GT flares Fiberglass vs. steel, advantage / disadvantage Options

[jt914-6]

The FG ones will star crack on you from rock hits.

There is a simple way to avoid that. It adds ounces to the weight and won't absorb water.

Care to share with us what that would be?

Andys

I'm thinking the great stuff expanding foam.....

[J P Stein]

The FG ones will star crack on you from rock hits.

There is a simple way to avoid that. It adds ounces to the weight and won't absorb water.

Care to share with us what that would be?

Andys

Insulating foam in a can...the stuff you shoot around pipes, doors, & whatnot in the home...messy, but effective. You want the stuff that dries hard. I have zero stars after 5-6 years of rocks from slicks.
The paint around the wheel opening is hurtin' tho, but so are the metal fronts.

[SirAndy]

Insulating foam in a can...the stuff you shoot around pipes, doors, & whatnot in the home...messy, but effective. You want the stuff that dries hard. I have zero stars after 5-6 years of rocks from slicks.

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[jhadler]

Insulating foam in a can...the stuff you shoot around pipes, doors, & whatnot in the home...messy, but effective. You want the stuff that dries hard. I have zero stars after 5-6 years of rocks from slicks.

Recommendations on how to apply? How thick a layer? Spray it on and scrape off the excess before it dries?

-Josh2

[J P Stein]

Insulating foam in a can...the stuff you shoot around pipes, doors, & whatnot in the home...messy, but effective. You want the stuff that dries hard. I have zero stars after 5-6 years of rocks from slicks.

Recommendations on how to apply? How thick a layer? Spray it on and scrape off the excess before it dries?

-Josh2

I can't really tell you the "best" way. As I said, it's messy. Wear long rubber gloves....like your wife uses, not the surgical type.
The surfaces need to be clean of loose dirt so the stuff will stick......it seems to stick to everything else. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) You gotta kinda feel your way for the best way to spread it. It's been a while since I did it but as I recall, my fingers were involved. Cut off excess after it hardens. I had a large area to cover & it took around 2 cans per side and came out around an inch thick....with lumps.
Clean up with lacquer thinner...before it dries. God knows what after.......

You have to hold the can upside down when it's about half empty. Start at the bottom & work your way up on as the can gets into the goop you've applied....even more.
I made an extension nozzle out of flexible plastic tubing for some areas.

[iamchappy]

I use a hacksaw blade to shape it first - less messy, then finished with some sort of sanding could of been a flapper wheel, then finished over it with spray in a can truck bed liner. It may be covered in my build thread because i had posted how i did it back when. DONT GET IT IN YOUR HAIR!

[r_towle]

Clean up with lacquer thinner...before it dries. God knows what after.......

Acetone is how you clean up the spray foam...lacquer thinner will just make it wet and smelly.

JP,
Are you saying to basically covered the entire inside of the fiberglass panel with an inch or so of foam?

Rich

[Rand]

Acetone and lauquer thinner. Ahh. Explains everything.

[PeeGreen 914]

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So when you trim that stuff isn't there the risk of it taking in moisture? I've never really worked with it but thought the reason some people didn't like to use it was due to the risk of causing rust (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) I know if it isn't anywhere near the metal this would not be an issue but isn't where you would put the stuff right in the middle of the joint?

[J P Stein]

Clean up with lacquer thinner...before it dries. God knows what after.......

Acetone is how you clean up the spray foam...lacquer thinner will just make it wet and smelly.

JP,
Are you saying to basically covered the entire inside of the fiberglass panel with an inch or so of foam?

Rich

Lacquer thinner has acetone in it and is WAY less volitle.
Just covered the areas that might take a rock shot......that means all. Hot slicks can pick up fairly large rocks, almost a good throwin' size.......then they bounce around in there.

[iamchappy]

I think my rear flares are lapped on the inside to but this picture shows different maybe the fronts are or there not, but i didn't spray it up into the metal area, i did seal it though, as it looks much better that way. I remember using a wire wheel and a disc sander very carefully to finish shaping and smoothing out the foam after the initial hack saw blade shave.
I had to reapply a few times as you can see the gaps, and sometimes it dont stick and flops off on you. Wear throw away everything clothes.



"DONT GET IT IN YOUR HAIR"!

[Pat Garvey]

OK, I'll be the bad guy here!

Other than destroying the value of the few 914's left - why would you do this? Steel or plastic - if it wasn't an available option on your 914 - why?

Just curious, and sorry for the hijack.
Pat

ps: my thanks to all who've sliced up thier 914's to fit flares for no reason than whatever - you've increased the value of mine.

[pcar916]

Why do this? To get more tire underneath the car.

The Porsche family, more often than not, was all about producing a car already good from the factory and providing a platform for privateers to make them faster and handle better. We have been doing that for a very long time. I love to look at and drive factory original cars, but I also get a thrill when designing and building, or riding in, or looking at competently modified 914's.

It's also important to me to have a good test-bed to try out ideas. Some are good, some I leave behind, but in it all, I have a bunch of folks to bounce thoughts against.

I think it's really cool that the 914 supports all of our efforts in all directions. I don't understand all of them, but I don't have to.

[iamchappy]

Just because, and IMO they look cool just like the 914's that did have them. 914's go really fast if you put a big flat six engine in them like the factory should have.
Because the factory was to wimpy to offer all the stuff on the 911's on our cars, forgive us Pat, some of us had to do it ourself.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif) I love the stock 914's as they are also, and someday if i can find one that isn't all hacked up with flares, a flat six, and 5 lug Fuchs with big sticky tires on it, i hope to buy it......... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy11.gif)
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[iamchappy]

Oh on another thought, helps the economy.

[Justinp71]

Instead of spray foam I did the under car spray liner and topped it off with dynamat... It works good for my uses, but I think if I were running real slicks (have dot-r's now) I'd probably glue some foam padding in there... (I have heard that works well)

[pcar916]

My flares look totally different underneath from the picture above. The metal is expanded out to meet the flares in the same shape and the glass is lapped to it with FG-cloth strips. If I were near the car I'd post a pic. The point is that there is no gap to fill. Surely I'm not the only one.

I thought you guys were talking about filling cracks on the outside with this stuff.

[J P Stein]

I did, periodically, have to dig rocks out that embedded themselves in the foam.....ecxess weight, ya know. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[rfuerst911sc]

Will rubberized spray undercoating do basically the same thing ? I know it won't be as thick but the foam in my opinion after being cut,sanded,shaped will be open cell. Won't that trap moisture ?

[J P Stein]

The insulating foam is a closed cell coat as long as you have 2 or more layers of bubbles.....I got maybe 20-50 layers, me thinks. I was shootin' for an inch thick...did that or better.....controling that while applying is a challenge.

NO, don't get it in your hair/beard/stash. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)