Ridge Runner

Trimmed . Now with a tensile strength of 1,200 lbs per square inch ,1/8 inch thick ,most back seat activities are good to go !

I had to make some 67 8  panels this morning so i used my new mounting bracket mold ,they are all the same , pop them out and trim and they will be ready to bond in the  67 8 panels .

Trimmed and ready to mount ,a waxing and they will be ready to use 

Trimmed . Now with a tensile strength of 1,200 lbs per square inch ,1/8 inch thick ,most back seat activities are good to go !

Well, the day has finally come.  The car is about to be transformed with new paint.  It waited in the shop for 9 months in line to get to this point.  I will document the progress.....   I am now going to open my favorite beverage and have a toast the car I have named "Gerry".  Named after the older gentleman who I acquired the car from. He had planned for years to restore it, but never got to it.  He passed away this January, and never got to see the car completed.  I will make sure his Daughter and Family get the pictures when it is done.

Trimmed and ready to mount ,a waxing and they will be ready to use 

Oh ,that feeling you get from being a picky ass and it pays off!
I let these bake in the sun most of the day ,couldnt hardly cut this stuff it got so hard . They came out fantastic! Of course this is a reverse image because its the mold . I would have made another set of molds except the texture came off the panels and i had to blow it out of the molds ,good thing for spray in mold release !
Now for the trimming ,mounting on a backing and waxing .
The mold is right at 1/4 inch thick and it does not flex .

Oh ,that feeling you get from being a picky ass and it pays off!
I let these bake in the sun most of the day ,couldnt hardly cut this stuff it got so hard . They came out fantastic! Of course this is a reverse image because its the mold . I would have made another set of molds except the texture came off the panels and i had to blow it out of the molds ,good thing for spray in mold release !
Now for the trimming ,mounting on a backing and waxing .
The mold is right at 1/4 inch thick and it does not flex .

Hard to get a good pic but i was a bit more aggressive on the texture on these test panels and the main panel . I used mold wax on this one and it didnt wipe out the texture ,it did leave gold on my wipe down rag so hopefully the panels will take it this time ,i will be a lot more gentle with them 

Hard to get a good pic but i was a bit more aggressive on the texture on these test panels and the main panel . I used mold wax on this one and it didnt wipe out the texture ,it did leave gold on my wipe down rag so hopefully the panels will take it this time ,i will be a lot more gentle with them 

The mold for the mounting brackets is done ,original brackets on the right . I should be starting on the new panel mold by Friday .

Have you considered one of the chemical release agents instead of wax?  I use that in my resin transfer mold and it works great with no build up or potential damage to the mold surface.  Just thinking out loud…..
Otherwise………….DANG those look good (Mr. Picky Pants!). LOL!

If you mean the mounting plates on the back of the panels ,yes i will be bonding them in place 

I sanded off any loose splinters on the back of the mold ,cut it close and removed the panels from the molds . I have to scrub out the mold release ,trim to finish and they should be ready to make a set . Not sure but when i waxed the panels it may have smoothed texture a bit ,will not know until the first set is made  .

I sanded off any loose splinters on the back of the mold ,cut it close and removed the panels from the molds . I have to scrub out the mold release ,trim to finish and they should be ready to make a set . Not sure but when i waxed the panels it may have smoothed texture a bit ,will not know until the first set is made  .

2oz high quality  matt  with ISO resin straight over tooling gelcoat ,never bleeds through ,has a much finer strand . The new panels will be 2 layers of 2oz matt ,way stronger than the original panels .

Waxed and 3 coats of mold release . 
Got ready to spray gel coat and ...i forgot to clean the gelcoat gun last time ! Damn damn damn ! Another gun down the toilet! 
Luckily i had an old back up ,now i get to buy another new one! Guess thats what happens when you are doing 10 things at once . One layer of mat today and finish up tomorrow and hopefully these molds will turn out with out any more surprises . 

I have a 67 front clip to build .I built this assembly fixture a few years ago .It will fit from 65 -70 frame rails .The rail assemblies are the full Dynacorn rails and bolt into the fixture through the steering box mounting holes and the idler mounting holes .It also bolts through the hood hinge mounting holes to hold everything square and solid .I will assemble the whole front clip ,including the fire wall ,radiator support with the floor supports .I can leave the fixture bolted to the front clip and fit the whole thing still bolted to the fixture into the body .









 

Passenger side really came out nice .a few days of drying time and i am ready to make the molds .

I have been wanting a belt grinder, ok I have a belt grinder but I have wanted a specific type of belt grinder.
so I finally broke down and built one.
the vac base was a $40 swap meet find.
all the steel was free, salvaged from other stuff. I can’t allow new or slightly used steel tubing go to scrap if I see it’s usable.
the motor was free.
the paint I already had.
the wheels I bought, was planning to make them but I wanted to move this along.
still need to buy the VFD

I'd like to raise my hand for a pair once they are ready!  They will go great with the sail panels you made up a few years back!

Getting started on the rear seat panels ,i have a set of fairly nice panels . The old paint is flaking off so i removed as much as i could ,especially where it is flaking .
Passenger side is in nice condition ,driver side has a couple of gouges that i filled with duraglass ,once it sets up i will sand it smooth .next step is to primer both panels with high build and block sand until perfect . Then reapply the texture ,a few days of drying time and i will mount them on a backing so they do not distort and use them for a brand new mold .they will have all factory holes and back side mounting bracket .
That original paint really stinks when sanded!

High build primer ,a good block sanding and they are ready for new texture . 

High build primer ,a good block sanding and they are ready for new texture . 

Getting started on the rear seat panels ,i have a set of fairly nice panels . The old paint is flaking off so i removed as much as i could ,especially where it is flaking .
Passenger side is in nice condition ,driver side has a couple of gouges that i filled with duraglass ,once it sets up i will sand it smooth .next step is to primer both panels with high build and block sand until perfect . Then reapply the texture ,a few days of drying time and i will mount them on a backing so they do not distort and use them for a brand new mold .they will have all factory holes and back side mounting bracket .
That original paint really stinks when sanded!