Thanks again for all the kind words. I stamped the beads for the front panel last night and will try to finish the other bend features this week before taking off for a trip to the Fatherland with the family. One feature in the main floor which I still need to address are two rectangular areas in the "H" section of the beads. These rectangles (the seat mounting areas) are at a slight angle to the rest of the floor, which slightly droops from the driveshaft tunnel to the edges, whereas the rectangles are horizontal. There are reinforcement plates under the floor which are mounted to the frame. Because I used the same die to stamp those rectangular areas, the floor is missing the angular offset. I will have to trial fit the new floor once the old one is removed and see if I can just force it down or if I need to insert a wedge shim, or try to stamp the missing wedge into the panel. Nöru - Dörfsch die arme Lüüt uf em HAMB doch nid so verwirrä...;-)
I wish i would have seen this a few weeks ago when i started the rebuild on my floor. Your trans tunnel is going to save my life, thats brilliant!
This will be the last update for a while. Anyway, here is the work I got done on the front half of the floor. I am getting ready to stamp the reveal for the bolts that go into the crossmember. The stock floor has some fancy features for the inspection cover for the master cylinder, but I won't worry about that now. I am using the same upper stamping die, but a lower die with just one 3/8" bar (half a U- channel). Looking pretty good...
The other side gets the same treatment... Now comes the bead around the transmission cover. This is the first chance to use my new Eastwood bead roller. I think it's probably made next door to the HF one . I read reviews on it and have to agree it can use some beefing up as it tends to flex from side to side under load, but nothing I did not expect... I was lucky I managed to run the bead around the entire edge. I had to move the roller to different positions to be able to access the different sections of the panel. The crank also got in the way with the other side of the panel, so I occasionally used a wrench instead of the crank. Making multiple passes and increasing the tension incrementally eventually gets the job done.
Bead is complete. The leading edge of the panel needs to be formed now. This is a straightforward "bend over the edge of the table" as it does not require a very sharp bend to replicate the original design. I marked the inside bend line and clamped the panel flush with the edge of the table and used a block of wood and a hammer to form the first bend. The second bend upwards was done in several step using HF 3" sheet metal pliers and following up with hammer and dolly. The transition to the transmission cover still needs some tweaking on both parts. I will form a lap joint at the rear of the front panel in the middle of two beads and spot weld the panels together once I cut out the old floor and can properly align them on the frame. Stay tuned...
Be happy that you didnt order one from Bradley...You would still be waiting for it two years from now...
I am not patient when it comes to other people. I am more likely to spend twice the time trying to do it myself.
Back with some more progress. The rocker boxes need to be completely replaced. They are basically c-channels of varying width which will be spot welded over the floor piece. First thing is to make same templates from thin card stock. I will make the rockers in 3 sections, because the outer sections have irregular taper and some additional features, while the inner piece can be made from a straight bent section. Here are the two mid sections. The standing rib at the bottom is interrupted where the running board brackets come out.
Let's look how I did the rear section. First the finished piece... After cutting the flat from 18ga, I cut a wood 2x4 with the curvature of the top. The metal is now gradually bent using clanging pliers, then a block of wood and a heavy hammer. After taking the piece from the wooden buck, a quick once over with hammer and dolly gets it into decent shape. The lower straight corner is bent using the cheapo HF bench top brake, which does 30" of 18 ga with a little convincing and planning, if a sharp corner radius is not required. $60 well invested.
The attentive viewer will now have noticed that the pictures above were posted out of order. Well screw it... Here is how the lower, interrupted rib is formed. Again, a wooden buck is placed under the metal, then I used a ball peen hammer to form the radius leading into the rib, after using the clanging pliers to pre form the straight section. Here are two sections which eventually will be joined. The HF brake will work nicely if you take care marking and aligning the pieces. The sections still have 1" overlap and will only be trimmed to final length when all 3 pieces can be aligned and checked. I will form a flange and first spot the pieces together, then weld them solid inside and out.
Next is the front piece. This also has a curve in the horizontal plane where it tapers into the cowl. The v notch at the upper edge us where the firewall joins the floor. I also made a buck for the curve of the lower edge but it was not really necessary. The lower edge was first formed straight on the brake. Then cut leaving the radius on the lower horizontal piece, which allows for a nice continuous radius once shaped.
Before tacking the piece I added the lower standing rib, which required a little help from the stretcher and shrinker. To get the inward curvature, the lower horizontal flange and rib had to be pie cut, then everything welded solid. The v notch was done by bending the upper flange pieces down along the v shape, trimming the outside wall along the v, and placing an additional v shaped flat on top to fill the gap. Everything was welded in and out and ground smooth
Final cleanup, such as straightening and trimming the lower standing rib to size will be done after joining all pieces together. That's all for now. Hope to have some more progress next week.
Yep, you are one crafty sum-bitch. Necessity is the mother of invention. Glad I got to swing by last weekend, to see all this up close and personal. Love that Swiss coffee. JT
Brilliant! ! ! I'm copying your trans tunnel for my Model A. After all, plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery.
The Jalopy Journal
