Body Fitment Issue

[phileas_fogg]

After trimming the dash cowl & cleaning up the rear cowl I just can't get the body to fit correctly at the rear cockpit.

Initially I thought the outer rear cockpit aluminum was too wide and needed trimming. As you can see in the pictures below the bulb seal was crushed against the body at the door striker (more so on the right side than on the left) which prevented the upper edge of the aluminum from sealing against the body. Note the large gap where the aluminum starts to arch over towards the center.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4510/37569925971_6f59a5c4ca_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ZeVG5k)IMG_4129 (https://flic.kr/p/ZeVG5k) by jhsitton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/91016165@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4514/37311222230_e56fdd3646_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/YR4Lt1)IMG_4129 (https://flic.kr/p/YR4Lt1) by jhsitton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/91016165@N07/), on Flickr

I trimmed those outer panels ~3/8” on the right and 1/4” on the left. A second test fit revealed that I’d improved the fit, but had a little more trimming to do.

Another bit of trimming, and body will fit over the sides of the aluminum, but the profile at the top is still wrong leaving a 3/4” gap.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4701/40425647931_7440cf3746_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24Ah1HR)IMG_4359 (https://flic.kr/p/24Ah1HR) by jhsitton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/91016165@N07/), on Flickr

Also, in the right rear wheel well, I’ve got a gap at the forward edge of the trunk side panel. It’s about 1/2” at the rear cockpit wall and tapers off. By the time you get to the trunk hoop, the body is firm against the bulb seal.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4741/26554556018_5cda71604f_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Gsx3mJ)IMG_4359 (https://flic.kr/p/Gsx3mJ) by jhsitton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/91016165@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4715/25554138717_e19b936e63_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/EW8D9z)IMG_4359 (https://flic.kr/p/EW8D9z) by jhsitton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/91016165@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4666/38614779470_0b2de92e3d_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/21QfQBQ)IMG_4359 (https://flic.kr/p/21QfQBQ) by jhsitton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/91016165@N07/), on Flickr

I could “fix” the cockpit gaps by using a hammer & 2x4 to bend the aluminum forward so that the bulb seal is flush against the body, but that seams a bit drastic. Or I could use some air conditioning duct aluminum tape to seal the gap (painted black so that it blends in).

Any suggestions?


John

[Duke]

Pull the bulb seal off the back firewall behind the seats. Pull the sides out and leave them loose and make sure the front is loose. You should then be able to adjust the rear of the body down. Another point to check is the rear trunk aluminum near the tail lights. It may be a little long and need to be trimmed a little (mine did).

[phileas_fogg]

Thanks Duke. The sides are loose, and there is no bulb seal on the center cockpit aluminum. I've already trimmed the rear of the trunk side panels; if anything, they're a smidge loose.

I'm going to try trimming a little of the bulb seal off the cockpit corner aluminum pieces, but I can't trim too much because then I'll have a "hole" (of course, if the hole is smaller than the gap then I'm improved).


John

[Duke]

Also, just for reference I've seen a few of them that never fit fully tight with the bulb seal around the rear area that you are trying to get perfect.

[phileas_fogg]

Yeah; I'm getting the feeling that mine falls into that category. I'm going to mess with it a little more and if no solution presents itself, I'll fabricate an aluminum panel to replicate the profile and frankenstein it onto the existing aluminum.

[phileas_fogg]

So as I was fooling around considering options, I discovered that if I press down on the body at the center of the cockpit wall, everything gets better.

I suspect that two seasons with the body on the buck sitting in the sun has caused the fiberglass to take on more arch than it should. I'm thinking now that maybe I should set the body in place, place a sandbag on the rear cockpit arch, and let it sit in the sun for a few days.

Any comment on what I think happened? And if I'm correct, my way of "fixing" the excess arch?


John