SIZE=4]Even after making new bumper brackets to move the bumpers closer to the body, car owner Jeff Kildow and I were not happy with the open area between the bumper and the body. [/SIZE] So we decided to try to make some splash aprons. The first step was to mock up several different shapes in cardboard Once we had a shape we liked the pattern was transferred to 1/8” plywood, Masonite also works well. Then the pattern is transfered to 2 pieces of 1/2” MDF, to make the hammer form A piece of sheet metal is then cut to size plus about 3/8” extra. A 73 Ford wagon abandoned on my property gave up it's roof for the cause. The pieces of the hammer form and sheet metal were then bolted and clamped together The bolt holes were placed so they fall over the mounts on the bumper brackets. Once the piece is formed I will then weld flat headed bolts to the splash apron and fill these holes at the same time. These bolts help to keep the sheet metal from moving during the hammer forming Once all was ready I used a body hammer to form the edge of the splash apron. Once the forming was complete the pieces were unbolted / unclamped, and the edge was trimmed down till it was flush with the 1/8” plywood. Next using the 1/8” flanging dies and my bead roller a step was formed following the apron's edge. A small area , where the bead rolled design comes to a sharp point had to be hand formed. The full width rear splash apron had to be made in 2 halves. Running the full panel through the bead roller changed the shape of the apron enough to affect its fit. Aluminum might have worked better for the larger panel. The original holes and grommets for the bumper irons did not work with the splash aprons, so I hammer formed these new openings and welded them into place. I used a flat nose punch to start the metal into the opening and then finished the shaping by holding a 1/2” extension in place and hammering on it outside the form. Also on this car Jeff wished to retain the stock running boards. The bottom outer edge of both running boards were very bent, and the outside of the the right one was beyond repair. After no luck finding a better set of running boards, I decided to see if I could have “patch panels” made to save these. My first step was to hand bend a 1” wide stripe of sheet metal to match the outer shape of the running board. This template coved the bottom lip of the board to the area just inside of the rubber cover. I then went to a local sheet metal Shop and had to 8' pieces bent to match this shape. The original running boards had a body line that ran the length of the running boards that matched the shape of the chrome trim piece. This line was not copied in the patch panels to help simplify them. We plan to attach the trim to the flat section after painting. On the left board the ends were in good enough shape that they were retained, but on the right side they were not usable Minor pie cuts and some hand forming allowed me to duplicate the stock shape. Sorry did not get more pictures but maby these will give Y'all an idea.
Nice work. I am going to form my fender skirt panels the same way. I like the idea of the holes to stop the panel shifting. When they're finished I'll use the holes to attach a piece of stainless trim to each one. Also thinking of running a small bead along the bottom edge. Not sure if it will be too much on the one panel with the bead and the SS spear. Louie
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