Removing the molding flange

[BDA]

Hi Chuck,
 
 It looks like you are using cloth. For what it's worth, it may/will print through. You may not notice right away but after it's painted it often shows. .

Nope. It WILL print through! Rather than using cloth, use veil (or gauze -  same thing just different names for it) on the exterior surfaces. Maybe even multiple layers. Cloth is harder to work with so I would suggest heavier mat everywhere else.

[Chuck Nukem]

Hi Chuck,
 
 It looks like you are using cloth. For what it's worth, it may/will print through. You may not notice right away but after it's painted it often shows. .

Nope. It WILL print through! Rather than using cloth, use veil (or gauze -  same thing just different names for it) on the exterior surfaces. Maybe even multiple layers. Cloth is harder to work with so I would suggest heavier mat everywhere else.

It is actually a combo of chopped strand mat with a veil cover on the top. I remember your story BDA about how you did cloth on your car and the grief it caused.

[BDA]

Interesting stuff, then! It really didn't cause me much grief but the guy who did it said he tried everything to get it not to print in the paint and couldn't. There are places on my car where you can see it if you look. It's not terrible but it would have been better not to have done it. A layer (or two or three) of veil would have been much better.

[Certified Lotus]

I circled the spots in red. I believe this is a vestigial part of the mfg process. To clarify by molding I am referring to the actual mold used to make the body. I believe this seam is where the bottom body mold was joined to the top. I am not talking about anything on the side of the car. I was curious if anyone has ground these smooth to reduce drag under the car. It is probably a negligible benefit, but if there was ever a time to do it....

JB I agree, for S2 painting it black is the way to go.

Sorry, totally misunderstood what you meant. Now I see. Unless your building a race car I’m not sure I would make the effort to sand these down to make flush. Plus, they are sacrificial in case you hit something low.

[gideon]

Chuck, maybe the flange acts as a sort of mini spoiler.  There might not be any aerodynamic advantage in removing it.  I don't have any actual evidence for or against that point of view but, on the other hand, neither does anybody else.  In any case, removing it is more work, so if you decide to leave it alone then you can direct your attention to the next job on the list.

[Chuck Nukem]

Chuck, maybe the flange acts as a sort of mini spoiler.  There might not be any aerodynamic advantage in removing it.  I don't have any actual evidence for or against that point of view but, on the other hand, neither does anybody else.  In any case, removing it is more work, so if you decide to leave it alone then you can direct your attention to the next job on the list.

The forum has talked sense in to me. If mine was all chipped up it might be a different story. I am going to leave it. I have enough stuff to do on this thing already!

[TCS4605R]

The molding flange at the front and rear of my car had a lot of 'voids' between the upper and lower sections, so I filled the void space with fiberglass matt and resin and sanded it smooth with a rounded contour.  You can see this in the attached photo.  I too thought of sanding it smooth, but it looked like you would loose some strength in the joint, so I tried to reinforce it instead.

Tom - 74 TCS

[Chuck Nukem]

Your underside looks amazing! What kind of paint did you use for it?

[TCS4605R]

I used a black 2-part epoxy primer then two coats of 2-part SEM Hot Rod HR014 - see attached photo of the SEM cans.

Tom
74TCS - 4605R

[TCS4605R]

Attached is another photo on the underside.

Tom

[Sandyman]

Tom, What a great job!! It looks damn near bullet (stone) proof. Thanks for the information on the products you used, it will come in handy when I start doing body work.
Sandy

[Certified Lotus]

Very nicely done. Looks great!

[dakazman]

Looks great Tom.
I haven’t touched the underside except to do some spider repairs. Anything to protect the glass from contaminates is a good thing. I’m definitely going to look into it.
Dakazman