I don’t know if this will score any points for me, but hey, the 3rd chapter is up within weeks of the 2nd one. You know? The second one that took nearly a year to submit? I hope this helps those who may have been losing interest. Nonetheless, lets proceed with:

Now is the time of truth; making a body. The mold looks pretty good, and so far I've received some nice compliments from a few who have seen it, as well as knowing a thing or two about this type of job. Laying up the body will follow much of the same processes that were used in making the mold. Some of the differences will be the number of layers used, gel coat thickness, and the glass material used.

I was hoping to be in position to make the first body around late May of 04, but with some business trips that entered in my work schedule, along with some other domestic obligations, the project received a few delays. I really wanted to get the first one done to display at Bowling Green, however, that wasn't meant to be.

Getting back to making the body, I finally rounded up the help I would need, unfortunately this will take place during the middle of July. Remember when I said it is warm down here? If you have ever spent the months of July and August down here, you will know what it is like for us. By now the climate here rivals the surface of the sun with 200% humidity. With my little 2 car garage to work in, this project is going to be the most fun you could ever ask for. (picture 4 guys throwing empty beer cans at me)

I spent a considerable amount of time pouring over details leading up to the day of the first lay up. There were so many unknowns and I had to play out the job in my head and think of any kind of situation that would pop up, and be ready to deal with it. Do we have all the material we need, is it in order, will I have enough help, etc.

A couple of nights earlier, Steve Gruenwald came over and helped me tear sections of the 1.5 oz mat that would be used. We do this and fray the edges so each section will have a uniform transition, as opposed to a sharp edge that will allow a void. This is very critical with the first layer of glass. Sections of 10 oz cloth were pre cut which will be used along with the mat material. I also took stock of other tools and material that would be needed; resin, rollers, brushes, acetone, etc.

Saturday morning the crew showed up. We had about 6 guys on hand to help, and decided to establish certain duties. Bear in mind, none of us had any experience in doing such a job, so I had to be able to lead and direct everyone in a way that would work. First order of business is bolting the mold together. We did this outside on the driveway as this is where I would spray the gel coat; remember, we only have a two car garage, no way am I spraying this stuff inside.

The gel coat is nothing more than resin with a pigment. In this case I'm using black, since it helps you see any bubbles that are trapped under the glass, as well as highlighting any dry areas on the glass. Unlike making the mold, I now have to do a bunch of spraying at one time. Lining up a bunch of disposable cups for the gun, we filled them up to have ready. Since it was about 95 degrees out side (at 10 in the morning), I calculated that we'd used the minimum amount of resin, as I'll need all the pot life I could get. It probably took about 1 ½ hours to spray in the gel with sufficient coverage (man is it hot doing this too). After it was done we moved the mold back in the garage to get out of the sun (I mean it is really hot).

With a couple of guys mixing resin, and the rest with brushes and rollers, we started with the front and worked our way back. Like I said earlier, I tried to think of anything that could happen, or be an obstacle that we'd have to deal with. No matter though, you can't beat experience, and without it I discovered a couple of problems. First is the mat that we tore into sections were a bit too big to work with. With the mold up on the stand, it made it kind of difficult to work in the larger sections. With gravity working against us in some places, and chasing the bubbles getting trapped, it was kind of frantic. The other thing that was posing a bigger problem is the resin supply.

I figured that I had enough resin to do the job, what I didn't figure was the reduced pot life in each batch (did I say it was REALLY HOT during this time?). As a result, we lost quite a bit of resin before we could get it in the mold. When resin is collected in a container, the chemical reaction is accelerated. The reaction causes heat, and with a concentrated amount in a small location, this reaction goes nuts. And with it being so damned hot out, the reaction was in high gear. I soon realized we are going to run out of resin. There was only one thing to do, and that was run to my supply source and get another 15 gal.

Steve Gruenwald would step up and direct the process while I made the 25 min drive to pick up more resin. By the time I returned the guys had used up what we originally had, and were waiting for my return. During their wait, the rollers and brushes were junked since the resin cured on them. Fortunately we found enough extra rollers, and now had enough resin to continue. Man, this sucked though.

Making smaller batches of resin we continued on, working our way to the rear of the mold, then started up on the sides. When working on the sides, the first time we left the mold in the cradle, and that was a real hassle trying to work the material up and down; once again, gravity works against us. Later we just rolled the mold up on it’s side, and that made a world of difference. Ahh the many lessons being learned by this bunch.

We used two layers of mat material, and followed it with 3 layers of cloth. This might be just a bit thicker, and would add just a bit more weight, but I figured if I left it too thin, it wouldn’t be as strong in critical areas. If that were to be the case, repairs would be needed and soon you’d have added more weight in repairs. So, might as well make it durable now. Besides, anyone who uses one of these, they are not going to have 3 or 4 more as spares like the pros have.

That pretty much sums up the initial process. As I’m writing this, we have laid up two bodies with photos from both jobs. We learned a bunch from the first body and that helped when we made the second, as the job was less frantic, and a bit easier. Needless to say, we were one tired group.

A day later I came back and added foam reinforcement strips down the hood area, and on the trunk lid area. To give the chin spoiler some support without using the thick foam, I used a material that is only 1/8th inch thick. Coremat is the brand name, and when I laid it on, the stuff just soaked up the resin. A couple layers of mat over it did the trick. I also used the same material under the roof where it would outline the escape hatch. This will help the body hold up when the driver climbs out from the top, as the roof shouldn't flex too much and develop spider cracks.

I let the body sit in the mold for a week allowing it to cure all the way. Now it is time to remove it and see if we did the right thing. Just like when the mold was made, the anxiety was on overdrive. A ton of work has gone into this deal leading up to this moment. The process of removing the body from the mold isn’t any different than when the mold was removed from the plug. Starting at the front I just unbolted the flange, and with a little twist with the screw driver between the flange section, the mold just popped off with no trouble. WOW, IT LOOKS LIKE A FUNNY CAR BODY! (I couldn’t contain my excitement, so I celebrated with a few beers)

Continuing around I removed one section at a time, and the mold just released without any trouble at all. Talk about bitchen, it was really gratifying to see the result. As a kid I always wanted to know how these were made, and now I have a pretty good idea on how it is done. All that is left now is to trim the edges (side window, wheel wells, rocker panels), sand down the parting lines, and do some touch up with marine filler and a little black prime.

A friend of mine is building a 53 Vette pro mod, and when he picked up his body, well, let’s just say it didn’t have the finish work done to it that I was doing. I don’t know, but it just looks better to send a body out with the parting lines sanded down, filled, and primed. It will make it a bit easier when it comes time to paint the body, as you will not have to deal with the additional sanding. Besides, I wanted to see the body in a more finished stage.

As of this writing we have made a couple of bodies, and both have shipped out west. In the meantime I’ve begun assembling the parts to build the motor for my car, along with a spare short block, and a variety of spare parts that I’ve been able to collect from wheeling and dealing. We’ll also be making another body within a month which will be MINE! If we can fit it in the schedule we’ll do 2 bodies in a row, this way if I get another call from a buyer, I can have one ready to ship without disrupting the completion of my car.

Currently I’m working toward a Bowling Green 2005 debut. I can’t make any promises other than I’ll keep on working to get the car done and running. Of course I’d like to make a few shake down runs here in West Palm before taking it out of town, but time will only tell. We still have plenty of work to do with lots of minor fabrication on the chassis, and some various odds and ends. Even when this is done I’m still going to need to address the truck and trailer issue, as of now I do not have one. Like everything else, we’ll figure this out as we go along. Either way, I know it will be done and running before too long.

Over all I’m pleased with how this project is going. Making the body was the biggest project I’ve ever tackled. And let me tell you, there were plenty of people saying I am crazy to do this, I should have some one else do it who knows what they are doing, or just get some experienced help. Boy, am I glad I listened to them. I hope that my efforts are proof that determination with a bunch of ignorance will take you far in life.

There is way more to this story as time goes on, but for now I have to thank a number of people who have been an invaluable help in the making of the mold and body. Ron Pellegrini and Tim Gibson for the tips and advise with mold making and lay up techniques, Donnie Reeves as a commiserating counterpart, Steve Gruenwald, Adam Cranmer, Jesse Almas, Mark Wilson, Larry Grasso for the help in laying up the first couple of bodies, and most importantly my wife Anita, for the support, encouragement, and allowing me to make such a mess at home.

Since my digital camera is all dialed in, future updates should be more frequent. I plan on covering the engine build up in the next few months. Stay tuned! - Dale Smith