Projects Chopped it.......she's still too tall.

Grills looking good my friend. Is the piece of rod part of your "thousands of dollars" of equipment?

 

Thanks! Yeah I have lots of "high budget" Equipment!

I've been bending up a few small pieces. Only been able to squeeze in little bit's of time here and there. Even slow progress is good progress!

 

Finally welding it back together....well a little bit anyway. I miter cut and welded the upper grill surround. This is the part that the leading edge of the hood will meet. This is O/A welded , hammered lightly, and filed.

 

I started fitting the piece to the opening. It's lapped for fit, but will be trimmed and butt welded. The overlap makes it "adjustable" but I'm pretty happy with it now. Glad I made the roll pan easy to remove! Makes life much easier!

 

Looking good!

 

Looking good!

 

I got a little more welding done. Rather than the easy way, making the grille opening even with the grille, I extended the center. Took some creative measuring, but I got it all even. I think!
Welded the opening to the upper part. I welded this side non stop. It got a little out of shape, but came right back after I planished the weld over a piece of tubing.
Filed and ground. Mounted back in the truck. I'll be trimming of the corners of the aprons by the head lights, and then build the hood opening. Damn, this is a lot of work! Worth every hour!

 

Man, I had so much to do today..........but I said screw that, and went out to the shop!

I decided to work on the front of the hood. I made a shape to match the upper opening piece I welded in in the last pictures. I used the same t dolly as the grille opening so the leading edge of the hood would match.I split that, and mitered the bottom to match the grille opening.
I needed to shrink the two pieces deeper into the panel than my shrinker would reach. I had made up a tucking tool, but hadn't played much with it.
It worked good, but felt like I was destroying the piece! It took some time, but after planishing they didn't look too bad. In the last picture one side is planished and one isn't yet.

 

I made some relief cuts in the hood and fit the pieces to the hood. I welded part way up the center of the new hood front, but the hood is getting peaked, so I didn't weld too far. I did the fitting and welding with the hood leading edge clamped to the grille opening. I welded each section, stretched it with hammer and dolly, and then moved side to side. No forced cooling. I welded up the relief cuts non stop, then stretched. I'm having good results with longer and longer welds. It evens out the heat effect area, and seems to even out the metal movement. I got it filed and ground today. I'm pretty jacked!

 

Damn nice work!

 

Thanks! I'm starting to think I can pull this off!

 

still watching over here...

 

Like this!

 

You will pull it off, keep it up...

 

im was staring to think you could a while ago! there are a handful of REALLY wild stude trucks floating around, and yours will be right there at the top of the heap. however yours will probably be the only m-series in the group!

 

Thanks for the encouragement! It really does help an obsessive compulsive like myself. I tend to second guess most things I do. Which brings me to to the point of tonights post. I have the front two feet of the hood and fenders from the 47 olds that the grille came from. (Abandoned wall mounting project ) I also have a nice complete 47 olds hood.
The current plan with the stude hood is to continue the sides straight down, and extend the aprons horizontally. This would make the hood sides meet the aprons much like a 40 Willys hood closes over the fender on the sides. A part of the willys I really like.

But.....this is a custom. I keep looking at the 47 olds hood. I really like the transition from the front and sides to the fender. I also really like the peak over the head light. I can use the fender pieces to extend the aprons, and narrow and shorten the 47 olds hood.

Labor wise, I think it's a toss up. Not that that matters. I have to split and peak the stude hood anyway. If I narrow the olds hood, I can press the peak into it rather than run two welds full length. I'd be taking 7" out of the center, so It would get rid of the "bulbus" look, and bring it to a pretty good peak in the front.

So I could really use some opinions on this. What do you guys think. Will the olds hood flow much better, as I think it will? Or an I just overthinking this?
Heres some pictures of the fenders clamped to the hood section I have. (that hood piece is actually going to cover the outside light over one of the shop doors)

 

I would use the Olds hood and headlights; I just think it would flow better.

 

I'd look at cutting the outer part of the Olds fender ,and grafting in the Olds headlights to the Outer Stude fender .I'd aim to keep the joint between the Olds fenders and hood.
You could do as you describe on the Stude hood sides by making it similar to a Willys and bring the shut line round the front,retaining the section of Olds hood to function kinda the same as the nose panel on a 48-50 F-1?

 

The stude headlights are slightly teardrop shaped. I like that ok, but I don't think I want to use the chrome bezels anyway. I think it needs frenched lights. It looks like I can section the fender pieces into the stude aprons (the panel under the head light) with the headlights pretty easily. It will also lower the headlights slightly. I was thinking about taking a little slice out of them anyway. At least it looks like it will work, from holding it up next to the truck anyway! I think we're thinking the same thing fleet-master. Looks like I may have ruined a perfectly good M series hood!

 

I'm agreeing with fleetmaster, use those parts that make up the joint between the hood and fender. I think the shape of the hood front you made is outstanding, the way it leans back,etc. I would keep it, if anything says custom it's that hood nose, no other one like it right?. The stock 47 Olds hood looks too flat right where it meets the grill.

 

You're right Mike. The olds hood would have to be peaked to match the opening. I'd probably use that leading edge, or make another the same. Always easier the second time! I can get the angle the same, as the hood is way long. I think that the angle and flow there is so critical. That's why I second guess myself so much! I'd be remaking the trailing edge too, but it's simple, and again I still have to do that, because of the angled section of the hood. I'm going to go ahead and split the olds hood and play around with that.

Thanks again guys........this gives me something to think about, while I get back to paying work for a few days!

 

I split the 47 olds hood today..........I think it needs a little shrinking!

 

This is the curvature I'm looking for. After narrowing, (7" in the front) the olds hood will be narrower through the front than the stude hood.

 

I've lost track there are so many different parts combined together. I wish I had the skills to do that. Btw, when I said the olds hood was flat I meant it was vertical, didn't lean back slightly like your custom made one. That last picture looks great, I can picture that gray section with a nice rounded corner.

 

Well, along with the OCD, there's a little ADD going on in my brain! I prefer to think of it as "an open minded build plan"
As of right now, I'm pretty sure I'll use the Olds hood, narrowed, shortened, peaked and leaned (the same amount I leaned the Stude hood). I think it will be less work than the stude hood, with a much better look.
I'll use the Olds front fender/headlight sections that I have, grafted to the Stude aprons. That will give me the shape I'm after, and stock appearing innerstructure & jambs. It will also get rid of the "frog eyed look" of the stude. I'll peak the Olds hood to match the peak on the fender/headlight sections.
Thanks again to all following along. More to come soon, but not today. Today I spend hangin with Gene Winfield!!!!!!

 

I started to fit the Olds hood and headlights. I think this will actually be easier than using the Stude hood. The tape line is approximately the centerline of the hood. narrowing about 7" in the front, and almost none in the rear. Took nearly 18" off the back. When all is done, I'll probably pie cut it an inch or two. We'll see how everything looks once it's all fit. I started to make a new leading edge with an arbor press and my helve hammer, but I think I'll try again. I should have put the peak in last. I don't think I can get the right profile and lean on this now. I want the same lean as the stude hood had.Oh well, first attempt at a real part on this machine. Guess I gotta ruin a little sheet metal in the learning curve.

So what do you guys think of this?

 

Looks sweet! How did you do that peak?

 

I pressed that in with my arbor press. You can see the top die in the last picture. The part was turned over to press in the peak. It works great. Next time I'll shape the part first, and make a die with a little curve to it.

 

What's the bottom die/anvil?

 

It's the same one as the helve hammer. Brass with really dense rubber. Originally bomb racks. It works good, but I need to make something else for the helve. Maybe a shot bag. I'll probably make another front panel for the hood and use the arbor press. It's amazing how fast you can move metal with it. I'm still experimenting and learning these tools. I don't mind ruining a little metal!