Anthony Posted February 14, 2011 Posted February 14, 2011 What do people think about the two options for the front quarter valances?My car came with the fibreglass valancesThey're of good quality, and good shape, but the bolt holes don't line up, so I'd need to mess around with these for a little whileI'd quite like to swap these for the steel ones, for originality, but I know they're quite a rust trapWhat do you reckon?Keep the fibreglass ones and sort out the fitmentOr, replace with steel ones, and get them galvanised?
GreenV8Machine Posted February 14, 2011 Posted February 14, 2011 i had fg, fine by me, no rust to keep on top of
CharlieB Posted February 14, 2011 Posted February 14, 2011 Having to mess around with FG panels to get them to fit is normal, but having done so I'm happy with my FG 1/4 valences.
Gt6s Posted February 14, 2011 Posted February 14, 2011 In my opinion steel valances should be thought of as a consumable.Fiberglass.
Paudman Posted February 14, 2011 Posted February 14, 2011 Gt6s wrote:In my opinion steel valances should be thought of as a consumable.Never tried eating them, but yes I'd recommend fibreglass over metal for these.
Anthony Posted February 14, 2011 Author Posted February 14, 2011 Thanks everyoneI'll be keeping my fibreglass ones thenNext question - how do you fix the retaining/captive nuts in place?The ones that came with the car are made up of all kinds of screws and bolts and are really untidyI've ordered the correct fixings, but just need to know how to secure the nuts to the insides of the valances
Doug Paterson Posted February 14, 2011 Posted February 14, 2011 I swapped my fibreglass ones for steel :PStill got the old ones tho
Anthony Posted February 14, 2011 Author Posted February 14, 2011 That's what I was thinking of doing - and getting them galvanizedBUt, given the replies above, and the fact that I've already got the fibreglass ones, I think I'll use them for now, and make my mind up once they're on the car and it's back on the road
Doug Paterson Posted February 14, 2011 Posted February 14, 2011 To be honest if you keep an eye on them and keep on top of chips steels will stay in good nick.I find it much easier to get a nice finish on steel than on fibreglass - but I'm an amateur when it comes to both.Got mine from Ebay for about £25 BeforeAfter (using Halfords rattle cans and lacquer)They definitely look better on the car than my old fibreglass ones BUT who knows. Maybe if I'd taken the FG ones off and resprayed them they MIGHT have looked this good (but I'm not convinced)
CharlieB Posted February 14, 2011 Posted February 14, 2011 1903 wrote:Next question - how do you fix the retaining/captive nuts in place?I cut some small steel plates about 1" x 1/2" welded a nut in the centre then riveted the plates inside the FG panel.
Nick Moore Posted February 14, 2011 Posted February 14, 2011 New steel ones are very well made - my painter had muttered about repairing my slightly rusty and very dented original ones, but went all misty-eyed when he saw the new ones. Rust isn't a problem in the dry tropics (just big spiders and itches that won't clear up).
Nick Moore Posted February 15, 2011 Posted February 15, 2011 Hmmph! Brisbane isn't the tropics, no matter how much they whinge about about their 'equatorial' climate and 'monsoon'. Sub-tropical at best! The Tropic of Capricorn is about 600km north of Brissie, and your traditional wet tropical climate doesn't happen until about Townsville. That's what the tourists see when they visit Cairns - wet steaming jungle!Where we are, at 21 degrees S, is called the dry tropics as it doesn't rain for 8 months of the year and then lets go over summer. The vegetation's very different, and apart from the thunderstorm season, it's a nice place to live. The thunderstorms are cool too, but not something Webasto had in mind when designing their fabric sunroofs!
TimW Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 1903 wrote:That's what I was thinking of doing - and getting them galvanizedBUt, given the replies above, and the fact that I've already got the fibreglass ones, I think I'll use them for now, and make my mind up once they're on the car and it's back on the roadAntAre you going to be using your gt6 all year? in rain, snow SALT?? If not then why worry too much about the rust? Keep the car clean and waxoiled (or similar) and i don't see you will have a problem. As far as fiberglass Vs steel then it's steel everyday for me.Tim
Anthony Posted February 20, 2011 Author Posted February 20, 2011 My head says I should switch to steel, but I've had the car for so long now I'm just going to get it built and finished as it is, then I'll worry about switching parts aroundThe holes in my valances are so far out it's unrealI'm guessing they came without holes and the previous owner drilled the holes whilst swigging his beer?
hymodyne Posted February 20, 2011 Posted February 20, 2011 I needed to replace both on my GT6 and looked hard at the many glass ones that were surfacing when I was working on that part of the car. I can work in fiberglass and don't mind it for repair work, but I found a set of steel ones and bought them. Glad I did, they're in good shape and after being stripped to bare metal like the rest of the car, they're now in self etch, and urethane primer. hym
Anthony Posted February 21, 2011 Author Posted February 21, 2011 I've spent today filling and smoothing the screw/bolt holes that had been cut by the previous ownerNow then, can anybody tell me how the two small grille pieces fit in place?On the steel valances there's a cut-out and a mounting bracket, but on the fibre glass pieces there's just s recessDo the grille pieces simply screw to the recess, or is there some cutting to be done?
bob dunn Posted February 23, 2011 Posted February 23, 2011 when i did my car i did not know that these were trad rust traps ,so i welded in some soft deep draw metal from a gas heater . i got rid of the double skin so the water and mud just fall of .
Anthony Posted February 23, 2011 Author Posted February 23, 2011 With regards to the 'finish' you are able to achieve on them - I can tell you there will be no difference between the twoAs long as everything is prep'd correctly they'll both look the same when sprayedThe thing I was most interested in was shape/pressing, fitment, longevity, etc......I've got the fibreglass ones smoothed down nicely now, so this weekend I'll be drilling the holes in the correct place and hopefully taking care of their previous fitment issues
Pete TR7 Posted February 23, 2011 Posted February 23, 2011 When I got my Spitfire 10 years ago it came with California imported metal valances, they have lasted very well. They needed regular cleaning and repainting but are now at the end of life. I have inherited a pair of Glass Fibre ones which I will use, the mounting will need to be modified as stated in earlier threads, but they are easier to modify for the fog lamps I have.Both metal and GF look good, it is really a question of originality. GF wont rot though.Pete
Anthony Posted February 23, 2011 Author Posted February 23, 2011 It's funny, when I bought my car I couldn't have cared less about originalityI've actually got some pretty big wheels arches fitted to it right now where I planned to fit 9" tear wheelsAs time has gone on, I've decided I'll rebuild the car to an original-ish specIf something really needs changing I'll change it (eg: electronic ignition)But if not then I'll keep it standardI think since I've already got the FG pieces I'll use them, and if I want to go back to steel at a later date it's just a case of undoing a few bolts
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