Scorp. Rear Valance

[davidb]

I still need a replacement rear valance. The vented thingie
that the lights go thru & the plate bolts to. ecohen2 had one
I think but the private message sent didn't work. If someone
has one please e-mail: beben@swbell.net
Thanks . . .

[Frezer]

Isn't repairing an option? Those things are pretty rare, especially without the usual breaks and cracks.

[davidb]

Mine is not only badly broken but the PO did a lousy
glue job on it. Yes I know they are rare. A new one
sold on E-Bay approx.a year ago, Netherlands, $300
US! I lost out on the bidding. Still hoping someone on
the Forum can save me.

[lanciatomcat]

Hi there
I have a spare rear valence which has some cracking.
As I am in UK cost of shipping safely may be prohibitive.
Will sort some pictures out and send to the e-mail address you gave.
Regards
Tom

[davidb]

Thank you! Await pics eagerly, keep me posted. I may, MAY
luck out as a Gent in California is selling trim on E-Bay last
few days. NOT the vented, louvered tailight piece I need as
yet but it may pop-up.

[lanciatomcat]

Just been to my 'store' area.
It is off an S2 Montecarlo so vented with cut outs for rear fogs.
Obviously the one cut is for UK driving but the outline for US / European use is there.
Sadly it is raining hard at the moment so pictures would not be very good.
I will get some done as soon as possible and send them to you.
Regards
Tom

[davidb]

Thank you oncemore. I pray we are speaking of the same
item: the louvered/vented piece where the taillights go thru,
the license plate attatches? A place for a rear fog? That's odd
but it's Italian for England afterall. No hurry for the pics. It's
snowing here in St. Louis, Missouri, USA as I type. Enjoy your
rain.

[lanciatomcat]

Hi again
No it was me getting valence and bumper mixed up. Thats the bad news!
The good news is I have a valence complete with lights that could be surplus to requirements.
It is solid. I would need to check for cracked slats etc.,
Need to get things moved in the garage to get to it.
Have to be tomorrow now. Sorry.
May I make the point that getting that shipped to you in one piece is going to require some packing.
Will do the pictures and send as promised.
Regards
Tom

[Frezer]

Repairs are more durable if done with a soldering iron instead of glue. Using a heat gun like bumper repair shops have will likely give an even better result if you'll find the optimal temperature. I have restore the rear grille for my car (cracks, part of the edge broken off and missing, missing tread ends) with a soldering iron and some extra plastic strip from the local DIY shop quite satisfactory. Using this, I also created some extra louvres in the middle section to make it a more neat fit for a Dutch licence plate. Of course a lot of filler was needed to obtain the correct original shape.

Because I was afraid of over stressing the little thread ends and break them out again I used loctite to secure them.

Anyway, good luck locating a nice piece!

[DJ]

I'll pull down my original rear grille from the shelf in the next day or so and take some pics. It's not bad but not perfect either.

I bought a new TMH repro some time back but have been a bit disappointed in it because the heat made the louvers sag a bit. I've intended to keep the original as a spare but may let it go for the right deal.

Got a nice Beta Coupe you want to trade for it? :D (Still looking for a good driver.)

I'll try to get to this quickly for you David.

FWIW, the original plastic in this part was ABS, like all the other molded plastic on the car. It can be glued but you MUST use ABS cement. Fortunately, you can find this (in the US) at any Home Depot for just a couple of bucks.

[Frezer]

[QUOTE=DJ;12977]
FWIW, the original plastic in this part was ABS[QUOTE]
Indeed Important to know for a good plastic repair!

[DJ]

May I make the point that getting that shipped to you in one piece is going to require some packing.

FWIW, the new repro unit from TMH was shipped to me wrapped in bubble-wrap, then duct-taped securely to a piece of 1x4 lumber to keep it from flexing, then packed into a box with lots of additional padding. It worked well for the trans-Atlantic trip.

[lanciatomcat]

Pictures taken.
Am posting here and sending to davidb's email.
Regards
Tom

[lanciatomcat]

This was the type of packing that I thought would be needed.
I know that Parcelforce in UK will not handle items of that size so it would need to be UPS, DHL or similar.
In UK some international carriers will not handle for a non-company account.
Would need to get investigated.

[John O]

I bought a new TMH repro some time back but have been a bit disappointed in it because the heat made the louvers sag a bit. I've intended to keep the original as a spare but may let it go for the right deal.

Now that my welding skills are a bit better, I've been considering building just the louver portion of the rear girllwork out of steel. It looks pretty straightforward and a making a jig for it ought to be easy enough. My original is actually in great shape, but I figure plastic (abs) can only last so long.

John O.

[Will]

Now that my welding skills are a bit better, I've been considering building just the louver portion of the rear girllwork out of steel. It looks pretty straightforward and a making a jig for it ought to be easy enough. My original is actually in great shape, but I figure plastic (abs) can only last so long.

John O.

I'd say you'd have a pretty good market- I think they may be straight polystyrene, since they seem to get so brittle and "dried out". Mine's been repaired several times and I replaced all of the studs. I also had to add some bracketry around the plate to support it better.

[davidb]

I've dissected TMH's site as best able. I've never seen
them offering this D.J.? Maybe NLA? Dunno.

[DJ]

Sorry, David

I should have mentioned that after I reported the issue with the heat sag they seem to have stopped offering them.

I was the lucky one to have spend a large sum to find out it's inadequacies. Don't know if they plan to reformulate and produce again.

[mogul_x]

You could try Jason Greenwood. (http://www.ferrarikillers.com) He recently went into production with Montecarlo bumpers, and I believe there was a taillight panel mold amongst those he purchased. The previous owner of the tools offered taillight panels with or without license plate mounting.

[davidb]

Guess they shoulda made it out of GRP D.J. I e-mailed
FerrariKiller mogulX, thanks.

[DJ]

Guess they shoulda made it out of GRP D.J.

That would be a pretty complex mould and, I think, would require quite a lot of hand work to finish. I'd think that injection molding would still be the best. Fiberglass/GRP would be pretty heavy, too.

[davidb]

I don't know ZIP about moulding. Plus if a sturdy replica
would run $300, $500+ who'd buy one? Well excepting
morons like us.

[John O]

I'd say you'd have a pretty good market...

I guess I was just thinking for me. I'll certainly share how I do it with anyone who wants ...once I've actually done a set for myself, but I don't have time to get into garage manufacturing. Heck, I don't have time to work on my own car!!! Plus I've all but given up on eBay simply for the fact that I HATE boxing and shipping; it's ass frakin drudgery.

John O.