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Wheel Pant trim question

Desert Rat

Well Known Member
Hey guys-

The front half of my wheel pants as shipped have a mold line about 1/4" fwd of the aft edge, where it nests with the aft half.

Did most of you trim the fwd piece to this line before starting to square up the seam or just true up the edges and drive on?

Eyeballing it, I can't tell that it would really make much of a difference, but as we know, the instructions are kind of sparse when you get this far along.
 

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RV9A/7A pants

I trimmed mine back to the scribe line. worked out well. But I used a 1 foot long 2x4 with 60 grit for the final 1/16" to make the seam straight. then i selectively sanded to nmake the gap between the front and back the same. wasnt much.
 
Block sand

I trimmed mine back to the scribe line. worked out well. But I used a 1 foot long 2x4 with 60 grit for the final 1/16" to make the seam straight. then i selectively sanded to nmake the gap between the front and back the same. wasnt much.

Like John said. That's just finish work. No idea what that scribe line is for but I always want more material so I never cut. I don't trust those scribe lines. Better to have and not need than need and not have. It's not fun to add.

Sand the edge so it seats. I prefer using a fine line sharpie. I draw a line along the edge where material needs to be removed so the parts will nest. Then I use a block with 40-80 grit to sand the edge till most of the line is gone. That's about 1/32". Repeat till the parts fit.
When it's time to finish, apply a layer of micro and block sand the pant assembled so the seam ends up flat. Easy peasy.
 
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Just finished working that, and I also did not just preemptively cut along that molded in line. First, I sanded back the "hump" on the inside at the top of the front end. That thick spot will push the aft portion down excessively creating quite a mismatch between outer surfaces. So, trim that back first.

Take a look at the fore's and aft's and decide on the left and right. If you already have a nicely matched side, find a way to get that on the outside where it will be more visible. Put the ugly side inward where you'll have a fairing to mask it. Pair them up and mark on the inside so you don't forget which they are.

Then, match the front and aft ends and decide where you want them to fit finally and draw a line between front and aft on the inside, so you keep your intended fit consistent.

Get out your gloves and masks and clothes you'll be washing daily to try to get the fiberglass fibers out. I used some 80 grit and a long flat sanding block. You are about to make those pretty, gel-coated beauties really ugly, but they will fit.

Run your fingernails along the seam when they are pressed tightly together and sand down the places where you can't fit it. I probably needed a day for each side. Take your time.
 
Also, just FYI, there are the same sort of molded in lines all around the wheel opening. They are NOT the opening you'll end up with. The final opening is larger so I wouldn't put too much trust in the ones along the seam.
 
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