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Projects Does the HAMB really need another shoebox build thread?

Discussion in 'Traditional Customs' started by Big A, Sep 14, 2011.

  1. Finnrodder
    Joined: Oct 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,970

    Finnrodder
    Member
    from Finland

    Good to see progress with this build.Keep it up!
     
  2. bgbdlinc
    Joined: Jan 11, 2002
    Posts: 522

    bgbdlinc
    Member

     
  3. Not much chance of rolling this year, but thanks for the encouragement. Not going to win any awards, just want to drive the damn thing and not be tooo embarrassed :D
     
  4.  
  5. I'm sure it's going to look great when your done.
    Good to see some progress.
     
  6. Awesome thread Andrew, glad to see you've worked it this far. You have skills and it is very cool to know that they were self taught .. Now come on down and get started on my 56 Dodgem, I seem to have little interest in it anymore...
     
  7. ynottayblock
    Joined: Dec 23, 2005
    Posts: 1,954

    ynottayblock
    Member

    dude we need to start a sanding support group...I feel your pain
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2013
  8. Finnrodder
    Joined: Oct 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,970

    Finnrodder
    Member
    from Finland

    Any updates?
    Is your sanding purgatory over?
     
  9. Andrew - That is way cool - Looks great man - WOW!!!!
     
  10. Marten
    Joined: Jan 27, 2007
    Posts: 171

    Marten
    Member

    Write me in the 'I Hate Sandblocking For Life' group also! Tried my best on my fenders, what a shitty job pfff...asked several guys who does it for a living, but even they won't burn there hands on them. 'We only do new stuff and replacing new sheetmetal, little sandblocking now and then' blablabla

    Your car looks tits in primer, really like the taillights!
     
  11. I don't think you have much to be embarrassed about, great job and thanks for sharing.
     
  12. Nope. Still sanding...

    [​IMG]

    And sprayed another coat of primer. I won't be posting any close-up shots quite yet, still not done...

    [​IMG]

    Oh boy. More sanding to do this weekend. :rolleyes:
     
  13. ynottayblock
    Joined: Dec 23, 2005
    Posts: 1,954

    ynottayblock
    Member

    fun stuff eh?

    looking good though dude, keep it up. Those taillights are tits
     
  14. Jeff Norwell
    Joined: Aug 20, 2003
    Posts: 14,811

    Jeff Norwell
    MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    Looking great Andrew.....really great!
     
  15. Malcolm
    Joined: Feb 9, 2006
    Posts: 8,032

    Malcolm
    Member
    from Nebraska

    Looking good!!
     
  16. You guys wanna come over and cheer me on? I don't even want to go in the garage right now. C'mon... I have beer... :D
     
  17. NortonG
    Joined: Dec 26, 2003
    Posts: 2,117

    NortonG
    Member Emeritus

    I just happen to work for beer!

    I've been following along but I haven't commented yet and I have to say this thing is killer!
     
  18. ynottayblock
    Joined: Dec 23, 2005
    Posts: 1,954

    ynottayblock
    Member

    been there...youll get over that feeling eventually

    ...I hope :D
     
  19. flatheadpete
    Joined: Oct 29, 2003
    Posts: 10,479

    flatheadpete
    Member
    from Burton, MI

    Looking good! Now keep it up and get it done!!!
     
  20. Showrail
    Joined: Dec 22, 2008
    Posts: 36

    Showrail
    Member
    from Sweden

    Find this tread today, LOVE IT. Will spend hours to read it all later.
     
  21. pointer-1
    Joined: Mar 11, 2012
    Posts: 32

    pointer-1
    Member

    Amazing work. Gives me hope that mine will get done sooner or later.
    Keep pounding on that sanding I hate it too but the end product shows the effort.
    Pointer-1
     
  22. shoebox1950
    Joined: Jul 17, 2008
    Posts: 1,216

    shoebox1950
    Member
    from California

    Double tail lights remind me of the family truckster and those double double vision Inn-n-out commercials haha

    Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
     
  23. That's EXACTLY the look I'm going for. :confused:

    Alrighty then, moving right along... I'm sick of sanding, need to do something on this to get my energy level back up. So, what haven't I messed with on this car? Let's find some virgin steel and cut it :D

    I've had a set of '56 Olds headlight rings stashed away for years. I've looked at all kinds of different ways of using them, most of which involve using Olds buckets and pieces of the Olds fenders. '56 have the nice peak on top, which is hard to replicate... or not tooo hard, as it turns out. I didn't have any luck finding Olds fenders or buckets, and I read a Street Rodder article using the stock Ford buckets so that's where I pointed my compass.

    First of all I need to clean up the old rust buckets...

    [​IMG]

    Whip 'em through the sandblaster and hit 'em with some Rustoleum, they look almost passable...

    [​IMG]

    Now, just attaching the Oldsmobile rings to the Ford buckets makes them stand out like a fake tit, so I needed to pull the buckets back about 3/4". I also want to be able to install bulbs and make adjustments from the front (one of the things I dislike about typical frenched headlights is guys mount the bucket from behind, then have to pull the bucket out every time they need to access the headlight).

    I started with some 18ga, bent 90°...

    [​IMG]

    I'd never used a shrinker before, but it turned out to be a pretty simple operation to make a fairly decent circle...

    [​IMG]

    Tacked the fairly decent circles to the buckets and after some farting around getting the holes etc. in the right places, I ended up with these...

    [​IMG]

    Which sets the bucket back in the fender...

    [​IMG]

    What that pic doesn't show is the mounting tab on the bottom. I pop-rivetted them on and things were ticketty boo. That's the easy part.

    Here's where the real fun begins...

    [​IMG]

    I wanted the natural crease in the stock fender to line up with the peak in the headlight, so I stuck a hunk of rod on there as a guide. Looks a little crooked in that pic, but it was where it needed to be...

    [​IMG]

    That gave me a good couple of starting points to work out a template. I wanted to transition from old steel to new at a point where it would seem natural, and that took a little finagling...

    [​IMG]

    So how the hell do you make that crease? Same way I made my hood peak. Started with a sheet of 18ga, bent to about 75° (I didn't want as big/sharp a crease as the hood, so I convinced myself that 75° was about right... highly scientific guessing)...

    [​IMG]

    And I just started flattening it using my wimpy little schoolgirl hands, don't want tool marks in the steel...

    [​IMG]

    Once I transferred my pattern and cut out the shapes, then I pounded it into a closer approximation of the final shape using a dead-blow hammer and a block of wood...

    [​IMG]

    I tacked a chunk of tubing to my bench with a small gap underneath so I had something to help with shaping...

    [​IMG]

    Then I tacked the roughly shaped steel onto the fender and pretty much just pushed it into shape...

    [​IMG]

    Talk about frickin' nervous. I looked for a couple of years before I found a nice set of fenders I could afford. Found 'em in Missouri on my way to the HAMB Drags, and BenD and Marcy brought them up north for me. Nice, solid, original sheet metal... that first cut was almost painful... but I got over it :D

    [​IMG]

    Still need to do lots of finishing, but the first one came out pretty alright if I do say so...

    [​IMG]

    The peak worked out...

    [​IMG]
     
  24. I still need to make a filler piece under the eyebrow, and a bit more slapper & dolly work to make the shape 100% right...

    [​IMG]

    And then I get to do it all over again...

    [​IMG]

    To be continued...
     
  25. You custom guys really make me wonder!
     
  26. Dimadee
    Joined: Feb 19, 2013
    Posts: 104

    Dimadee
    Member

    Wow. You make it sound so easy......I'll just cut a bit out of the fender and insert a new piece which is the shape I want.

    I have nothing but admiration for your workmanship.
     
  27. EBW
    Joined: Oct 16, 2011
    Posts: 544

    EBW
    Member

    Awesome work !! I like the new look !
     
  28. Finnrodder
    Joined: Oct 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,970

    Finnrodder
    Member
    from Finland

    Great work,Andrew!
     
  29. Thanks guys. I'll get some better pics up once I get things a bit more finished. I lost sleep over this for a long time before attempting it, gotta say I'm pretty happy with the result so far.
     
  30. ynottayblock
    Joined: Dec 23, 2005
    Posts: 1,954

    ynottayblock
    Member

    ballsy, but turned out great! they will look awesome with the peaked hood. Bravo dude
     

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