Fiberglass Fenders from Sled City

[glassman]

The thinner the fiberglass is the flimsier it is and more prone to stress cracks and breakage. Over half my fenders go to guys that don"t have any fenders at all or they are damaged or rusted beyond repair. I have made the 68 Cuda fenders at 5 pounds in weight and they have been on my car for 16 years, but they are pampered.

 

[33 IMP]

No way a 62 hood is 75lbs.
Doug[/QUOTE]
You are probably,right Doug, but i did say "if i remember right". It was probably three years ago that i weighed it, and i didn't write it down.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

The weight number I put up were the actual weight of the parts, not the weight savings (except the front fenders)

You have remember these cars are long so anything weight off the very front of the car is huge.

I have lexan side glass and the doors are completely gutted.

Next step for me is to look at replacing the windshield with new glass. I think new aftermarket glass is lighter then old factory glass. Anyone know what an original windshield weighs?

As FMJ said said, its about where you can move it to.

I'll look at my records and get back with a windshield weight for a 64-'65. I have had an AFX bubble shield for the last 10 or so years and it removed a good number of whale weight off the high and very front of the car. The '62's should be slightly lighter being that they have less side to side mass compared to the 64-65's.

 

[malex]

No way a 62 hood is 75lbs.
Doug

You are probably,right Doug, but i did say "if i remember right". It was probably three years ago that i weighed it, and i didn't write it down.[/QUOTE]
---
I'm sure Doug's figures are accurate. I recall my steel hood and hinges were 68 lbs, can't remember if that's with the hemi scoop, now I need to check again. When I first received the fibreglass hood for the 64 and weighed it, it was 11lbs....

 

[fullmetaljacket]

You are probably,right Doug, but i did say "if i remember right". It was probably three years ago that i weighed it, and i didn't write it down.

---
I'm sure Doug's figures are accurate. I recall my steel hood and hinges were 68 lbs, can't remember if that's with the hemi scoop, now I need to check again. When I first received the fibreglass hood for the 64 and weighed it, it was 11lbs....[/QUOTE]
From what I quickly read in my records concerning my '65, the hood weighed 79 Lbs complete with the Hemi hood scoop and all. No hinges attached.
My handmade aluminum hood came in at a poultry 33Lbs with handmade aluminum Hemi scoop.

My stock glass '65 windshield weighed exactly 30Lbs without the registration and inspection stickers. LOL. I acquired an AFX bubble style Lexan windshield from Kramers that weighed 11-1/4 Lbs. My back light weighed 22 Lbs.
I would think that the lightweight market for '62's is scarce to say the least, but it would still be cool if someone made treated molded Lexan windshields for them. I would safely say that a '62 windshield is in the neighborhood of 27-28 Lbs.

 

[malex]

---
I'm sure Doug's figures are accurate. I recall my steel hood and hinges were 68 lbs, can't remember if that's with the hemi scoop, now I need to check again. When I first received the fibreglass hood for the 64 and weighed it, it was 11lbs....

From what I quickly read in my records concerning my '65, the hood weighed 79 Lbs complete with the Hemi hood scoop and all. No hinges attached.
My handmade aluminum hood came in at a poultry 33Lbs with handmade aluminum Hemi scoop.

My stock glass '65 windshield weighed exactly 30Lbs without the registration and inspection stickers. LOL. I acquired an AFX bubble style Lexan windshield from Kramers that weighed 11-1/4 Lbs. My back light weighed 22 Lbs.
I would think that the lightweight market for '62's is scarce to say the least, but it would still be cool if someone made treated molded Lexan windshields for them. I would safely say that a '62 windshield is in the neighborhood of 27-28 Lbs.[/QUOTE]
---
When the Belvedere comes home in April I'll be pulling that hood off and it's going on the scale.
The fibreglass hood hangs on the wall and now it weighs 33 lbs. After first raceday last spring I pulled the glass hood off, the steel hood with hemi scoop went on, car went back into the 10's.

 

[Frank Mopar]

Well the glass fenders are on and painted. Like fitting any front fender, a pain in the *** but with the added part of drilling all the holes it was put them on, take them off, put them on take them off etc.

Hardly any prep to paint. And I know these fenders must be a bitch to make

Well done Sled City

 

[fullmetaljacket]

View attachment 927917 View attachment 927918 Well the glass fenders are on and painted. Like fitting any front fender, a pain in the *** but with the added part of drilling all the holes it was put them on, take them off, put them on take them off etc.

Hardly any prep to paint. And I know these fenders must be a bitch to make

Well done Sled City

FM.

Those fenders look great. You must be excited to finally hang them in their respective coves.
Now you gotta paint the rest of the car. LOL.
Once I hung my newly black painted Alcoa doors on my car, the rest of the car looked old.

If there's ever been a better time to tweak and peak into your cars, now's the time with all the lockdowns. That way all the work gets done, you keep your sanity and your marriage (LOL) and the tracks or streets will be heavy in attendance come opening day sometime in the future.

 

[glassman]

View attachment 927917 View attachment 927918 Well the glass fenders are on and painted. Like fitting any front fender, a pain in the *** but with the added part of drilling all the holes it was put them on, take them off, put them on take them off etc.

Hardly any prep to paint. And I know these fenders must be a bitch to make

Well done Sled City

Thanks Frank Mopar for the compliment. They are indeed the hardest fenders to make. The area around the headlight is one total beech to lay up.

 

[Frank Mopar]

FM.

Those fenders look great. You must be excited to finally hang them in their respective coves.
Now you gotta paint the rest of the car. LOL.
Once I hung my newly black painted Alcoa doors on my car, the rest of the car looked old.

If there's ever been a better time to tweak and peak into your cars, now's the time with all the lockdowns. That way all the work gets done, you keep your sanity and your marriage (LOL) and the tracks or streets will be heavy in attendance come opening day sometime in the future.

The car is nice and shiny but its covered with dust.

I paid a guy to paint the fenders after I fit them before I put them on. He painted them twice. After I put them they looked like ****. I ended up painting them myself a third time.

The color is off a tad but that what the paint store came up with. I even left my old fender there so they could match it. Hard to get good help I guess.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

The car is nice and shiny but its covered with dust.

I paid a guy to paint the fenders after I fit them before I put them on. He painted them twice. After I put them they looked like ****. I ended up painting them myself a third time.

The color is off a tad but that what the paint store came up with. I even left my old fender there so they could match it. Hard to get good help I guess.

It looks to me that the old paint is a tad darker/cooler in temperature.
If you have the time, $$ and patience, you could paint the hood, front valance, bumper etc and start to fade the paint off at the doors that way it gives an illusion that the front end is hot red and it cools off to the darker by the start of the quarters and beyond.
In either case, they and the car look great anyway. My thin gauge fenders have been left in factory gray primer and I plan on leaving them like that for the foreseeable future.

 

[gooser]

fmj the last time I read about your car it was 2990 wt did it get any lighter I love the exhaust system how much did the guy charge you for the muffers?

 

[fullmetaljacket]

fmj the last time I read about your car it was 2990 wt did it get any lighter I love the exhaust system how much did the guy charge you for the muffers?

Gooser.
Yes, it's still at 2990 Lbs being that I have not been able to really get at it like I'd like to, especially under the current conditions and world climate.
When I trigger the weight loss program again, I'm predicting another true 30 Lbs loss with some last tricks.
An aluminum block would cut another 70 lbs, but I'm not going that route. Iron makes power on the street.
The aluminum mufflers were made by Unobtanium Welding in Canada and fashioned after the DynoMax ultra-Flo designs. They were around $500 or so for the pair. Very light at about 4 Lbs each if I remember correctly. I don't have my notes in front of me. The rest of the pipe system I made on my own and only cost me the material of the aluminum tubes.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

The car is nice and shiny but its covered with dust.

I paid a guy to paint the fenders after I fit them before I put them on. He painted them twice. After I put them they looked like ****. I ended up painting them myself a third time.

The color is off a tad but that what the paint store came up with. I even left my old fender there so they could match it. Hard to get good help I guess.

So Frank, with the hood, fenders and bumpers made out of glass, I gather you have shaved a good amount of lard off that Dodge. It's always a good feeling to know that your combo works easier with less weight lugging around.

 

[Frank Mopar]

So Frank, with the hood, fenders and bumpers made out of glass, I gather you have shaved a good amount of lard off that Dodge. It's always a good feeling to know that your combo works easier with less weight lugging around.

The fenders plus eliminating all the metal to support the headlights, front tips of the frame cut off, roll pan gone so I should be right at 2950. The huge difference is all that weight is the very front of the car.

i get it about the paint. I have to tell you painting those fenders has been a nightmare. If the race season is delayed, I will be painting the whole front end.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

The fenders plus eliminating all the metal to support the headlights, front tips of the frame cut off, roll pan gone so I should be right at 2950. The huge difference is all that weight is the very front of the car.

i get it about the paint. I have to tell you painting those fenders has been a nightmare. If the race season is delayed, I will be painting the whole front end.

FM.

From what I am seeing, the original paint is a little darker.
What I would do (I'm an artist) is fade the new front end (lighter) paint tone into the old (darker) paint tone. In other words, feather the new front end paint into the doors at their midpoint and leave it from there. You may still have to do some wet sanding at the doors to get some tooth for the new lighter paint feathering across. It would look like the car is red hot at the front end and cooling off as the eye turns toward the rear end of the car, especially while in motion.

 

[gooser]

fmj I think I read that article about your car 4 times it but a fire under my *** thank you I got my 68 runner down to 3250 I still have all glass full int heater defroster wipers but no alunium heads yet

 

[fullmetaljacket]

fmj I think I read that article about your car 4 times it but a fire under my *** thank you I got my 68 runner down to 3250 I still have all glass full int heater defroster wipers but no alunium heads yet

Your most welcome.
Knowing that the '68 Roadrunners are the lightest of their kind, that's still a good number that you have arrived at. 3250 is fantastic for that B-body year.
Aluminum heads should shave you down to 3210 Lbs or so.

 

[Frank Mopar]

FM.

From what I am seeing, the original paint is a little darker.
What I would do (I'm a artist) is fade the new front end (lighter) paint tone into the old (darker) paint tone. In other words, feather the new front end paint into the doors at their midpoint and leave it from there. You may still have to do some wet sanding at the doors to get some tooth for the new lighter paint feathering across. It would look like the car is red hot at the front end and cooling off as the eye turns toward the rear end of the car, especially while in motion.

Correct you are with that keen eye.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Correct you are with that keen eye.

FM.

Have you ever weighed that Dodge Dart?
My friends true factory '62 Plymouth Max Wedge came in at a lean 3395 bone stock. It has no radio and a full interior. 3 speed stick. Max Wedge exhaust all the way to the rear bumper. All metal and the hood has the factory under belly cut outs of course.
I weighed it myself on my digital scales.
By the way while we're talking on '62's, anyone heard from the Shinola lately? Not to take from your post Frank, but that full metal '62 Dodge is nasty all around.

Correct you are with that keen eye.