Projects Truck into a coupe- My next pet project

WOW a silk purse out of a sows ear. You have removed all the bad ,hacked together stuff and built a solid car the will last generations.

 

I didn't take your post that way at all.
I guess it's more of an inside joke that I think too much.

 

Thank you,
It's been a journey to say the least, a real roller coaster
Self Rewarding & frustrating
Fun & an ass ache
Challenging & mundane


Maybe a 3 window next ? Lmao

 

I am starting to get the inside joke, never would have thought a truck could become a 3 window. Now I see why your neighbor ask " what are you doing NOW"

 

Where'd I leave off?
Doesn't look like much but it's progress and the fussy kind.
I only have a few mins to play with this in the mornings and the occasional moment hear and there. But I managed to get these tweaked and cut in, and symmetrical side to side. That bead line got moved a few times too but it's even on both sides and looks great. Then the joints filed and fit and ready to weld in but not yet. I might need to take them off for the rain edge and reuse my rivet holes for alignment. I can't have clamps holding the window in the way to fit them either.

Ive been playing with some templates for the curves and have those finally figured out to a reasonable degree of certainty. Great!!!

In the middle of sawing some frame plates, my buddy's brother tried to cut a bed frame angle in the saw and wiped the blade out. Went to change the blade (because I really need the frame plates) and the blade box on the shelf is empty. So anyways that kills the frame job till Wednesday at the earliest before I get a blade. That means I can really get after this one for a few days!!!!

 

Vicky, my hat is off to you ,VERY nice fabrication, great skills....you fall into the category of the truly gifted ........and who doesn't love TA TA's!


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Oh man, this is where it really gets good 'ay ? I've been waiting for the shit to fly. Taking a breath part done and over. Good work, and pitfalls conquered. Feeling the booming crescendo at its fever pitch ! How much bangin' can a man do in five days ? I can't wait to see the top hanging proudly. Whatcha' got, whatcha' got ??

Split banana, ice cream sundae with cherry on top coming...... mmmmm, mmmmm !! Gonna' taste gooooooodddd.

 

Hey, 31V;
If you leave the rear qtr windows in bare steel (just for a bit), & primer the rest, I'd really like to see the looks on folks' faces when you tell them to find the chop lines in the qtr windows... comments should be good, too... .
Does look a whole lot better than the ones that were in there. Good on you.
Marcus...

 

I made a template of where I wanted the bead.
Then I took a taper of the curved side that went from -3/16 to -3/8".
Then weld 3/8 roundstock onto the curved side.
That gets me to a taper of +3/16- 0" past where I need to be.
So take the 3/16 to 0 off the 3/8" roundstock and that gets me a profile that goes from round to 1/2 round with the bead exactly where I need it too.

NOW - With that centered on 1/8" plate its pretty damn close to the 1/2round to 100* ( not quite 130) transition I need and its mirror image on the other side.

Can that bouncing ball be followed?



so on to the rest of the hammer form process & They came out great . A little tweak and my 130* came right in.

 

Piece ready to come out.


First test fit

Cut in, tweaked, and just about ready.







Of course it's all x2.

 

Damn, I have run out of words to describe how amazed I am with the things you are doing here, WOW!!!!!!!

 

Funny thing is that is been that way with all the neighbors I've ever had

Thank you for the kind words

Man I don't know - that's a lot of pressure there Kid
Thanks for the encouragement.
Where does this start or stop getting good? I don't know, I thought it went to shit when I had to get into the paint and The shit has been flying for a long time, but since it's a "pet project" that means it only gets "spare time" so I too am looking forward to a few days instead of a few hours. I'm hoping for the best but ya just never can tell how these things are going to go.

I'm happy with the 1/4 windows, but wow!! they ate up a lot of steel. My small piece bucket overflows now it's one of those things that just needed to be done.
I'm thinking folks are going to have enough head scratching to do and finding 1/4 window chop scars might be one of the last things they might wonder about.

Thanks Dick, you are welcome to stop by and check it out if you find yourself in the area. I'll even show you the "wrong result" pile. Some might call it the scrap pile but .....
I know what you mean when you say "I run out of words...." , thank you!

 

Very nice, I've learned a lot just by going through your thread. Thanks for taking the time to document it.

 

I really need a plan for the rear window. It's the next and I'm trying to figure it out before I get to it.

Incidentally, I've discovered a very important "why" as to the manufactures use of split windows. With flat glass fit in a curved steel panel, the depth of the "tunnel" from skin to glass setting surface gets really deeeep. If the widow is 2 pieces one can move or "cant" each 1/2 and reduce the depth of the tunnel. It's so deep with 1 piece flat glass that it would be hard to stamp IMO.

I like the split window better , but with flatter bottom. Maybe something more like this
37 buick

Any way Im still Not sure on split oval style rear window or something simpler.

Taillights ? I've been all over the ass end with paper cut outs and magnets.
I'm thinking (and consequently stuck) that the back window shape and taillight shape should compliment each other at least not clash. Now I can make the back window but I can't make tailights.

I really like the taillight treatment on this black car
but I don't have fenders.? Just because I like it doesn't make it right for this car


I though 3 inverted 62 corvette lights
might tickle my fancy too, especially if they are wired sequentially, but since the photoshop render I'm thinking they look better on a vettte.


I have several ideas for a rear nerfbar but they change based on taillight arrangement.
I'm sorta liking these but not sure yet.

 

I too love the split window. also I see how you resolved the messy intersection of reveals & it's going to be OK now IMO. You'll have to put the emblems somewhere else.

 

I know you may wanna show off , but I think simplicity is the best avenue, I know a lot of people will disagree with me but hod rods are meant to be somewhat basic aggressive , unrefined ...
That Volkswagen split window is cool , but in my eye is like a putting a bowtie on a caveman... Again just my opinion but I would stay conservative like the stock 34 rear window

 

I hear you on simple is better.
Note the above text in blue though- the back panel here has much more curve than a 34. That right there is a good argument for a split window. The revelation didn't come easy but once I received it, a lot of split windows and windshields before curved glass suddenly made a lot more sense to me. Wouldn't you agree that a 2" plus exterior window sill or overhang above a window on a car looks kinda stupid? When cars got a little curvier styling but still used flat glass - they also showed up with split windows. That's the reason, not because they were opera bound every Saturday.

Bow-ties look great on cavemen, as long as you clean the rest of him up too.
Oh did you know why cavemen drug their woman by the hair? Because if they drug a woman by her feet she would fill up with mud. Sorry about that one. The paint job might not be fitting of a Flintstone car, caveman or hot rod either. Hot rods are supposed to be edgy and raw, I get that. Everyone is different in their opinion on what edgy and raw is and how much is enough or too much - though I guess. Sort of like a fellas taste in women I suppose.

 

But it's a truck to a coupe.....with hints of 34 Ford. At this point it can literally just be HIS. None shall have the same...no matter what. So why not split glass? Showing off would be.......it's signature.

 

I see Moose has reworked your photoshop and the new look is very good and follows the shape of the rear quarter windows well.

 

Yea but the more "unusual" it is with the split back window the more "car experts" you can drive crazy with them trying to make up something like "This is the highly rare" special 2 of edition of a 1915 hupmobile back window to impress their acolytes when they see it.

 

You're welcome and thank you. Glad you could get something out of it.

My buddy brought me a chrome v shaped Lexus emblem but,,, I need something else.

Sometimes I just sit in the loft with some tequila on the rocks and I ponder. I ponder the curves and flow of things know to be great, those of man, of Math, of nature, of a woman, all of the Creator. Then I try to bring all of that together the best I can. Sometimes when I get the wrong results I start over and try again, it can be frustrating because the 2nd or 3rd time is still not the results I want. So I get after it again. That metal always moves the way its supposed to but I don't always know what the metal needs to go where I want it. It's ok because I have no one to answer to on this, there's new need to settle until I feel that it's up to the standards that were set. I hope that would be its signature and not "showing off"

That Moose is something else
After sleeping on it, I'm pretty well set on a split window. I'll play with it a little more and hopefully I'll know exactly what I want when that time comes.

It's been said here on the hamb and other places that everything in hot rodding has been done and that there is nothing that can be new. I've tried to do some things that are at least different and seldom seen, some I haven't seen and I think they are new. I'm sure the car enthusiasts who haven't seen this build will no doubt scratch their heads.
Some will pick out parts correctly
Some will tell stories to their friends
Some will argue with me about what it is
Some will say they had one just like it.

 

I'll tell you what it is "FREEKING INCREADABLE"!!!!!!
Like women and beer, if you like it, the hell with everyone else.

 

Is there a double thumbs up button ?

 

Vic: I take pride and satisfaction in some of the small things I've hand built for my cabrio (windshield posts & ws frame). But I have to ask about the back window. Are you bent on the idea of making it yourself or is too easy to use a roof panel from lets say a '37 flatback of something similar? Ford sheetmtel!!?? Tim

 

If I could find something that fit off of another car I'd weld it right in faster than you could ask. Just like the 47 Chevy truck hood.

 

I'll be watching...love what your doing.

 

Yup! I have a too new for this Forum Aussie Ute. "I used to have one of those!". Get to where I just say "uhuh"... One guy then responded with...I work for Ford & was in Oz for 5 years & did have one! Me: "Oh! cool!

 

I'm loving it. It's great to see something cut totally apart and know that it will come back together in a new and better way. Metal work is an art, probably why we love it so much.

Scrap metal is a sign that you aren't afraid to try something, in my garage it's a sign that I'm fussy and if I don't like it, it gets re-done.

You already know my vote for the back window, the standard slot style, and if you need a curve in it, why not throw a big curve ball at everyone ?

You could get a few curved windshields from the wreckers and learn how to cut one down into the curved glass size you need for the rear window. There are probably a few curved rear windows you could look at and choose from too.

After that you build the metal for it.
You could cut a spare for future replacement if ever needed.

Everyone would really be confused by that move.
Just an idea.
Larry.

 

Your work is an inspiration. I love your creativity and vision. You know exactly what's right and what isn't.
Beautiful...

 

Awesome work!!!!!!!

I just spent a big chunk of my day going through this thread when I should be working on my car!!!