Customs Finally starting on the wife’s 56

When I started working there, the boss had just punched these louvers. The tool used is a die shaped like the louver with a male and female die. The die is about 3/4 of an inch wide. A pullmax is like a power hammer you can change dies out to stamp parts. Each louver was laid out, cut, then ran through the die. Each one is spaced out to resemble the OE hood side.
My first job when I arrived, I guess a challenge, was to fix the contour issue.
I removed the hood sides, laid a small diameter piece of pipe under the hood top and used a ratchet strap to hold a little tension on the hood top.
I ground a piece of 3/8 inch steel to fit inside the louvers. I would hammer each louver then move the pipe about 1/8 of an inch, add tension, hammer and repeat. Both sides. After 2-3 times doing this, the tension released and the hood tops relaxed in their original shape.
That took care of the piece between the louvers. Then some of the raised parts needed stretched, those were hammered and dollied until we were satisfied with the shape.

 

Heck of a day. Blown out shoes, ripped britches, having to wear wrist braces due to hand issues from all this banging and a cutoff wheel attacked my arm.
We survived to hammer another day.

 

Glad you made it out alive Brother! Sound's like you had a hell of a day! LOL!

 

Damn, the only thing to like from this post is surviving to hammer another day!

 

Working on the dog leg
Pattern from the better side

transferred over and the flange bent with a hammer due to the curve.

Shrinker stretcher used to work the contour.

Hammered in the lower detail.
Checked with a contour gauge from the other side

used the pattern to lay out the detail in the jamb. Clamped to my bench and hammered the detail with a chisel body hammer struck with a rubber mallet.

test fitting. I’ll get that gap to tighten up before welding.

Then on to the next part of it

 

Started on the rest of the dog leg.



taped to the car. It’s just tacked together. Will remove and weld. ( Ran out of argon)
It’s a little crude at this point but will work out once hammered.
It’s easier to hammer and dolly off the car. I’ll wait and weld after I make the inner wheelhouse pieces and use this as a guide.

 

Dang, Anthony, you are not just a Fearless ( most would pass by your adopted project choice )
Metal Maestro! You are an educator of our band of hoodlums.
My fear ( 57 210 2-dr ) of having to deal with such issues is fading away.
Thanks a TON

 

Metal magic.

 

Yep. Just an old boring 4door wagon.
And I guess I’m wasting a bunch of work amd time on it
But it’s practice for the next floor and rockers.
And the wife digs the car. So I’m good with it.

 

Saving any tri 5 is never a waste. Besides your strengths are growing ( I Hope ).

To be clear the reference to passing by on the project, was about the depth of destruction. Wagons with 4 doors are more practical.

 

Roughed out dog leg

 

And if I hadn't of been broke at the time, I would have bought it myself!

Thought seriously on it, but not being the metalman Anthony is, I passed on it.
No way I could have done the job as well as he's doing.

Can't wait to see the Mrs driving it!

 

Thanks. And me too.
When she is cruising this, I’ll be building mine (hopefully)

 

STILL watching in Awe...

 

I stepped this part down like I did for a reason.
One is I don’t like straight across cuts. I guess that’s from my collision experience.
second is i dodged adding some more work by only replacing what’s needed and avoiding adding complications to the shapes. I kept the pieces a size that works with my shrinker/stretcher. It’s depth is about 1-1.25 inches.

 

When making shapes like this, you sometimes have to build in manageable steps.
I like to weld in a radius and from the back side. Cuts down on finish work on the other side.
The small inside radius is made by hand using pliers. Matches the OE shape and easier to weld.

 

Inner dog leg gettin close

 

Got the inner wheel house roughed out.
Little more hammer/dolly work, some trimming and it’ll be ready to go. It’s just tacked together. Checking the overall fit.

That’s a long way from where it started

 

Sometimes a gap tightens up during welding.
It’s nice having some frame equipment around when that happens.
The rocker gap tightened up on the rear door.
The weight of the bar was enough to open it up.
I’ll weld it with a tad extra and see how it goes.

 

I’m assuming that the boss (your wife) is keeping an eye on you?

 

She visits sometimes.

 

This is the second one I have seen, was your previous employer Alan Johnson? HRP

 

Yep. That’s it.

 

I was knocked out when I saw the hood louvers, I can't imagine just how many hours it took to punch them much less the patience and long days it took to refine them, when I first saw the roadster at Pigeon Forge I thought to myself who ever did those is a real craftsman. HRP

 

Lots of work and a talented crew built that.
When ya work in a shop, sometimes you finish things someone started and vice versa.
The hood was an experiment by the boss. He took a mint Henry hood and sliced it up.
“It’s just metal” he’d say. Then he said now I know why no one’s done this yet.
I visited the shop a while back and noticed another hood and he said they figured out how to punch the full length louvres with less distortion
The car was shown in bare metal for a while. After priming, Alan’s dad and I block sanded the louvres. Probably 2 16 hour days we sat and blocked those hood pieces. No bondo. Only primer on the hood pieces and grill shell. Very very little in the rest.
The quarter panels were sectioned by Alan. No grinder ever touched it. Hammered and DAd with 80 grit. Totally unlike my welding

 

Not much work lately. Free time has been working with the kids Willy’s jeep. Almost wrapped up the drivers side.

I’m patently working or trying to convince the wife to let me nose and deck it. Remove all the badging.
I was asked what would be involved with changing to belair side trim.
She said no boat flake if we paint it

 

She dug this 56 (the look not the color, dang it)

I didn’t get a no for shaving the handles.
I kinda wondered what Lincoln push buttons would look like
Astro Supremes was a no. Steelies is a maybe.
She likes the OE caps.
No rallys!!!!
She likes the blue and white combo.
If painted, I hinted at mixing a slight metallic version of the colors.
got a hmmmmmmmmm

 

I’m surprised that no one has said this . Happy Wife =Happy Life .
You’ve got it figured out .
Your skills are amazing

 

Thanks.
The guys on this site do the most amazing sheet metal work. To the point where I’ve considered locking the shop doors and get a job at Walmart.
I learn something every time I visit their threads.
I’m getting better. Slowly buying a few tools.
Got a big project planned after this if I live long enough