SOONERCRUISER's Panel Van Conversion

[soonercruiser]

So today, I had a revelation....
The Morette masks will eventually be painted Audi Gray to match the PT Panel Cruiser.

So, that small round LED has a BLACK rubber grommet around it that will stand out somewhat.
So, I plan to do a mock-up with a curved piece of gray (painted) cardboard, to see what the two LED types look like.

Hmmmm.....

[soonercruiser]

So, to test out the visualization of the lights, I made a curved cardboard template, sprayed gray, and made mounting holes for the two different side markers.





Then, I took a picture with each LED side marker in place.

First the 1 LED...



Then, the 2 LED...




To me, the rubber grommet around the 1 LED light is not that unattractive, considering the car's theme is gray and black.

So, right now, my vote is for the small round 1 LED light.
I'm thinking that the larger light will look too big on the side of the Morette Mask....but, maybe that's just me.

[Alfie1]

For my twopennorth Frank, I think the squareish one is the wrong shape for the car anyway. The black grommet on the round one will make you think it's meant to be that way.

Tom

[chuzz]

I like the round one with the grommet. Looks classier.

[rcktpwrd]

for sure the small round one!

[soonercruiser]

Good!
Thanks for the opinions, guys!
That's what I was hoping for.

[soonercruiser]

TOO DANG HOT in Okieland this Sunday afternoon, despite morning showers.
So, bored, I again picked up the Morette Masks.

I double checked the location for the side markers by holding up the bezels to the fenders and second and third time.
The location of the hole is a little strange looking in these photos...but, it is on the outermost surface, as the Morette mask is actually tipped up as it will be when installed.
Inside the top surface is a flange to catch inside the upper fender.
And the shape of lower bezel is meant to rest on top of the bumper.

Here is the hole cut at 3/4 inch.




The rubber grommet around the LED was a smidgen larger, so I used a circular sand disk on the Dremmel to trim it a little more.....testing to leave a snug snap in place that will eventually be sealed in place.



Next, I pulled out the Oracle 5 3/4 inch sealed beam with LED ring.



It's a perfect fit, in that it's a little too large to drop thru the low beam opening from the front. But, with trimming, as seen by holding the beam inside, will be a perfect fit....allowing for a rubber grommet/seal.
(If I don't screw it up!)




Now, I can order the rubber seal and mounting ring.

[soonercruiser]

So, yesterday I received my second option for the front turn signal in the Morette Mask.

Remember....I did not like the look of the protruding Bee Hive Light.
So, this is a 2 1/2 inch, 9 LED, flat amber signal from the Big Rig Chrome Shop, on-line!




And here is how it looks in the mask.
Again, it's tight fit and will require a little trimming to have a rubber seal.



What I will be doing is pre-fitting all the lights and rubber seals; then assembling in the future, once I have a a mounting mechanism and the masks painted.

[soonercruiser]

It's been a really lousy couple of weeks for me lately.
And, I wish it would just STOP!

Last Friday...mower quit.....took it to the shop.
Later I was finishing cleaning up the yard, and the electric leaf blower burnt up the motor in my hands!
After the mail arrived, I went to put a new protective cover on my Samsung 7 phone, and discovered that the old cover was not coming loose....IT WAS THE BATTERY IN THE PHONE EXPANDING and popping open the case!!!!

This crap just continued into the weekend....unfortunately for my Panel Cruiser.
The rear hatch had been catching for a month or more, and I had not gotten around to inspecting why. I had put a little Lithium grease on the edges, and that seemed to take care of it.

BUT..."BANG"....Saturday!!!!!
Apparently the 3M adhesive tape failed on the top of the WilPak rear Window Oval window cover....and THIS HAPPENED!!!!




A previous discussion about the different companies that make the Oval Window Louvers....

https://i.imgur.com/JBPsRZ7.jpg

[soonercruiser]

After Saturday's disaster, and house and yard work today, I felt like I needed some positive Karma.
So, I turned up the fan in the garage, and pulled the Morette Masks back out!

I did a little trimming and adapting the Low beam (larger) openings in both masks.

Here is a picture of a rubber grommet that I bought on-line and trimmed to seal around the Oracle sealed low beams with LEDs. Fits perfectly...snug!



Holding that in place, I could see that I would be giving up about a 1/4 of an inch in the diameter of the sealed beam, encroaching on the visibility of the LED ring.
So, I pulled out the Dremmel and a circular sand disk attachment to trim a little off of the lip/flange of the low beam opening.
Then, I sanded the opening smooth and evenly.
You can see the amount that I trimmed, by comparing to the little flange on the edge of the high beam opening.



And, here is a picture of that rubber grommet/seal laying in place.
I did the same for both low beam openings.
That is what I will have to do for all 3 openings, before the bezels/masks can be painted.