Z Bracket to Nose Fit

[oldcarnut]

The brackets and nose I have are fiberglass.  When I place my Z Bracket inside the nose, the contours on the bracket fits one side but leaves a big gap on the other.  I can forcibly squeeze the nose together to make it fit both sides along the contour but I feel like that's adding some stress.  Couldn't find a clear assy pic showing that part so my question is; are the bracket radius edge contours supposed to match directly up against the nose radius top and bottom?  I can take some pics if I'm not sounding clear but the batteries are being recharged at the moment. Given that Teds brackets should be the same as the steel size wise, so even if I use it for a pattern to build new ones I wanted to know if anyone could offer some info. on the fit so I can start making holes and bolting things up. I assume that the contours should match up and that the nose is a little open but need to make sure.  I have no grandkids or their dog to watch today and I'm off work   so I finally got some time to catch up on projects I'm weeks behind.  

[DAY CLONA]

Dave ,....Ted has "tweaked" his parts over the years, alot of his glass parts are not the same deminsions as steel parts,.....when fitting the Z bar into the daytona nose, you want to center the turn signal bracket in the grill opening,...the botton of the Z bar where it bolts to the vertical flange in the bottom of the nosecone can contact the cone's skin,....you want a small gap between the cones top skin and the Z bar, approx 1/4",....if you shove the bar in you'll distort the top skin, plus as your cone "shrinks/cures" in the sunlight/heat, the Z bar will transfer it's stressed shape into the skin,...the result is not pretty (at least with the glass you can trim it out, just don't thin the nosecone skin out, remove bumps yes, but don't thin,....thin/reshape the top of the Z bar)


the latchtray, and the cones rear upper latchtray flange (hood area) will take care of secureing the cones top skin, the cone basically hangs on the lower 2 flanges inside the nosecone, the latchtray provides the shear attachment of the cone,....there's plenty of room for "wiggle" later on the C-frames, the Z bars will be approx 1-2" away from contacting the front firewall of the car,....as you put your car together, you'll see how the cone kind of hovers in place on the Z bars/ attached to the C-frames/ attach to the original frame/bumper mounts


Mike

[oldcarnut]

Thanks Mike, I'm doing a Bird but it should be the same good advice.  Thank you again for the bolts  and you should be getting an envelope in the mail early in the week.  Thought it was gone already but found it sitting in a mail pile this morn.
David

[DAY CLONA]

Thanks Dave,.......forgot your doing a bird,...but the same applies to keeping an airgap between the nosecone skin and the top of the Z bar,....when you install the bar in the bird cone, yeah it looks like it can tilt at any direction, esp not having reference marks on the lower tabs inside the nosecone tabs to drill,....just make sure the back of the Z bar's rear vertical edge is straight/paralell with the cones rear opening when veiwed from the side, you don't want the bars cranked up/down to far sitting in the nose


Mike




PS Dave keep in mind when you fit your bird cone to the front of the car, the rear cone edges were they meet the fender edge/line will stand above the fender edge, the factory leaded an additional peak along the fender edge to smooth the transistion of the fender to nose alignment

[BigBlockSam]

HI MIKE!........... .........

[DAY CLONA]

Hey Rene!.............................................................