Hibachi replacement

The CMC grille opening is 1/4 smaller than others all the way around so you will need to enlarge the opending to fit any other one.

Question for the CMC crowd;
I'd like to get rid of the old grille this summer. Not before Carlisle, but sooner or later.
Who makes (or who has an extra) a suitable lookalike that'll fit into the decklid hole and screw in seamlessly? I've spent enough money buying stuff that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't that I'd like to call on some pooled wisdom for this.
BTW - I'm planning a big sendoff for the trusty old hibachi. If I can find one in time, it'll have a big plastic hamburger screwed into it for the PA show.
Any tips on a replacement would be GREAT!

Thanks, Wolf.
Any suggestions short of re-glassing the inside lip? I'm going to have plenty of spots on the car to try my hand at applying new fiberglass, but I'm a complete rookie at it.

Hey Cory,

I have an extra Vintage grill. It's yours if you want it. I still owe you for the brackets. It needs some cleaning, but no rust (its aluminum).

In regards to making it bigger. I made a template out of 1/4 MDF and then used a router with a flush bit to do the trimming. It came out perfect. When you cut, it will remove most of the inner lip for mounting. I used 3/4" oak sticks and expoy glued them. Then drilled holes in the stick for screws.

Todd

That would be really cool, Todd. I'll take you up on your offer.

TC, it's yours.
Hadn't offered it up to ANYBODY on accounta hadn't got a replacement in-hand.
I'll even leave the plastic hamburger (still shopping for one) on there for you!
Hey, and while I'm mashing buttons on this computer, you need a VW hand-brake assembly?

What did I tell you about your parts . . .

Now, when is that Hibachi grill coming my way? I posted AGES ago looking for one and NOBODY responded . . .

TC

Oh, if you decide against another grill, go with a louvered and hinged aluminum panel with an ABARTH lettered stand off. The stand-offs run around $40.00 in polished or brushed laser-cut aluminum, the panels are available everywhere, you just trim to shape and strengthen the edges.

Down for regular driving, up and secured for racing/rally events.

IMHO . . . SWEET!

"you need a VW hand-brake assembly"

I'm in the middle of trying my own version of the one that you scored. It'll end up using some semi tractor pieces and a little VW at the base, but after drilling the holes in the brackets and tubing and painting in silver hammertone . . . it'll look nice and race-tech, if you know what I mean.

I just finished up some headlamp "rallye grills" using old oven racks and and wire shelving. They look pretty good, and are PERFECT for the look that I'm shooting for . . . a little more rough and tumble than the (wonderful) ones currently being offered. I'll post a link to some pics tonight.

Neat!
I've been tinkering, too. I'm going to have to run tubing on top of my tunnel for the brake cables. I'll detail a photo for you if you want.

Couple things here - the first for TC. Have you considered modifying a shoehorn for the release lever? If you roll it into a pronounced curve around a 1.25-inch pipe, you'll have the same shape as the thingamabobber on mine. Then you could drill some holes up the beam of the shoehorn, and presto!

Now a little request for some knowledge. I'm not "That Guy" for fiberglass, and I'm in need of That Guy's help.
The replacement for the hibachi is going to be visible from both sides. I'll be filling in the cracks around both it and the hood in coming weeks, trying to leave the impression that you COULD open them if you wanted to. I'll be glassing in the undersides of both.
I could use a suggestion or two about shimming the hood and lid up to flush from underneath; the plan right now is to use small wood shims on the decklid, but there's a gap of almost five-eighths of an inch at the dash-end of the hood. It wouldn't lay flush before, and now I'm really in the jackpot.
I haven't taken off the hood side of the bonnet latch assembly yet, since that's the only piece holding the hood from sliding off. In the second photo the shadow at the top of the hood isn't a trick of the light. It's REALLY that bad.
How'd I get myself into this mess?
Seven weeks. Seven weeks ... Anybody seen my Ruby Slippers?
There's no place like Carlisle ... There's no place like ... .

Fianlly, does anybody (TC?) want or need the thingie molded into the back of the body right under the inside of the decklid? I don't know what the ---- that thing is for, but it's going to come off and pra'lly wind up in the garbage can if there aren't any takers.
Looks to me like it might be some kind of a hood-latch-lock-base-plate-doohickie.

I'm not entirely clear on what's going on, but . . .

Is the hood higher or lower or does it no longer match the profile of the surrounding body fiberglass?

Is it just that the hood keeps sliding forward and your at a loss as to how to hold it in position whill shimming the backside?

Is the hood tweeked in some way that permits highs and lows around the edges when it sits in position?

A smidge more info and I bet that you'll have a answer.

The fit just isn't there anymore. I might have just overlooked it, or it might have been better with a seal in the gaps, but I'm going to take a stab at explaining what's there and maybe why.
I think because I exposed this car to the elements for three winters with the dash hinge connections a smidge off, the hood contracted and stayed arched higher in the middle.
It's wierd. The edges on both sides of the hood are distinctly lower at the back corners, and the center along the dash is actually higher than it used to be. I looked at photos of "then" and last week to be sure, but it looks like it pulled up in the middle somehow.
That's going to give me more to fill in under the middle and more to shim on the corners, but I don't know how it'll hold up over time if I flex it while I bond the two surfaces together and then drive this thing like I plan to. My luck, something will give and I'll have giant problems with the bodywork.
Same is true for the decklid.
I was really not paying attention when I cut it up, figuring I'd work on the body last. I told Todd Sharp I had had to modify my hood brackets in order to get the hood to lay like it was supposed to, and it might just be that the hood returned to its natural shape when I took the assemblies loose. It's a possibility, but I've only just noticed the bowing.
Curiouser and curiouser. Question ends up being a simple one: how do I bond these things to the body without causing pain down the road?
ANY help would be great.

Fiberglass never stops moving. Lean it against the wall, cover it with a blanket and put something on top of it, store it in the garage rafters. Any and every thing will effect it's shape.

>To do repair it correctly you are gonna have to section the edge of the hood nearest the windshield. Probably a series of saw cuts around ten inches long lengthways.
>Then cut a wooden template/brace that has the cross section shape that you desire, might have to use a second well fitting hood as a guide in making the brace.
>Sheet-rock screw this brace to the top hood at either corner and fasten each piece of hood material between the cuts to the brace in the same way.
> At this point you ought to have all of the flat piano key-like pieces of the windshield edge of the hood forced into the shape that you need and screwed to the wooden template/brace that was made from a properly shaped hood.
> Duct tape the top side of the hood where the saw cuts are and lay fiberglass mat soaked in resin/hardener mix along the saw cuts. Push the mat into the cuts marks, and do it again and again until it's nice and strong.
> Remove the tape and spread a short strand fiberglass gell resin/mat mix into the saw cuts.
>Cover the exposed resin-filled saw cuts with a layer or fiberglass woven finish mat/resin/hardener mix and leave it alone forever.
>Unscrew the brace and repair the remaining exposed cuts and such. In the same fashion, inside and outside.
>Sand, skim coat, sand, spot fill, sand prime, sand, prime, seal, and eventually paint.

OR . . . maybe just but another hood that's perfect and sell the warped one to someone else.

I might have run over something that needs a little more explaining, but essentially you are going to have to relieve the stress and warpage through relief cuts and then reconfigure the hood using a brace/bridge/template made of wood. And re-fiberglass the controlled damage that you caused.

Luck!

TC

Thanks, TC! That's a thorough explanation for a complex job. I'll give it a shot, and if it doesn't work, I'll chase down a new hood.
Your stuff got mailed today, BTW. You'll have it Wednesday, UPS Ground.
Cheers!