fiberglass valance

[ferny]

Roight, I need a new valance (maybe two). Canleys sell a fiberglass one for £35 and Honeybourne for £32. What are these panels like?

[Clive]

They are a shell and need the cutouts doing, and brackets fixing to them (unless things have changed, which I doubt)
They are fine on a car, but the backs are not gel-coated, so I have used stonechip to disguise, brackets I attached by fibreglassing on and I think pop rivits, but it was a while ago.

I will fit a fg one to my vitesse if I ever get round to the rebuild.
Clive

[ferny]

Cutting out the hole above the numberplate is the bit which worries me. I'd probably mess it up and can see why many people leave them blanked. ;D

[heraldcoupe]

I stopped handling fibreglass valances as the last few I got (at least 2 years ago) were poorly shaped. They were too short front-to-back, so the valance ended at least half an inch forward of the wheelarch.
Things may have changed, but I would want to inspect the product before paying for it,
Cheers,
Bill.

[JohnD]

The valance needs to be made with the cut outs, for the bonnet outriggers etc.,  filled in to allow for a simple shape of mould.   They are left in place on sale, because once cut out, and not bolted in place, the valance is very much weaker and will be damaged in storage or transit.
   And it's not quantum Physics to cut them out!   A fret saw, with a very narrow blade and a very wide 'bow' to allow it to go deep into the work, is best. At £10-15, very worthwhile investment.   The line to cut is obvious, thanks to the way that the mould is made - there is a crease in the surface of the valance where the opening was blanked off.  Note that, unlike a hacksaw, a fret saw blade can be aligned at any angle to the bow, so that you can cut right, left or towards you, with the bow in the same position.  This allows the saw to work at its maximum depth at all times.
The lower hole above the numberplate may be a bit of a stretch for most fret saws (you can buy very deep ones though) so another method may be needed.  Drill holes inside the line of the final cut line so that their outer edges are just on, or slightly inside it.  Use a padsaw, a hacksaw blade held at one end in a grip/handle, to cut between them (the holes must be big enough for the hacksaw blade), then fair up the line with a file and sand paper.

Bolting the valance to the chassis.  GRP is strongest in tension and weakest in compression.  Tighten up the securing bolts as you would for steel and it will crush and the valance will crumble there and come loose.   Use the biggest washers you can to spread the load around the bolt holes.

NB. While I'm giving good advice (?) always wear gloves when working with GRP, and a mask.  You'll make a lot of dust, containing very sharp glass fragments.  They'll get into your skin and itch for days!   Breathing the dust ain't so good for you either.

John

PS. I've misledd myself on several occasions when buying GRP valances.  I think there are at least three varieties, two for Herald models and one for the Vitesse.  Bill will know more than me.   J.

[heraldcoupe]

JohnD wrote:

PS. I've misledd myself on several occasions when buying GRP valances.  I think there are at least three varieties, two for Herald models and one for the Vitesse.  Bill will know more than me.   J.

Yes, three flavours of fibreglass valance - 948/1200, 13/60 and Vitesse and they're not interchangeable! The 13/60 & Vitesse types are actually quite close, but the top face is different enough to look very wrong when mixed up.
I've not counted the various oddities for early/late Vitesse and Mk1/2 Herald. As it currently stands there are just three variants,
Cheers,
Bill.

[Jonny-Jimbo]

Use a hole saw to start off with, or if you've got a compressor just go with an air-saw. I did mine with an air saw and finished off with a file. The job was done within 15 mins... mate took about 3 hours with a fret saw the blade was that fine on it!

[Jason]

Ferny, if the valance comes "bare" you'll need the metal fitting tabs on the back - let me know if you do as I have recently incovered a set in my garage, new and in pimer - they werte due for eBaying when I get round to it