Technical checkerboard, what size?

I'm doing a checkerboard firewall and need opinions for the perfect size squares, its a model T firewall, not very big.
The body a gloss black with eggshell white checkers.
Any opinions?
thanks, Oj

 

Since it's a relatively small area, the squares can't be too big, yet they can't be so small that if you walk 10 feet away the firewall just looks grey. I'm thinking 3" squares.

 

Just curious, what are the dimensions of the "T" firewall? This could help with the decision making.........Don.

 

Its small Don, 31" wide by 28"ish tall
You won't see much of it:

I was thinking an inch? square?

 

I would go with 2". Did a checkered racing stripe on a small block powered '66 Spitfire I had a few years back. The wife said it looks like a taxicab...
I hadn't thought of that, she was right!

 

IMO, small enough so that it looks grey from 10 inches; or better yet, gloss black.

 

Several threads exist on HAMB with pics. They may give you an idea of sizes.

 

2 inch

 

For some reason the checkers shout 'English' to me but I don't know why. Fun car.

 

Two inch looks good to me

 

3 inch.

The easiest way to checkerboard a firewall...and to get the spacing right is:

Horizontaly cover the entire firewall with tape with each strip of tape almost touching. Then remove every other piece of tape.

Vertically do the same, cover the entire firewall with tape and remove every other piece

This will give you 2/3ds of your squares. you will have to X-acto knife out the other 1/3 of them. You will only have to cut 2 sides of the remaining 1/3 squares to remove them and the existing tape will act as a guide. It's easy

Hope this helps

 

How about so small you can't see them. Sorry I'm not a checkered firewall fan, to me it seems cheesy. It's your car though, have fun with it.

 

Depends on the size of the checkers you play with. Good thing is under normal conditions if you decide to play chess, the bases are smaller than checkers when bought in a set.

 

Considering the small area visible with the engine in, I think smaller rather than large. I think you would loose the pattern if they are too big in a small area. My 2cts

 

2" is easy to do, just get 2"tape.

 

Get some black duct tape and a piece of posterboard, mock it up and see what it looks like

 

And 3" is also easy to do, I used 3" masking tape.

And by the way Lloyd, what the hell is KTBF ? I racked my brain trying to make a clever guess...all I could come up with is Kitty Tit Butt Fucker

 

small enough, so you don't see them .

 

As long as you glue some checkers on it. Or even, chess pieces.

 

@oj ..... My choice would be the size that just one square would cover the entire firewall...

Ray

 

Sam Foose liked 'em back around 1978 (I think) before "traditional" was cool.
His look like maybe 2" but I think size would depend on how much of your firewall is visible.

 

Damn! You're the first to figure it out Jack! lol.... not my idea, but it's KEEP THE BITCH FLOORED! I've got a bunch of those shirts.

 

Jeez guys, its a fukin HOTROD! we don't do stodgy in Virginia!
Just kiddin, it is a tough decision, the car already has a ton of stuff going on and I might be cluttering it up with the checkerboard. On the other hand, I've come this far and probably won't again; I don't want to look at the finished product wishing I'd gone checkerboard.
If I don't go checkerboard it'll be an off-white like D-Russ' firewall, crisp and clean.

 

I think thats a good idea, I'll get some different color masking tape of different widths and do a mockup while the body is off the car, post some pics and we'll see whats what. Gonna snow tomorrow, sound slike a good day to lay down some tape.

 

I searched it a couple days ago, popped right up on the first page.

I might consider a checkerboard on my heap but I would paint the firewall black and cut some white squares out of contact paper so I could peel them off if I got tired of it.

 

Hey Lloyd, that DOES make slightly more sense than my version. And the picture helps keep it in context...otherwise it sounds like a case of domestic violence. Keep the Bitch Floored, then...KHDA...Knock Her Down Again

 

An old weather related pilot maxim.....”I’d rather be down here, wishing I was up there, than up there wishing I was down here”

Ray

 

..............Now we're talkin'. I might humbly recommend Wimbledon White.

 

Kinda makes the firewall the focal point of the whole car. Is that what you want?

 

I have to admit my checkerboard firewall was one of those "sounded like a good idea at the time" endeavors. When I finish painting and removed the tape, I realized it was just a little too much

I had the choice of sanding it off and re-shooting the firewall flat black again...or I could try to learn to live with it.

Slacker that I am...I chose the latter