Structural Weaknesses we Found-Doors and Trunk

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Interesting path to finishing the 33. Along the way I have encountered many things I thought were issues and that turned out not to be. I also found a few issues I did not expect. Most of you probably noticed my issues with the engine, tuning, and flat tappet cam. I also had a really hard time with the twisting 8.8 axle that led me to a major revision with the 4 link and QA-1 Double adjustable shocks. I initially decided to go the roadster only route because frankly I was just overwhelmed with the details. I bypassed the trunk latch and cable release system and used the Quik Latches. I thought they worked well but at the end of the day I am much happier having gone to the FFR supplied latch and cable for the trunk and the hood. I used Tim Whitteaker's trunk gas shock kit in addition to the FFR supplied solution. I actually paid a shop to set these items up and they were able to do it an a couple of days whereas I had been working for months off and on to figure it out, find the parts and hook it up.

Along the way we found a couple of weak areas. I thought I would show where we found them and what we did. Looking at what others have done I realize now I just didn't understand the issues they were pointing out when showing their solutions. Thought I would put mine up just to help the next guy working through this. One of the first difficulties we found when we mounted the trunk latch in the FFR location. We discovered the entire rear panel the latch was rive nutted to was very flimsy, even with the Aluminum and carpet in place. Along the way I had noticed in builds where others have braced the latch mount mechanism and I realize now they were simply attempting to stiffen the flex. The problem for me was so serious that it led to issues latching and unlatching the trunk with the FFR mechanism. The latch mount and rear panel would move or flex with the slightest pressure. The guys helping me build the car (finish if) recommended coming back and glassing steel or wood to the rear strip along the trunk as one method of strengthening the section. After some discussion we decided to just build a hidden compartment, using the frame of the compartment to structurally reinforce the area.

This is the trunk area I am talking about. You can see from the back of the tail light to the central area where the latch fits which is roughly where the latch went through.

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There is literally nothing under this area except the thin aluminum and the glass on the body. The nearest steel frame mount is directly under the pliers handle behind the differential.

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My first approach was to forgo the latch assembly and to use the quik latch fast releases. Some had used them but the lip was very thin around the inside of the trunk and to cut a hole for the quik latch ended up with it very close to the edge of the lip. I created the plates and used the quik latch cups for a reasonably strong latching point.

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It looked okay and was something I could do.

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It still looked like **** with the trunk open though

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Looked pretty good closed

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We decided to use the FFR solution and mount the latch, cable, cable pull, and hardware. Also we decided to use the Kootenai gas shock solution I had already purchased from Tim.

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We removed the plates for the quik latches and along with the gas shocks, it really cleaned up the appearance.

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Sorry for all the crap in the way of a clean picture.

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These are pictures of the trunk lid with the gas shocks

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So once we got the shocks on and the shock mount rails Kory dug into the compartment. He framed it out then roughed it in.

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So we discovered that the seams along the tops of the doors where the panels joined were exceptionally weak. In fact, only hardened resin with no fiberglass was bonding the two panels together. Was okay without the window slots cut but the panels separated on their own once we cut the window openings. In this file you can see the discolored resin along the seam before the window cut

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As we cut the window slot the panels separated, you can see the straight looking line on the opposite site of the glass

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The only alternative was to build it up. Some of you thought you saw air under the glass laid. There was
air, the seams were wide open when we removed the resin slop.

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So when the seam was reinforced they cut it back into the door panels strengthening the bond.

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Here are some shots I missed in the earlier section on repairing the sill

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As we move towards premiering the car here are some more shots as the glass got prepped.

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Working down to the final painting we found a few more structural weaknesses that needed to be addressed. First the fitment of the engine compartment skirts to the grill shell. When abutted, the fender skirt tucked in leaving an uneven gap between the outside of the grill and the window. The guys are building up the bottom of the skirt (inside) to provide a flat surface to mount against the grill shell and leave an even gap. Next, when we split the skirt for the headlight fixtures, to make the skirts removable while retaining the headlight, there is a weakness around the hole for the headlight mounting. The solution there is to create a stop on the headlight mounting arm to fix the entire assembly too. This removes the panel flex and snugs the mounting firmly also. The next area we found was the dreaded lamination problems. We didn't notice that early on. It seems like the more we worked the glass, the lamination layers eventually separated. The guys are going to drill it and put foam in it. Finally there was poor fitment of the body with the lines forward of the driver side door. The guys reworked that extensively to get it solid. Had I done this without experience I might have gone ahead and painted these areas. It would have looked all right but we'd never know. I am glad I have people with good experience driving this.

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