Trimming my Le Mans Hardtop.

[KevinW]

Great to meet you on Saturday Glenn.

And in case you hadn't seen this.....yours I think? ....
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=633499858798101&set=pcb.633503305464423

[KevinW]

Update on my progress:   I've found the acrylic sheet to be too rigid for this job,  Although it can be heated and formed,  I'm not happy with it.  I'm going to try using expanded aluminium mesh,  with the possibility of stiffening it after forming with resin and/or matting, if needed but I don't think it will.  I only need to do some mild shaping to get it sitting right so this might just do the job...

Have you thought about bendy ply? My problem is that what I have seen may not be long enough.
The other option would be 1mm ali sheet, again, re-enforced with some grp if its too bendy.

I've made no further progress on my interior, having been focussed on trying to get the fixings sorted in case its needed for the Malvern trip, but at the moment I am thinking of driving 'al-fresco' anyway. Like all things kit car, its been a bit more complicated than I first thought.

[Bannon]

Update on my progress:   I've found the acrylic sheet to be too rigid for this job,  Although it can be heated and formed,  I'm not happy with it.  I'm going to try using expanded aluminium mesh,  with the possibility of stiffening it after forming with resin and/or matting, if needed but I don't think it will.  I only need to do some mild shaping to get it sitting right so this might just do the job...

[Bannon]

Excellent. Curious to se ehow this is going to work.
Are you going to Stoneleigh, oops , I mean Malvern?
I am planning to be heading out from Brookwood, near Woking on the Saturday morning.

Yeah, I'm going, but I need to refit my rear window first as it came loose. Doing it today.  Saturday morning departure is the plan, with the family in the 'support car'.  Convoy maybe?

[KevinW]

Excellent. Curious to se ehow this is going to work.
Are you going to Stoneleigh, oops , I mean Malvern?
I am planning to be heading out from Brookwood, near Woking on the Saturday morning.

[Bannon]

A bit of progress ahead of the National Kitcar Show at Three Counties Showground.  I've now cut the acrylic panels, and to get them fitting really nicely, they need to be sat in their final positions, obviously.  So - today I glassed in the mounting points for the stand-offs.  Once I've cut the stand-offs to the correct length I'll mount the panels, fine-tune them to fit - and then start the whole process again for the next two panels which will fit above the doors.

[KevinW]

Thanks. I've watched probably more Youtube videos on this issue than my wife would like - she's sick of it.
But.... what I have learnt is that the 'sections' are the only way to handle a compound curve unless you make a splash of the external surface in grp, trim it, and then have a talented trimmer to hand.

I will need to add a flexible channel of some sort around the door aperture edge so that those 3 roof sections sit in the right position . This will be hidden by the side panel that will have a slight curve on it above the door line. Have also learnt it is difficult to get the correct curvature so that the 3 sections line up nicely along the long edges unless each panel is exactly the right width/length across the body. I have more work to do refining those templates to make them sit right.

Looking forward to your next installment.

[Bannon]

That looks really good.  I like the idea of using three sections across the roof - solves the problem of trimming the compound curve.   I haven't progressed at all in the past few weeks - must get back to it...

[KevinW]

You've got some templates to make...crack on!   

Done,
Not as tidy as yours, but here's my templates.

[Bannon]

Where did you get the acrylic sheet from? A quick Google and I'm looking at £85 per square metre.

. I paid £48 for a square metre on eBay.  That was the best price I could find.

[KevinW]

Where did you get the acrylic sheet from? A quick Google and I'm looking at £85 per square metre.

[Bannon]

btw, Easter is in 2 weeks. Your student keenly awaits instruction!   

You've got some templates to make...crack on!   

[KevinW]

I am watching and learning from the Master!
I shall be copying this technique, albeit modified for a bubbletop, over Easter.

btw, Easter is in 2 weeks. Your student keenly awaits instruction!   

[KevinW]

I am watching and learning from the Master!
I shall be copying this technique, albeit modified for a bubbletop, over Easter.

[Bannon]

More progress - I've made the final template for the left side rear quarter.  It's accurate enough to be used to make the acrylic panel, which will need minor fettling once it's mounted properly on the standoffs.
  I think it's sensible to complete both rear quarter panels before moving on to the adjacent ones as they would make a good datum once in their final position to work from.  So - next job is to to the same again for the right hand rear quarter.






...and of course - I had to at least try the template on the right hand side, just for giggles.  I mean, as if it was ever gonna be even vaguely symmetrical!!...



I can use the patchwork template as a starting point for the right-hand side which is better than starting from scratch anyway.
   Quite a few hours went into making these patterns...



More soon hopefully.