72 TA : New Project

[KevinW]

Steve the progress is moving along! looking good. Jeff, that was your Z on the rotis next to Steve's? I thought that gold looked familier.

[njsteve]

If it is, you owe me commission for photographing it so much.

[Jeff H]

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Steve the progress is moving along! looking good. Jeff, that was your Z on the rotis next to Steve's? I thought that gold looked familier.

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No, I think that is the other JL8 I had owned and sold when I ran out of funds.

[njsteve]

I spent the past couple of days working on fitting the front polyethylene valance to the car. These things were a crappy design back in 1972 and 99% of them were replaced under warranty with a different looking steel valance when new.

I wouldn't call it planned obsolesence, more like catastrophic, instantaneous obsolesence.

I spent the weekend massaging the valance and inhaling polyethylene fumes.

(Here is the original link to when I repaired the valance with the plastic welder: https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/show.../fpart/12/vc/1 )

With the plastic welder and polyethylene welding rods, I added 3/8" to the drivers side turn signal area at the top and it fits flush now to the bottom of the urethane bumper. There was a 3/8" gap before.





I also made a solid 1" thick mounting pad on top of both driver's side top mounting pounts so that when the screw is tightened the tall pad locks into the recessed area under the rubber nose piece at the exact moment when the valance edge mates with the lower part of the bumper curve. The stupid factory design of this setup has the mounting pads for the ends of the valance too short to reach their mating point under the bumper. The result is that you tighten the bolts to get it to mate with the bumper, the mount itself breaks off and then it touches down but the valance edge never moves up. Dumb design.

I am also using a portion of 1/8 steel barstock to add as a load distributor for the outer 2 mounting bolts so the bolts aren't just pulling against plastic - kind of like the small block chevy valve cover bolt load spreaders. It will be hidden inside the upper valance area.

I also had to heat the outer edges of the valance to get them to more closely conform to the lower fender edge. There was a 1/2" gap before, where the valance ended but the fender kept going. Another great design feature of this valance, it was an inch narrower than the area it had to cover.






I also added 1/8" to 1/4" of material to the outer edges and filed and sanded until they mate perfectly with the lower fender edge, with no gap.

I also had to add about 1/2" on the lower edge of the valance at each bolt hole, which didnt line up with the existing bolt holes in the lower radiator support. That is one of the reasons these things shattered to begin with - instead of simply making the hole longer and/or wider, the assembly line guys would just try to stretch the heck out of the hard plastic and stress it to such a level that one good pothole and the whole valance would explode. I welded closed, the original bolts holes in the valance and made new ones that mount up perfectly without stretching or stressing the valance. I also bent the lower radiator support edges where the speed nuts mount, so they align with the valance without bending it.







I probably spent about 24 hours total doing all this. Just so she has the pretty, little face she was originaly built with, instead of that gaptoothed, slack jawed, look of the warranty replacement valance. (No offense to you guys with a 70, 71 or 73 Firebird out there that came with the "other valance" originally )

[Norwood]

Here is my gaptoothed, slack jawed, valance on my 70

[njsteve]

LOL! Just tryin' to get a rise out you closet Poncho fanatics out there!

[Norwood]

Just showing these Chevy guy's the dif.

[njsteve]

BTW, your car looks great. I love that Lucerne Blue. I even painted my Grandmother's Firebird that color...

[markinnaples]

Norwood, your TA is smoking.

[x Baldwin Motion]

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Here is my gaptoothed, slack jawed, valance on my 70





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Damn I almost fell off my chair !! I thought that was your's Steve !! You are getting sooo close !! Keep up the great work and the excellent detailed coverage!!



oh, Craig - nice F-bird