Projects Scratch building a 26 Model T Pickup, everything starts with a buck !

I think i will learn quite a bit if you keep up this detailed information on how the process works. Thanks for taking the time to post it.

 

Hey Guys.
Things have been a bit slow of late. I picked up some scrap 3 mm plate today for the firewall brackets only to find it almost impossible to fold. It was a gargantuan effort that resulted in the destruction of one of my clamps and the finished results were less than impressive. I have decided to use 3 mm channel for the brackets instead. I was also examining the A pillars and dash rail and realized they were the same thickness as the firewall brackets and that a shrinker would have a hell of a time trying to bend that around.

 

Another thing I do not like is that the dash rail and A pillars are separate items that look like they were spot welded and riveted together. My solution will be to craft all three from a single piece of R.H.S. The wall thickness won't be the same but the strength will be retained in the fact that it is box tubing rather than channel tubing. This will be especially advantages in regards to the fact there will no longer be any need for timber to fill the channels in the b pillars.

 

I have bent R.H.S before, so should not have any trouble doing this piece, it will measure 25 x 25 by about two meters. Sorry for the lack of photos, I just found out that I have already exhausted my up load limit. Until I can work out a solution, it will be a while before I start posting again but the work won't stop. The upside is that by that time I should have the the whole A pillar dash frame assembly complete and ready to mount the hinges. I am looking forward to getting that done so that I can move onto creating the dash and cowl to attach to the frame.

 

Hey Guys.
Perhaps one of the biggest stumbling blocks with this project was how to tackle the doors and one thing that I did earlier in the year was purchase an Eastwood Bead roller with a separate set of dies. I was pretty disappointed with those dies due to the fact that the half round ones were too small and had resigned my self to having to either purchase more dies or get them machined to suit the complex shape of the doors.
However the idea of spending hundreds of dollars more really put me off. I decided instead to get creative and try out some combinations from the bead rollers mandrels and the extra dies. I came up with this combination.

 

Another thing I did was purchase some 20x25 sheets of white cardboard from my nearest craft shop. These are to be used as stencils from which I can trace a guide onto the sheet metal for the beads to be rolled. I used the MDF buck for reference and crossed checked the stencil against the original door as well.

 

I had more photos to upload but once again I am being blocked from doing so. If anyone is able to advise me on a photo sharing site I can use to upload my images that is not photobucket, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

Im sure you can just upload the photos right from you PC

 

When Ryan upgraded the site he made it so you can upload right to the HAMB, just use the upload a file button below your text window.

 

Had the same dilemma ,tried different combinations to duplicate fender well edges for s 38 Chevy, its a well worth learning curve, try some sample pieces first ,also you may need to do it in multiple steps you don't want to roll it in one pass ,there is some effects that can be done in one pass , Good Luck! looking forward to updates

 

If you can't load pictures it is probably because they are too large or are in the wrong format.
You would have to reduce the file size and possibly convert it to a supported format.
A good photo managing program like windows photo manager will do that.

 

Looks like a great project and should be an informative thread. I'm subscribed.

 

I use Flickr.com as my photo host. No limitations. Store as many photos as you like. Free.

I also use PicMonkey.com to edit my photos. The self adjust, cropping, and resizing features are also free.

It is very easy to link pictures stored in Flickr to Garage Journal posts and they can be inserted into or between paragraphs as desired.

 

Just a friendly comment. You should strongly consider putting a coat of phosphoric acid on all of your treasures. Don't let oxygen takeyourdreams away.

Mike

 

Hey Guys.
It has been a while since I have posted anything. While I have not done any more its certainly not on the back burner. There have been some major developments that will speed the process along. One thing I did last month was make a major purchase. What I ended up buying was a collection of 29 Model A bits. Such stuff is getting very scarce in this part of the world and I had been looking at getting a Model A chassis for the project anyway. When this collection came up for sale I was quick to act. Luckily I had a mate living not far from the seller, so he was able to collect it all for me and keep it at his farm until such a time that i can collect it.

Along with the chassis, other main parts consisted of the front half of a 29 roadster body and the back half of a sports coupe, as well as bonnet, grill and a few other odds and ends. While all this might seem a little off topic, its actually very relevant. The plan is to run the pickup on a Model A chassis, which I now have. The lower part of the T cowl will need to follow the same shape as the lower part of the A firewall. Hence the Model A Roadster firewall.

Here is a basic summary of what I want.

T Roadster Pickup sitting on a 29 Model A chassis with an extended hood. The fenders will also be 29 Model A. The grill shell will be a 32 style with floating headlights, that is no headlight bar. I have also been toying with the idea of doing a roadster turtle deck, I can't decide which style it will be, but it is possible that both sections may end up being interchangeable. Pickup one day, Roadster the next. I can use the quarter panels from the sports coupe as a pattern for the larger wheel arches I need for the turtle deck.

I have no doubt trying to make up roadster quarter panels may be more trouble than its worth so it is just an idea at this stage.

Another thing I have been struggling with has been how to create the frame for the body work. Originally I wanted to replicate the stock Model T cowl frame work but getting the folds right and replicating the A pillars was proving to be a real challenge. I have opted instead to use R.H.S steel square tubing instead. A single length will make up the bucket section of the body, joined at the back. I recently purchased a 12 ton shop press to allow myself to bend the tubing. I also purchased a flat bar bender. This tool will enable me to replicate the A pillars including the recesses for the pillars.

Another important thing I was finally able to get was some contour gauges. Two short ones for tight radius's and a third one to suit low crown contours such as roof skins, deck lids and quarter panels. Just having the gauges will make creating the remaining bucks so much easier

I am looking to pick up the Model A bits early next month and I also hope by then to have a purpose built workshop finished so that I can purchase the remaining tools I need to begin shaping the panels once the body frame is complete. The Model A bits I don't need, I can sell off or even trade for the other bits I need.

Sorry about the lack of photo's there is really not much to show until the work shop area is finished and I can finally start using the tools to build the body frame. I am really looking forward to this part of the build.

 

Keep the updates coming

 

I was going to do one like this, then I realized I have no metal skills at all... That's why I can imitate a hotrod that a stupid highschooler would have done in the 40's.....LOL

 

Cool.

 

Mine are crude at best, thanks to all the Youtube tutorials I am learning as fast as I can. Of course I draw a lot of inspiration from all the HAMB builds, always plenty to learn on here as well.

 

NICE!!!!!!!!

 

I think I know which model a project you might have scored. Advertised on gumtree recently?? I may be interested in some of the model a body stuff you don't want so keep me posted.

 

Hmmm, I have been thinking about keeping it for patterns for any future metal shaping projects. But I will a have abetter idea when I finally see it all.

Cheers !

 

Hey Guys !

I got home on Monday night after being away for a fortnight on an overseas holiday. One thing I did before I got home was to drop into my mates place to pick up my Model A parts. I managed to load everything into the car except the chassis. By everything I mean
the front half of a Roadster, a grill, full bonnet, sports coupe quarter panels, deck lid, tulip panel, beaver panel plus various floor panels, a seat frame and parcel shelf and we even manage to lay the diff across the back floor. The car was so full, I had to put all my travel luggage on the front seat. The only thing left to collect now is the chassis which he will bring along to the Wagga Swap Meet and drop back at my place afterwards.

This may all seem off topic but these parts are actually crucial to the build. As I outlined previously the T body will sit on a Model A chassis and use 28/29 A fenders. As such the sports coupe quarter panels will be measured for their wheel wells and the roadster doors will be copied for their inner door skins. I am back at work tomorrow but that did not stop me from dragging all the parts out today to take measurements and make up patterns.

 

The image at the top is the cardboard pattern that I made up. I would normally make a paper pattern first then a template afterwards but because the contour in the side of the cowl is so shallow, I was able to get away with using the cardboard once I had made a concession for the lower hinge placement. This pattern is also a reversible template that I will be able to trace straight onto the sheet metal to save time. I have made major changes to the original design, originally I was going to try and form the outer cowl from a single piece of sheet metal, but I soon realised that there would be a lot more forming needed on the edges. another thing that stopped me from doing so was the fact that I could not decide if I wanted a stock style cowl or one that accommodated a Duvall V style windshield. Then I figured I could have both if the cowl skin was a three piece unit. From the base to the top the side cowl panels are 18 inches not including the flanges. I got the original measurement from the Model A Roadster cowl sides at the leading edge. The overall measurements between the T and A Roadster cowls are remarkably similar which will make things a lot easer. as mentioned previously, the T cowl will have an almost indentical lower firewall to the A cowl. The main difference will be the straight join line. Most people know that the A cowl tapers up to meet the beltline. Because the T roadster doors have no belt line, I intend to make the join between the upper and lower cowl sections as flash as possible as to be more or less invisible. Like the A cowl, the T cowl will unbolt the same way. When I said I wanted to be able to swap between a stock or Duvall V type cowl, I took into consideration the petrol tank and dash layout. The petrol tank will be located at the rear and the dash will be separate from the cowl to allow easy change over.

 

There was something else I was able to finish today as well. That was the timber die that will be used to shape the A pillar. I made it up with a sawzill, belt sander and course file. Because it's shaped out of softwood, I will be sourcing a sheet of 1.5 to 2mm sheet metal to reinforce the top of it. You can see the Model A coupe quarter panels and grill shell in the back ground. The wheel wells will be measured for a guide to make up the wheel wells for the T roadster quarter panels when I get around to making them, that will be a long way off however, as the focus at the moment is to get the cowl done. Another thing I have decided to do is to fabricate a 32 style grill shell, by using the trailing edge of the A grill shell. It is considerably wider than the T version, which coupled with a longer wider hood will in theory mean that I will be able to fit a larger engine without interruptions to the external appearance. Next task will be to get a pattern of the cowl top and once that is done, start sourcing the sheet metal and cutting it to size to make it up.

 

keep us posted , very interesting !

 

Hey Guys !
Just a quick update. I managed to make up the template for the top cowl section, again its a reversible design. I will be picking up some more metal shaping equipment tomorrow so I can begin working on the cowl over the weekend. I will post some photos early next week.
Cheers.

 

Thanks for the update, still following along.

 

Amazing Thanks for posting your progress .

 

In building my own RPU I can tell you for sure that it would be a lot easier if everything cost a buck