[dbisbee]

Like so many others I have taken the front clam off my car and with assistance from my friends here (Baysailor for example) am attempting to "glass my clam". I have hit my share of driveways and unseen speedbumps in parking lots at night So now is the time as I have time.

I am also going to delete the plinth! Baysailor has given valuable information on using a dremel with a cut off wheel. To cut the clam with.

What about the Starshield would it help to keep in on while I cut. If not how do you recommend removing it.

I sure hope the force is with me on this one. Dana

 

[jordantii]

Hey Dana, I need some clam work as well. How far have you gone and who have you selected to paint it when you are done?

 

[dbisbee]

Jordan,

Just got the clam off of the car. So have yet to tear into it.

I am going to have a friend in the body shop business match the paint with a sample of my bodywork (section of the deleted plinth). Hopefully he can mix some up send it to me as he is in Denver then see if there are any painting booths available here in Tampa that if I provide a spray gun I could use to paint it myself.

I may even try and paint it at the house as I have access to an oilless compressor but no painting booth.

Being unemployed I have lots of time right now but need to limit my spending if you know what I mean.

Let me know if you have any suggestions.

 

[Randy Chase]

You will want to remove the starshield in the area you are going to work on. You can carefully cut it with a razor blade. Warm it up in the sun or using a heat gun - hair dryer. Peel off. You will probably have some residue left but it can be removed if needed with solvent.

Let me know if you want any info, we did this for the Uberclam project.

 

[jordantii]

Jordan,

Just got the clam off of the car. So have yet to tear into it.

I am going to have a friend in the body shop business match the paint with a sample of my bodywork (section of the deleted plinth). Hopefully he can mix some up send it to me as he is in Denver then see if there are any painting booths available here in Tampa that if I provide a spray gun I could use to paint it myself.

I may even try and paint it at the house as I have access to an oilless compressor but no painting booth.

Being unemployed I have lots of time right now but need to limit my spending if you know what I mean.

Let me know if you have any suggestions.

I know a place in Tampa that would let you spray it. I will call on Monday. I still have your number, so I will call you and let you know what they said.

 

[dbisbee]

Well today is the day I cut and started with fiberglass.
Here is the clam after cutting out the bad areas.

I used some formica strips with packing tape to help form the new front end.

After applying fiberglass with no real idea of what I am doing I now wait. Drying and waiting. Still need to add some more fabric to the back side. This is four layers of glass cloth.

Anybody else have this little Lotus symbol? It is located on the right side of the car on the front clam near the right headlight.

Still have a ways to go. In a couple hours when I take the tape off i should know if I am close to actually doing fiberglass!

 

[Demonized]

Anybody else have this little Lotus symbol? It is located on the right side of the car on the front clam near the right headlight.

Those are on (on my car anyway) almost all of the StarShield pieces.

 

[dbisbee]

Took the tape and formica off and well. I didn't do that bad. They make sandpaper for a reason right! I will post more pics soon.

 

[RoadDad]

I was wondering how this was going...

After applying fiberglass with no real idea of what I am doing I now wait. Drying and waiting.

rotfl

Anybody else have this little Lotus symbol? It is located on the right side of the car on the front clam near the right headlight.

That little Lotus symbol is in the StarShield. You may find others like on the rocker panel piece, etc.

 

[RoadDad]

BTW, I haven't gotten a 54" wide monitor yet -poke-

 

[RENDERMAN]

How's the project coming along?

 

[dbisbee]

Renderman,

I will try and post more pictures today. I have finally finished with the fiberglass and filler...I think. I will post before I start sanding.

 

[dbisbee]

OK so here is a lame movie that I put together showing my progress today. What an education. After talking to Jens dad this weekend I learned a lot. Like what was I thinking leaving the starshield on around the damaged area. So I removed that today and sanded it down to match the brazillion coats of paint and different batches of paint none of them matching so far. Jen's dad mixed some paint up at his body shop in Colorado and I managed to get it on the plane and hope to apply some tomorrow. Please wish me luck as I have no f'in idea what I am doing!anic:

Elise clam 9 days before log29! its a windoze media file. I dont have a youtube account and sort of in a hurry.

 

[Icedog_16]

FWIW, my experience using the paint codes didn't go well; it was similar to yours. You'd be best off having a shop take readings with a spectrophotometer at different points of your car. Only when I got Dimmitt/DuPont to do that did my front clam match the rest of my car.

 

[RENDERMAN]

OK so here is a lame movie that I put together showing my progress today. What an education. After talking to Jens dad this weekend I learned a lot. Like what was I thinking leaving the starshield on around the damaged area. So I removed that today and sanded it down to match the brazillion coats of paint and different batches of paint none of them matching so far. Jen's dad mixed some paint up at his body shop in Colorado and I managed to get it on the plane and hope to apply some tomorrow. Please wish me luck as I have no f'in idea what I am doing!anic:

Elise clam 9 days before log29! its a windoze media file. I dont have a youtube account and sort of in a hurry.

That's very good, for not knowing what you're doing you're doing just fine. Many so called pros wish they could work like you. I'm doing a more radical glass custom work on my nose, sides and rear, I'll make a thread to show how I did it. can't wait to see your final answer :up: BTW if you don't want to get into having to match a color, shoot PPG paint, It's expensive but the closest to the original factory color without paying for matching...