Well I decided a Daytona Coupe "emulation" wasn't right without a flip front so I took the plunge and decided to build one. The first obstacle was finding or making the right hinges. Late one evening I found some pillow block bearings I had left over from a home-made lathe I was building (that's another half-done project!). To my luck the bolt spacing for them matched perfectly with the original front bumper supports. A vision came to mind. The next day I purchased a length of 5/8" steel rod and bolted the bearings on to the car. The next step was to figure out some hinges that would be strong and rigid enough to support the entire front without flexing or breaking.
I recall someone once telling me that the hardest steel in a car is the brake pedal. My father happens to have two old Chevy Impalas on his farm so I made a quick trip out to investigate. Luck was with me again as the pedals ride on a 5/8" shaft.
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The pedals were mounted backwards and upside down on the shaft and holes drilled in the plates where the rubber pads were. They were then bolted to the header panel. To prevent the front from completely flipping forward (and smashing my hood on the road!) I used two throttle cables to hold the front at a nice angle. |
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In this photo you can see the "pedal" hinges and throttle cable supports. You can also see the completed fan shroud, polished upper rad tubing as well as my home-made export brace. |
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A quick trial fitting of the hood, the red box on the floor is from the Koni shocks I installed that day.
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To properly clear the tires, the fenders of a flip front car have to be modified. In this picture you can see how I have cut off about 12" from the rear of the fender. (compare to previous photo) These rear sections will be attached separately to the body and will also serve as the mounting point for some latches. I am also considering installing some vents in them |
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The next step towards completing a flip front was to get another fiberglass fender. As I was unable to locate another "bargain" for the driver's side, I made one myself using the original steel as a mold.
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The first step was to pull it off the car and remove any dents as well as sand smooth any surface imperfections. Since the side markers won't be used, I used packing tape to cover over the opening. Next I coated the entire inside with mold release (I use paste wax) to help free the new fender from its mold. A heavy coat of resin was brushed on and then the first layer of mat was applied.
In this photo my youngest son tries out my new toy (air compressor) to blow off any dust before I laid the second layer of mat.
Because a fender has fairly complex curves, I only applied two layers of mat so that it would still be flexible enough to remove. Despite this, I had failed to use enough release agent in one spot and it took about an hour of struggling with (and ultimately destroying the original fender) to remove my new fiberglass one. Fortunately it looks great and I can discard the original. |
The next step in the process was to bond all these pieces together to form a one-piece flip front. After they were all bonded together, I injected any voids between the pieces with urethane foam to further strengthen it.
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Here's a shot of the new front portion. The red "freckles" is spot putty used to fill any scratches or small pits in the surface |
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Another view:
Here you can see a small spoiler at the front of the rad opening (like some of the originals had). My daughter's '77 is in the driveway waiting for some much needed attention. |
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Here's a view of the front "flipped". I find the engine is so much easier to work on now, can't see why more cars aren't equipped with this type of front. |
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