Body support panels

If you are referring to the 1/4" vertical FG panels that are fitted in the front wheel wells they help with confining road debris but for body support they are not really needed as long as you have the horizonal two piece steel brace that is installed on top of the beam to the underside of the "frunk" floor.

I would call the pieces "splash shields" (although once bonded they do add strength to the body).  All but the ones with a red X came pre-installed from CMC on my late 1988 kit.  My invoice does say it is a Deluxe version - so assume that install is part of the deluxe.  They should have originally come with the kit.  The front X'd pieces attach at bottom to bumper brackets and the back one after engine is in.

After Hurricane Sally I was given a Lazer sail boat with a big hole in the bottom.  I cut the flat pieces of Fiberglass to use for the pieces that go either side of engine to seal hot air out.

They never came with this kit or the were lost during the multiple owner changes. Any pictures out there or has anyone make patterns?

I've got my front passenger wheel off to get at my heater stuff.  I'll snap a photo later today and post it to show you the shape of the inner panel.  The pieces are simple, flat sheets of fiberglass, similar to flat roofing pieces from Home Depot/Lowes.  Mine are about 1/8" thick and are fiberglass-bonded along the top inside of the wheel well to hold them in - I suspect that you could use Locktite bonding adhesive or even "Liquid Nails".   I ran for years without them and then finally decided to install them.  It wasn't a big deal.  I would just make a big paper template for the shape you want/need, out of Kraft paper or some flooring underlayment paper and use that as the pattern to cut out what'cha need.

Thanks, pictures would help especially with the upper one that seems to not be a flat shape.

The upper one will be difficult to reproduce without a mold.  It seals the flat splash foot panels to the upper dash.  I would take pieces of cardboard and a hot glue gun and try to replicate it - inserting the gas tank as a guide for the front curves.  Then coat it with resin and fiberglass cloth (maybe 3 layers) make the piece.  OR contact the guy in Sarasota FL that has a complete set of CMC molds and see if he will make one for you. (His contact info is at end of his Miata Speedster build article - https://www.rcnmag.com/garage/...-based-356-speedster )

I saved this link years ago-

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/fo...rder=asc&start=0

"The upper one will be difficult to reproduce without a mold.  It seals the flat splash foot panels to the upper dash."

Having just looked closely at my panels, I totally do not understand this.  Looking in at the passenger side and up along the body where it is glassed together, the panel is just flat - there is no molding needed.  Unless you are referencing something else.

Here are the photos of the front wheel well panels:

Looking in towards the nose from just inside the wheel well.  That darker curved line along the top edge is where it gets glassed in.

This shot is looking slightly forward to show the curve of the panel against the body.  IIRC, I simply bolted the bottom of the panel to the frame of the bumper mount to hold it in place and then roughed up the body and panel with 60-grit sandpaper and applied 4 layers of fiberglass mat and resin.  Done.

This photo below is looking from the right front quarter back at the rear of the new panel and how it is shaped to get around the front beam and sway bar.  It is glassed in against the outside surface of the frunk at the top (see first photo) and bolted to the bumper mount.  That's it, and no curves at all.  You could make one from a flat sheet 22" X 22" square, which means you could make both from a sheet of this counter top material:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wi..._-206753327-_-N&

Hope this helps!  As I said earlier....   Make a paper template to fit the space, use it to cut out the panels from a fiberglass sheet and glass them in.

Who in Sarasota?

I am in Sarasota

Might be Zephrhills/Tampa but not far.

The Bueno Design team. Johnny Bueno, Alex Bueno and John Bueno Sr

(20+) Bueno Designs | Facebook

I think they not be there anymore. They don’t answer on face book and there website is down. Thanks any pictures help.



bp

@WILLIAM PORTER posted:

I think they not be there anymore. They don’t answer on face book and there website is down. Thanks any pictures help.



bp

They're up on Facebook on my computer. Maybe YOU are on Zuckerberg's "Scheisse List?" 

Could be, I may be to old for facebook but the last post I saw was 2014. No response from them but that could be my facebook lack of knowledge. Have you tried to contact them?



bp

@WILLIAM PORTER posted:

Could be, I may be to old for facebook but the last post I saw was 2014. No response from them but that could be my facebook lack of knowledge. Have you tried to contact them?



bp

The FaceBook page is active but as you stated there has been no activity since 2014. The latest activity I could find for them was a write-up in RCN Magazine but nothing since then:

https://www.rcnmag.com/garage/the-changeling