Not sure if this post should be here or in Tech. I am sure a moderator will move it if I am wrong.
Classic Enterprises has been making straight sections of fin moldings for quite a while. I bought a set and tried to bend them to fit when I did a test fit of all my body panels prior to taking everything apart for blasting and paint. We tried to bend them by heating and slowly working around the curve but the results were less than spectacular.
Now Classic has come out with a set that are pre-curved. Since I wasn't happy with the set we tried to shape, I decided to buy a set of the new pre-curved ones. Well, we mounted the fins and moldings today. Wow, what an improvement. These pre-curved moldings fit wonderfully. Before loading the mounting screws in moldings I did a test fit to determine the best position so the curve followed the front of the fin. Loaded in all the screws and mounted it. I also bought the screw kit for the molding from CE. The "heads" were a little too thick to slide into the slot in the moldings. I ground the heads down just a little so they would slide down the molding a little easier. Overall I would say the new curved moldings are a great product, much improved over the previous straight sections.
The only thing I can't figure out is the type of tools Studebaker used in the factory to install the retaining nuts for these moldings. I spent almost 2 hours bending in some very un-natural positions installing and tightening the nuts.
Wayne
Classic Enterprises has been making straight sections of fin moldings for quite a while. I bought a set and tried to bend them to fit when I did a test fit of all my body panels prior to taking everything apart for blasting and paint. We tried to bend them by heating and slowly working around the curve but the results were less than spectacular.
Now Classic has come out with a set that are pre-curved. Since I wasn't happy with the set we tried to shape, I decided to buy a set of the new pre-curved ones. Well, we mounted the fins and moldings today. Wow, what an improvement. These pre-curved moldings fit wonderfully. Before loading the mounting screws in moldings I did a test fit to determine the best position so the curve followed the front of the fin. Loaded in all the screws and mounted it. I also bought the screw kit for the molding from CE. The "heads" were a little too thick to slide into the slot in the moldings. I ground the heads down just a little so they would slide down the molding a little easier. Overall I would say the new curved moldings are a great product, much improved over the previous straight sections.
The only thing I can't figure out is the type of tools Studebaker used in the factory to install the retaining nuts for these moldings. I spent almost 2 hours bending in some very un-natural positions installing and tightening the nuts.
Wayne
Comment