starting daytona nose cone fitment

[thallium]

This question is for Rene, Larry, Dane and whoever has built a daytona clone before.   I've started working on getting the nose cone on, so I took off the old valence today and I noticed the new valence does not fit. From looking at many pictures of daytonas, it looks like I have to cut away part of the fender.   Is this correct?   It looks like I have to cut it right where there is a crease line in the metel.   Looks like I have to take off the trim moulding around the wheel well and then cut? Just making sure before I start hacking away.   Anybody have any tips before I start making a mess of my car?   Please feel free to go into detail if need be.   here is a picture of the fender

I was just thinking about it, maybe cut it on the crease line, then weld a piece of flat metal at a 90 degree angle for the valence to bolt onto where I cut the fender. Anyway, I'm just brainstorming here. Let me know how you guys did it. Thanks.

[BigBlockSam]

hey
what i did was to figure out were the valance has to go. you can use that line as a referance. i would measure to be sure. so it blends nice into the nose cone. leave yourself at least an extra inch. so you can bend it back. make a lip. like the front of the fender has so you can bolt the valance to it. the valance is also bolted to the bottom of the z brackets for strength. (look at pic)  then weld the side marker light hole closed and put it in the new valance. hope this helps Rene

[thallium]

Thanks Rene. I'm not too good at bending, so what I was thinking of doing was cutting exactly where the valecne needs to be, then using a welder and adding a piece of the sheetmetal I just cut off and adding it to the bottom and making a 90 degree angle for the valence to attach too.  Same thing as what you are talking about bending into a 90 degree angle, but I think I could do a nicer job if I cut it exact and then weld in a 90 degree lip. If I trying bending it, I know I'm going to make a sloppy bend.  Okay, at least I know it has to be cut. I'll make sure to measure twice, and cut once

I've been thinking about leaving the 70 marker lights and filling the valence to make a 70 daytona clone.  Any suggestions on how to fill the fiberglass valence where the depressions are for the 69 marker lights?  What is the best technique to fill this depression? here is a pic of the valence marker light I'm thinking of filling.

[A383Wing]

What I did was cut the fender and then bend it with duck bill vise grips.....then you have to mark the holes in the lip that you bent so you can bolt the lower valance to it. I removed the 70 side marker lights, filled in the holes, and put the 69 reflectors in the stock location. I did do one little improvement to the reflectors....I installed a bulb behind the reflector so when the lights are on, the reflector lights up as a side marker light. I left the 70 rear side marker light in the rear fenders alone.

Just my 2 cents worth.....consider the source.

Bryan

[BigBlockSam]

howdy Bryan   

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

....I installed a bulb behind the reflector so when the lights are on, the reflector lights up as a side marker light.


Bryan

Interesting mod......any pics of the install?

[hotrod98]

Tabor,
I haven't done mine yet, but this is the  way it was explained to me by a guy who builds superbird  fenders which have to be converted in the same way. You cut the extension area about an inch long and clamp a piece of angle iron behind it along the inside of the factory lip and using a body hammer, slowly hammer the lip over. You have to cut a slit in the corner where the extension hangs down so that the lip can be formed. I think that this method will be much easier than welding a piece on and would mean a lot less body work. If you study it a little I think you will see what I'm talking about.
Later,
Larry

[Old Moparz]

Hi Thallium,

I have to hunt for them, but I have photos of fenders already converted with lots of pics showing wear it was cut & bent. I didn't do this mod & haven't test fit them because I got the pair already done a few years ago. The pics are on a disc, so I don't have them handy.

Bob

[thallium]

Bob, cool deal.  I probably won't do any work on this till next saturday. When I get home during the week, I really don't feel like working on the daytona.  If you find the pictures before next saturday, could you post them? They'll help me out.   Of couse, i'll keep everyone posted on how the mod goes.

[hotrod98]

The yellow line is where you cut the fender. The yellow arrow shows where you slit the fender so that it doesn't buckle when you fold the lip over.

[chargervert]

Measure how wide the part of the fender that the valance bolts to,then measure the same distance down from the line,and thats where you make your cut.Then cut the edge in the wheel well right at the line,then trim the edge down to your cut,even at the bent edge of the wheel well.Then use wide jaw vise grips,with two peices of flat stock that are the same width as the distance from the line to your cut,and the length of the area you are bending.Make sure the flat stock is clamped right on the body line,and make your bend.Then weld the back edge of the bend,to the cut edge in the wheel well.

[A383Wing]

howdy Bryan

Hi Rene....  

....I installed a bulb behind the reflector so when the lights are on, the reflector lights up as a side marker light.


Bryan

Interesting mod......any pics of the install?

I will see if I can get a picture taken of how I did it...might be a few days...Daytona is buried in the garage...

Bryan  

[DonC]

I did much the same as everyone above....cut and bend the exsisting metal.
For fiberglass fill....simply lay some strips of wet 'glass on a sheet of flat glass
then once dry trim and use for fill pieces..'glass in or marglass in.
Daytona pics on my site: unique movie cars.com

[thallium]

Well, I cut the fenders today and bent about an 1 1/4" of a lip on the bottom for the valence to attach to.  I did it like you guys suggested. I got a flat piece of metal on the back side and vice gripped it to the fender and bent the lip. here are a couple of pictures.

[Silver R/T]

good luck on daytona clone, takes a lot of work

[BigBlockSam]

looks good tabor. nice straight line.   

[thallium]

Yes, you are right it takes a lot of work, but it's fun     Thanks Rene...next week i'm going to shoot for putting the nose cone onto the car.

[BigBlockSam]

that should be interesting, good luck.  Rene

[hotrod98]

Looks perfect to me. Looking forward to the next step.

[thallium]

slowly but surely.  I don't have much time with work and all, and spending time with the family, so I do what I can. Kinda winging it here. No directions, just putting it together in the order I think it goes in. 

[BigBlockSam]

i love it when a plan comes together. looks good. did you think of a color for the daytona?

[thallium]

ya Rene, I've been saving pictures of colors I like. So far I'm thinking of doing it in red with white hood strips and white tail stripe. Similar to this picture. Not set on the color yet, but I'm leaning towards red. The black and white combo you are going to do it going to look mean

[BigBlockSam]

that'll look good. i like those hood inserts

[THE CHARGER PUNK]

cool daytona clone there DUDE!!! -MATT

[hotrod98]

It's been thought of by some.