Sterling #130 (aka American V8 ~ Chapter 2)

[nbb350]

both IN & OUT for the condenser are located next to each other at the low point on the condenser frame - not like one at the top and one on the bottom. basically the line goes IN, coils up thru the frame on one side and back down on the other side to the OUTlet. I'll try to put an angle-finder gauge on the condenser tonight (i can still reach the bottom of it from the front opening).

Incidentally, while i DID install the AC equipment, over the years I've decided NOT to charge it - too expensive. They wanted $500 to vacuum, test, & charge (R134a) my old Cadillac - PLUS any cost associated with fixing it (an o-ring blew out; i could even tell them which one!). I ended up selling the car, but now i see that I can buy an AC vacuum pump & manifold kit for $150 on Amazon. well, gee...for that price, i'll probably give it a shot!

 

[nbb350]

20 degree slope on the radiator/condenser

 

[farfegnubbin]

Good! It looked flatter. I think you’re gonna be just fine with that.

 

[nbb350]

I need ideas on how to mount my turn signals at the 4 corners. The car already had cutouts for turn signals from "something"; but those signals were broken junk when I got the car. So I rounded out the openings so these LED signals would fit. Due to the varying body panel thickness, the lights don't sit even or flush when pushed thru from the back. They look stupid if I just push them in from the back. SO, I tried to make them flush-ish. Maybe stick out 1/16" since the body has a curve across the cutout. I tried two different types of epoxy putty, but neither was really "tacky" enough to stick to the inside face of the fiberglass body - even if I roughed it up with 60 grit sandpaper. I thought I had it "perfect" twice, but then the epoxy let loose from the body as it cured.

Ultimately I would seal the light to the body around the perimeter with clear silicone caulk. But first I have to get the light mounted in the final position. Silicone caulk doesn't cure fast enough to hold the light in place. And I can't/won't sit there for HOURS while the caulk cures.

Maybe if I could find something that would "crush to fit" but not "ooze" out the crack between body and light.

 

[farfegnubbin]

I love the amount of "reveal" in that last pick. You dialed that in perfectly.

As for how to temp mount it, this might sound dumb but have you tried a hot glue gun yet? I do a LOT of prototyping/tackng with hot glue. It's not reliably strong over time but it adheres to almost anything and cools/dries in about 45 seconds. Also bridges gaps and is pretty tolerant of how the surfaces are prepped. Only use a few strategic blobs though so there is plenty of surface area for the silicone (which I think is a really good adhesive for your final mounting.)

 

[nbb350]

BTW, Yes, I have considered grommet mounted lights, but think the grommet looks bulky and cheap.

 

[farfegnubbin]

Grommeted lights are a fantastic aesthetic solution for not only boat trailers but also car trailers, utility trailers, and even dump trailers. They couldn’t look better on horse trailers as well.

Good instinct to avoid on your part.

What you came up with looks very much like a modern production car. They look nice!

 

[farfegnubbin]

Bonus advice: Those lights probably weren’t expensive. If you can still get them, consider buying an extra pair or two as future spares. Future You with think Past You was really thinking ahead!!

(Current Me is getting wiser than Past Me. Arguably.)

 

[nbb350]

Bonus advice: Those lights probably weren’t expensive. If you can still get them, consider buying an extra pair or two as future spares. Future You with think Past You was really thinking ahead!!

(Current Me is getting wiser than Past Me. Arguably.)

Past Me was poorer than Current Me and LED lights were a lot more expensive back in ~2008 when Past Me bought the lights, so he didn't buy any extra. lol

 

[nbb350]

I'll try the glue gun idea later this week when it isn't 83F in the shop and i haven't been "celebrating" the holiday for a few hours.

 

[vpogv]

Hot glue would work but I would not trust it as a permanent and only solution. Personally I would make up 4 spacers to get the depth. Then use T-nuts and either glass or jb weld them on to the back side of the tray. Then simply bend up a metal bracket to hold them on.

Sadly for mine I glassed mine completely in with kitty hair... not sure that was as smart as what you're doing.

 

[Brett Proctor]

Those "grommet mounted lights" would look terrible I think. Your building a car not a trailer.

As far as building a suitable mounting base for the lights Evercoat Kitty Hair I think would work for your dilemma.
Depending on how much hardener is added curing time will only take a minute or two.
Make sure the sure the surface is clean. Maybe wipe it down the inside surface with acetone then some additional sanding.(inside fiberglass surface of the car)
Center the light in the opening using something to shim it up so it wont move.
Don't try to do the whole light at once. Coat the light with PVA so the kitty hair wont bond to the light.
Apply the kitty hair to each end of the light making sure you work it into the fiberglass of the body also.
Make sure the light is where you want it because when the kitty hair starts to setup your not going to be able to move it.
Once the two sections of kitty hair are cured(couple of minutes) it should hold the light in place enough so you can remove the shims and then you can finish the job appling kitty hair all around the lights, You might want to put some tape across the light so when applying the kitty hair you don't push the light out.

vpogv You beat me to it

 

[nbb350]

after several weeks of back and forth with Auto Meter (their response time is usually 3-4 DAYS), I've had to send my fuel gauge, fuel bridge and fuel sender in to them for inspection/repair. that prevents me from completely installing the dash. no word on how long the turnaround time is going to be...

 

[farfegnubbin]

Well, at least it'll be somewhat vindicating for you when they determine one of their things was malfunctioning.

 

[nbb350]

I'd rather they'd just have worked right from the beginning since everything is long out of warranty and I get to pay shipping both ways plus repair fees.

 

[nbb350]

As for how to temp mount it, this might sound dumb but have you tried a hot glue gun yet? I do a LOT of prototyping/tackng with hot glue. It's not reliably strong over time but it adheres to almost anything and cools/dries in about 45 seconds. Also bridges gaps and is pretty tolerant of how the surfaces are prepped. Only use a few strategic blobs though so there is plenty of surface area for the silicone (which I think is a really good adhesive for your final mounting.)

THANK YOU FOR THE IDEA! It worked AWESOME!

The tape was so I didn't have to clean any silicone off the body. Apply the tape, build up the glue on the light (test fitting as needed), let the goobers cool, add one last touch of hot glue to the goobers and stick it in place quick. Hold for a couple minutes until the glue cools, then apply the silicone, force as much in the cracks as possible, smooth with a finger, then remove the tape immediately so the surface tension of the wet silicone can self-flow back smooth. Worked pretty damn well!

I wasn't able to force as much silicone thru the gap as I had hoped, but now that it's cured and the front face is sealed, I'm going to force more silicone between the light and body from behind.
The front lights may even get a squirt of expanding foam behind them. It would fill the void between the light and the headlight bucket nicely and also STICK to everything! But not TOO much...I wouldn't want it to push the light out the front!

 

[farfegnubbin]

Fantastic! (Advice is all about quantity: I figure, give lots of it and chances are some of it will occasionally be not be totally useless .)

But seriously, I really do like the fit and finish of what you did. One of the biggest challenges for kits it to do things that don’t look “kit car-y,” and those look totally believable.

 

[farfegnubbin]

Those suckers are big! I was picturing those as being three or 4 inches long. Now that I can see the headlight bay as well, those look to be like 6 or 7 inches! Nothin wrong with that.

 

[nbb350]

Those suckers are big! I was picturing those as being three or 4 inches long. Now that I can see the headlight bay as well, those look to be like 6 or 7 inches! Nothin wrong with that.

The size of the "new" lights that I just installed was determined mostly by the size of the cutout in the body for the "old" lights. Those holes were "trapezoidal" and I had to use a new light that was at least as big as the old holes. Hence my choice of "trailer lights". The old turn signals had been fiberglassed to the body and used a single A194 bulb each. Um, NO...I want people to SEE me! lol

 

[nbb350]

Got the tail lights and license plate mounted. top bolts have integrated LED lights for the plate illumination.
also spent 1.5 hours fabricating and mounting the backup lights...only to instantly hate them and remove them. they looked like Mickey Mouse ears hanging off the bottom of the panel. ugh. lol