Factory Five Daytona Coupe Build

Door Striker Mount HSRF

Ron Schofield — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:23:01 +0000

I sanded and applies some more HSRF to the new fiberglass area and to shape the door striker mounting areas.

Rage Started / HSRF Work

Ron Schofield — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 23:18:59 +0000

On the way out to the car, I got a phone call from my Father. He planned to come and start straightening the body with Rage Gold body filler. This was good news. So he worked on that, while I work on finishing the fiberglass work that I had done in the last two days.

The first thing that I did was to remove the aluminum molds that I used to form the inside fiberglass. I was plea sed with the result. I cut off the excess fiberglass and then sanded the seams.

My father worked on the toughest section of the body. That was where I did the most modifications with the new fender, fuel door recess and rear spoiler. He worked hard and finished most of the passenger side.

While my father was working on the filler, I worked on bonding the door sill recesses into the body using HSRF. I also worked on cleaning the seams for the inside fiberglass and finishing the door striker mount areas.

Inside Fiberglassed

Ron Schofield — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:49:44 +0000

Before I could do the fiberglass work on the inside, I had to make a change to the body dolly. I had to cut the rear corners where the fiberglass had to wrap around the bottom edge.

After grinding and preparing the fiberglass in the door mounting areas, I spent the afternoon and some of the evening putting the fiberglass in place.

Dirvers Side Inside Fiberglass

Ron Schofield — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 02:44:23 +0000

I made the form for the drivers side inside fiberglass out of aluminum.

Before I do the fiberglass work, I wanted to see that these new designs would solve the problem of seat clearance. The only way to do this was to install the seats. The result was that I have the clearance that I need.

I think that I will use the extra space behind the seats for storage. I will build something out of aluminum.

Pass. Side Door Striker Mount and Inside Fiberglass

Ron Schofield — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:55:29 +0000

I ground and sanded the fiberglass that I had laid up the night before. I will do the final sanding when I have the fiberglass laid up on the back side.

Before I can lay up anymore fiberglass on the door striker area, I need to make a mold for the inside of the passenger compartment around the shoulder area of the seat. This was due to the fact that the seat I am installing have a “wing” around the shoulder area. The original fiberglass bulged out and would have interfered. The new fiberglass will flare out and give more clearance. After a few thoughts of how to lay up this fiberglass, I settled on using some aluminum. I made a cardboard template, traced it on the aluminum and then cut and bent it into shape.

Door Striker Mount Fiberglass

Ron Schofield — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:50:38 +0000

I finally got to the point where I am replacing the fiberglass that I cut out for the door strikers area. I used some cardboard and wrapped it in plastic as my guide. The thickness of the cardboard will give me the clearance that I need as I plan to build you the fiberglass from the backside.

Door Sill Recesses / Door Hardware

Ron Schofield — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 23:39:06 +0000

I worked on the final fitting of the door sill recesses in the body. I used the final door sill plates with the plastic inlay to get the positions of the recesses.

I then used a reciprocating saw to cut the door skin of the drivers side door. I had previously removed the door skin from the passengers side. This will allow me to work on the frame and positioning of the Ford Contour door handle/latch mechanism.

I cut the body to make a better mounting surface. The original body was curved and the mounting plate didn’t sit flat against it. I cut the fiberglass so it will be a flat area once I put on some new fiberglass. I then welded in the pieces of steel that I had got cut, I tack welded them in place.

I then worked on positioning the door handle mechanism. I needed to find a good balance between functionality and looks.

With everything in it’s place, it is now time to rework the door frame.

Passenger Side Floor Aluminum / Aluminum

Ron Schofield — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:45:16 +0000

I worked on cleaning and final fitting the cockpit aluminum. This involved smoothing any rough edged and trimming any spots that had interference. I also took some acetone and cleaned off any markings.

I also finished bending and fitting the aluminum for the passenger side floor.

Rear Wire Harness / Firewall Alum.

Ron Schofield — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:42:28 +0000

I started off by finishing the rear wire harness where it goes into the passenger compartment. I used the 1987-1993 Mustang grommet that is used to feed the wires to the transmission. This work great in changing the direction of the wires from the rear to the passenger compartment.

I then worked on cleaning up and finishing the detailing of the aluminum panels. I started at rear and worked forward.

I then laid out, cut and bent the piece that will fill the opening in the firewall. I may have to do some final adjustments when I install the heater, but this gives me a starting point.

Rollbar Adjustments / Rear Wiring Grommet

Ron Schofield — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 02:36:36 +0000

I used a come a long to bend the drivers side front roll bar down so it will not interfere with the body. It took me a while as I would only bend it a little at a time to get to the correct height.

I worked on fitting the piece that I had made for the grommet that would bring the rear wiring harness into the body.