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Front suspension is in. I was able to get a ARB in there as well. I'm using the typical tried and true F1 shockmount. But modified a bit to fit under the fender. Panhard bar, steering, etc, are all in and welded up (I'll need to do some finish welding when the car comes apart for paint, because I cant reach them)
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I have front fender braces and a dropped headlight bar, both used/older repro, that I tried in the earlier mockups. Fit was terrible. To tighten everything I had to put an enormous amount of tension on it, which actually buckled the front fenders. So that was no good... I got a new set of repro braces & bar and put them on. Fit is already a lot better, even without the fenders...
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Really coming together fast now. Lovely!
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I bought a new hood as well. With the new fenderbraces and headlight bar the fenders fit much better. Buying those was not the original plan, but I'm glad I did...
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The original rear fenders look like this. I'm not a fan of the look... So after a lot of laying out tape lines, I cut the left rear fender ( AKA Bobbed it ) ( these are all old pics to show where its at, and how it got there ).
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So that gave me the shape I wanted, but the edge still needed to be finished. The edge of 1932 fenders have a bead with a folded over lip, and in the space inside the bead there is a wire for strength. I wanted to copy all of that... So first was the wire. I used some thick welding wire I have ( slightly thinner dia that the original Ford wire, but I think it will work ) I got rid of the bead on the rear part of the fender, up to the point where they all crack, and left part of the original wire exposed. I then welded the welding wire to that. I put the right bead in a piece of sheet metal, and tacked it in.
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The right rear fender will be a lot more work because it is in much worse shape. I started on the repair of the leading edge. And cut through all the welding that has been done by a previous owner. They were pretty decent gaswelds, but obviously done off the car. So he warped the fender to the point that it was never going to fit right. That made it fit a lot better, but there is still more cutting and shaping to be done. But this is as far as I got today...
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Feb 27, 2023 10:36:57 GMT
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What you do with metal is little short of witchcraft !! You make it look so easy, It's so educational to watch and follow the process you employ, As always, thanks for sharing (and from my personal perspective, educating,) Nigel
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Last Edit: Feb 27, 2023 10:37:31 GMT by Alpina99: Missing letter,
BMW E39 525i Sport BMW E46 320d Sport Touring (now sold on.) BMW E30 325 Touring (now sold on.) BMW E30 320 Cabriolet (Project car - currently for sale.)
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Feb 27, 2023 17:55:48 GMT
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Thank you for the nice words, Nigel.
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Feb 27, 2023 19:09:33 GMT
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Really nice metalwork, how do you fold the metal around the wire? And how do you keep the wire in the right place?
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Feb 27, 2023 19:28:38 GMT
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Thanks blackpopracing . I put the bead in first with a beadroller, working off a template I made to match the bobbed fender. Keeping about 3/4" of material outside of the bead, to keep it from pulling to one side. I then tacked it into the fender ( getting rid of the overlapping part of the fender, the part that was replaced ) Then I trimmed the part outside of the bead to the correct width to match the fold on the fender (about 5 to 7" at a time) With a pair of pliers I teased that part over, being very careful not to go too fast in one spot or to stretch the metal. You just bump it a couple degrees at a time, and overlapping with the grip of the pliers ( I've got a nice set of old & worn ones, that don't have any sharp edges on them anymore ), going forward only about 1/16" at a time. Until its slightly farther than 90 deg., and then you can hammer & dolly it over for the rest of the way. The wire will kind of go where it wants to go, as the metal around it closes in.
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Feb 27, 2023 20:00:36 GMT
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All in all, taking my time, doing that corner was about a day and a half of work.
I put in captive nuts on the inside of the 1/4 panel when the fender was off...
I expect the right rear fender to take about 2 to 3 times as long, because its so much worse, and because it will have to match the left hand side one.
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Feb 28, 2023 13:42:53 GMT
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Man I wish I paid more attention in metalwork at school!! This is exceptional work!
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Feb 28, 2023 18:40:23 GMT
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Thanks mrbounce I never went to school for doing metalwork. I started doing resto work to pay for my racing addiction next to my real job as a mechanic and later a welder ( MIG & TIG, production work mainly ) & after I moved to the States I switched to doing body mods on Hot Rods & Customs. Trying to get better as I went along, and investing in tools and machines when I could afford to. Between my mechanic job and my switch to welding I did get some welding training, and briefly held a X-ray certificate for stick welding ( they expire if you don't find a job quick enough...) It would be nice if I could help to kickstart some young persons metalworking career by giving them some tips & show them how I do things, but sofar that hasn't worked out yet...
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I had it outside to get the truck chassis in the garage, so I took a couple of pics. Liking that view. Looks like you just pulled up, rather than pushed out.
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Thanks guys.
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