol, yeah cheers guys! just make me feel worse why dont ya!!

 

seriously though, cheers guys, i think i may just have to live with it and just justify the bad fitment of the panels as "its a race car" !!

 

 

 

 

 

Damn.

 

lmao sorry sambo the point i was trying to make is, they didn't fit well, but after a lot of work thats how they looked.

[sambo]

i had new front panel and fibreglass wings, cost me £500 labour, bloke had it for about 2 months, wasn't that bad till i fitted the grill.drivers side , still need to get them sorted lol

 

Now that is what i needed!! Cheers Payne!! Mine are about as bad as yours. (sorry)

 

bloody cars, they are the best and the worst thing in my life. Debt, heart ache, lack of sleep, loss of blood, lust, pain, all rolled into one sexy metal package.

[payne'e]

they are pretty shite, but once i'm driving it it don't seem to bother me it's been like it for almost a year now gonna try and sort them myself soon (theres nowhere local that can do it )

[Retromotorsport]

Perhaps it would help others if you all said where you got your wings from ....

[sambo]

The wings were a pair the guy had knocking around. I think they are smith and deakin jobbers though. 80% sure??

 

It's no good, he had gone home early today cos it was hot and tomorrow i am gonna sort it out. I cant have it!! it will bug me for ever!!!

[hellblue]

Fibreglass goes out off shape if left "knocking around", most painters dont do much bodywork as such & as with any new panels it takes what it takes to make them fit but most places will just put them on only. Its sad but thats what happens these days

[bronze4door]

my front end has gone on really well with neat gaps everywhere

 

my welder said if he did not repair the top plates the wing rails would not have fitted properly and the gaps for the wings would never of been any good

[antz]

get it done sambo cos mine annoy the hell outta me

[MM77]

So who makes the best fibre glass panels then???

I was going to Smith & deakin but after seeing those pics i dont think so

[john_3.0s]

a propper race car always has shite pannel fit, i once saw a mk2 that you could get your fingers in between the door and the roof after a years of hard graft and a couple of offs

[Guest MK1gaz]

So who makes the best fibre glass panels then???

I was going to Smith & deakin but after seeing those pics i dont think so

Old ford autos fiberglass wings fit good . Normally my mates bodyshop have to spend twice as long cutting and bending and reshaping fibre glass panels on cars so they fit . That's why proper ford wings cost £350 and fiberglass ones don't .

[MightySprocket]

Mine are Old Ford Autos and they are excellent, bothe the fabricator and painter have both said how impressed they were with the boot, bonnet and wings, especially the gell coat finish. They did have to be persuaded though but that was down to a 36 year old car not being the right shape in the first place

Old Ford Auto's panels are molded from our very own Baz's Modena Green Mex's genuine Ford Wings gotta be a good place to start

[Rick]

another tip for you fibreglass chaps:

 

you wanna find all the air bubbles in the gel coat and pick them out with a blade and then fill them in. when your car heats up they will expand and show up or even burst

 

did this with mine but still missed a few and you can definately see thewm through the paint when the suns been on it a bit