Strosek progress (pics)
07-22-2006, 07:05 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Strosek progress (pics)
Hi Guys,
A few guys have asked me for pics of my Strosek parts install. It's taking longer than I had planned since my son & I have both been working a lot of hours. First we had to modify the 86 rockers to accept the S4 sill brackets. (thanks to Rixter for the pics) Strosek says to attach the rockers with glue & tape but I wanted them to be more securely attached & removable. I didn't want them to be rubbing & flexing against the paint so we had to come up with a fix. We attached studs to the inside of the panels with GM Corvette epoxy & will edge them with pieces of the rubber strips like the ones around the rear bumper cover. The studs go through the quarter panel & fender lower edges & have nyloc nuts on the inside. We had to trim the lower edges of the front fenders to match the front clip (ala S4 fenders). We also welded in the side moulding holes on the fenders & doors since I'm deleting the side trim. I also had to modify the rear body panel to accept the rear GTS bumper cover. The tailight pocket picture is for you, Jim Bailey! Thanks for your help. That isn't bondo on the rear panel. I cut out the angles, fabbed up a plate & my son welded it in & hammered the metal contours flat. I'm the fabbber, he's the body man. You can probably see the welded seams. So here ya go Hans, Michael & Bill.
Hammer
A few guys have asked me for pics of my Strosek parts install. It's taking longer than I had planned since my son & I have both been working a lot of hours. First we had to modify the 86 rockers to accept the S4 sill brackets. (thanks to Rixter for the pics) Strosek says to attach the rockers with glue & tape but I wanted them to be more securely attached & removable. I didn't want them to be rubbing & flexing against the paint so we had to come up with a fix. We attached studs to the inside of the panels with GM Corvette epoxy & will edge them with pieces of the rubber strips like the ones around the rear bumper cover. The studs go through the quarter panel & fender lower edges & have nyloc nuts on the inside. We had to trim the lower edges of the front fenders to match the front clip (ala S4 fenders). We also welded in the side moulding holes on the fenders & doors since I'm deleting the side trim. I also had to modify the rear body panel to accept the rear GTS bumper cover. The tailight pocket picture is for you, Jim Bailey! Thanks for your help. That isn't bondo on the rear panel. I cut out the angles, fabbed up a plate & my son welded it in & hammered the metal contours flat. I'm the fabbber, he's the body man. You can probably see the welded seams. So here ya go Hans, Michael & Bill.
Hammer
Last edited by 6.0-928S; 07-22-2006 at 10:20 PM.
07-23-2006, 12:48 AM
#3
Drifting
Very nice work, and great idea with the studs. I just got through with a bunch of hammer/dolly work myself, as well as modifying my '86 fenders to accept an S4 bumper (I'm planning on updating my track car thread tonight). It's really cool that you and your son work on it together; my dad isn't too interested in working, he just likes to see the results.
07-23-2006, 04:00 AM
#5
Rennlist Member
Hammer wrote:
Hey Hammer,
I've got a set of Louie Otts rear flares and have been trying to find a way to apply them just as you stated above.
Would you be willing to share part #'s for the bondable studs and epoxy? Did you get them at a GM Dealer or a vette shop?
I didn't want them to be rubbing & flexing against the paint so we had to come up with a fix. We attached studs to the inside of the panels with GM Corvette epoxy & will edge them with pieces of the rubber strips like the ones around the rear bumper cover.
I've got a set of Louie Otts rear flares and have been trying to find a way to apply them just as you stated above.
Would you be willing to share part #'s for the bondable studs and epoxy? Did you get them at a GM Dealer or a vette shop?
07-23-2006, 12:53 PM
#6
Drifting
Adam,
You can buy some duramix, SEM, or 3M bonding adhesive. I just bought some SEM two-part adhesive because the application gun was the least expensive. Check out this ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/AutoPainterSupply They have decent prices, but more importantly, they had everything I needed in one order. (no affiliation)
You can buy some duramix, SEM, or 3M bonding adhesive. I just bought some SEM two-part adhesive because the application gun was the least expensive. Check out this ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/AutoPainterSupply They have decent prices, but more importantly, they had everything I needed in one order. (no affiliation)
07-23-2006, 01:25 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Adam,
I made the stud plates from steel sheet & airframe bolts & welded them together. I'll get you the number for the epoxy.
(I forgot one pic of the bumper side mount.)
Hammer
I made the stud plates from steel sheet & airframe bolts & welded them together. I'll get you the number for the epoxy.
(I forgot one pic of the bumper side mount.)
Hammer
Last edited by 6.0-928S; 07-23-2006 at 10:29 PM.
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07-24-2006, 12:35 PM
#8
Rennlist Member
I see now Hammer, in my excitement in reading your post, I thought the stud plates were a GM part. Still, I thiink I'm going to pursue the same application, it's a brilliiant idea.
And just to clarify, are you using just the bolts to hold the panels together, or are you going to expoxy the mating surfaces as well? I'm looking to just leave the flares as a bolt on.
And just to clarify, are you using just the bolts to hold the panels together, or are you going to expoxy the mating surfaces as well? I'm looking to just leave the flares as a bolt on.
07-24-2006, 12:43 PM
#9
Rennlist Member
Hammer,
Are those the 86.5 front fenders? How did you measure the cut off point for the front portion of the fender? I'm mounting some Euro fenders off of an '84 onto my S4 and will need to make the same cut. Happen to have a template by chance? (Assuming the strosek front is the same as an S4?)
Are those the 86.5 front fenders? How did you measure the cut off point for the front portion of the fender? I'm mounting some Euro fenders off of an '84 onto my S4 and will need to make the same cut. Happen to have a template by chance? (Assuming the strosek front is the same as an S4?)
07-24-2006, 07:53 PM
#10
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Adam,
The epoxy was Duramax 4186. Duramax was bought out by 3M so anyplace that sells 3M should carry it. It's a twin tube deal that's made for gun application but we just squeeze out some from each tube & mix it by hand because once you use the mixing tip it'll dry up both tubes over time if you don't use it all up.
The fender cutting was touchy. There's no template & I don't know if an S4 bumper has the same measurements. Here's what we did.
Run a stringline along the topline of the rocker panel to the rear edge of the FRONT wheel house edge. Then measure the distance on the bumper from the crease at the fender corner. This is really hard to explain in writing. Look at the closeup of the bumper/fender junction in my pics. See the bends along the seam? If you measure the bumper along the crease using one of the bends as a starting point you just transfer it to the fender & that gives you the spot to mark the front edge of the lower fender area to cut. Draw a straight line back & you have the location of the bend. We left an inch to roll under & bolt to the bumper edge (you can see the meeting area in the last pic I added in yesterday) You have to slot the bent edges of the fender & reweld them together because the lower fender has a compund angle to it. You can see the rewelded slots in the fender pic.
Does that make sense to you?
Hammer
The epoxy was Duramax 4186. Duramax was bought out by 3M so anyplace that sells 3M should carry it. It's a twin tube deal that's made for gun application but we just squeeze out some from each tube & mix it by hand because once you use the mixing tip it'll dry up both tubes over time if you don't use it all up.
The fender cutting was touchy. There's no template & I don't know if an S4 bumper has the same measurements. Here's what we did.
Run a stringline along the topline of the rocker panel to the rear edge of the FRONT wheel house edge. Then measure the distance on the bumper from the crease at the fender corner. This is really hard to explain in writing. Look at the closeup of the bumper/fender junction in my pics. See the bends along the seam? If you measure the bumper along the crease using one of the bends as a starting point you just transfer it to the fender & that gives you the spot to mark the front edge of the lower fender area to cut. Draw a straight line back & you have the location of the bend. We left an inch to roll under & bolt to the bumper edge (you can see the meeting area in the last pic I added in yesterday) You have to slot the bent edges of the fender & reweld them together because the lower fender has a compund angle to it. You can see the rewelded slots in the fender pic.
Does that make sense to you?
Hammer
07-25-2006, 01:31 PM
#11
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
To answer Adam's question,
The reason we used seperate plates was that with a single strip the flex would affect the whole strip which would put the stress on the adhesive. We wanted the flex to be absorbed by the fiberglass. A single steel strip would be less flexible. We didn't see the need to bond anything to the car, just another thing to worry about in my opinion.
Hammer
The reason we used seperate plates was that with a single strip the flex would affect the whole strip which would put the stress on the adhesive. We wanted the flex to be absorbed by the fiberglass. A single steel strip would be less flexible. We didn't see the need to bond anything to the car, just another thing to worry about in my opinion.
Hammer
