The last Grasp Special '34 3 window build

Now I do that last bend on this piece which is a return that is partially done on the hand bender and then given a little more bend using a hammer. The shape that the section has become prevents me from totally doing the bend on this return in the hand bender.

 

Here are a couple of images of the completed section. Unfortunately because I used galvanised sheet it is hard to see the pressing detail. But I will show some images in my next post that will show things better.
Geoff aka whodaky

 

After successfully making a number of test pieces of the section. I then made an actual piece at 16 inches ( 407 mm ) long.
Here are a few random images from that process.
Actually in that first shot I have a guide clamped onto the bead roller. This acts as a back stop to allow me to hold the piece being worked against it, therefore ending up with it running straight!
Geoff aka whodaky

 

The next step will be making the inner section for this piece. Which I may start this weekend.
When all this is done I then have to put a curve along the length of these pieces. As seen in the left of the image below. This is looking along the top, from the back to the front of the original door window frame top.
I have a plan on how I will do this, so stay tuned!
Geoff aka whodaky

 

Great work Geoff, thanks for taking the time to post up some of the little details that get lost in a build.

 

As I said in my last post I will now begin work on the inner section of the upper door/window frame.
That will be the piece on the right of the image below.

So using the original piece as a guide I did a test piece. The piece I did is only did 2 inches ( 50mm) wide.
Geoff aka whodaky

 

So from my test piece I knew I could form this piece in one piece. However because the ' J ' shaped section of this piece will have to have a slight curve along it's length to suit the outer section, it was determined that the inner section will be done in 2 pieces.
Once again I did a test piece to workout how I would form this piece. I made this test piece 6 inches ( 150 mm ) long. Once this piece was formed I used my shrinker to put the slight bend along it's length. The area that I shrank is the flat section on the left of the image below. Although because the bend is so slight, it is hard to see in that image.
Geoff aka whodaky

 

So I cut a piece of material to begin making the actual piece, this being 16" ( 407 mm ) long. I drew a line along what will be the centre of the area that will be the 'J' shape.

This line will be my guide when I roll this piece through the bead roller to get a kink in the section!

Next I put this piece in my folder and bent out the 2 kinks either side of the actual bead.
Basically this bead just allows me to locate a piece of round bar stock, for what will be the next forming in the making of this piece.
Geoff aka whodaky

 

With this piece tightened in the vice as seen in the last image of my previous post.
I then, basically formed the sides of the 'J' section with a hammer. This shaping with the hammer is done gradually working along the piece. Also the piece is moved along in the vice working on another section that is supported by the vice jaws. This fold is not done in one hit, but is done gradually.
Geoff aka whodaky

 

To finish this piece for now, the flat section to the right in the images below is formed.
The bend done with the shrinker will be done at a later date.
Geoff aka whodaky

 

I am going to get a bit ahead of myself here. Rather than do the other piece that will be joined to the inner section piece I have just shown. I got the desire to work on a piece that will form part of the outer piece for the upper door corner.
Below is shot of an original piece that I will be copying. I will eventually have to do a left and a right.
Geoff aka whodaky

 

I will go back later and make the other part of the inner piece that joins to the section I shot in my last few posts.
The section I am going to make now is probably the hardest piece to make in this whole door top, because of it's shape and the curves involved in forming this piece.
Again I make the point that I am doing this with very basic equipment, which adds a bit to the difficulty in making this piece.
To start with I need to know what shape and size my material needs to be to make this piece. I could have layed paper on the area and pushed it in and traced around it to get the shape. But I came up with a better idea to do this . You see I have a roll of builders aluminium flashing, which I use for forming scratch built parts for my model cars.
Here is an image of some inner doors I did for a 1/8th scale '32 roadster and a link to how I did them.

http://www.scalemotorcars.com/forum/building-tutorials/2334-roadster-innner-door-panels.html

 

Because the aluminium flashing is very thin and relatively soft it can be pressed onto the shape that I want to duplicate. Note an intial piece is cut out to the basic shape of the area before I lay the aluminium onto the piece and begin pressing it onto the piece with my hands and fingers.

It took a few tries to get the basic shape I wanted. As can be seen by the pile of aluminium pieces to the left in the above shot. But I eventually got the shape I was after. I trimmed any excess off ( using scissors ) and had the shape of the material.
Geoff aka wohdaky

 

Next the aluminium template is flattened out and has essentially become the true shape of that piece that will be cut out and formed into the desired shape of the piece being made.
Once that actual piece is cut out a line is marked on it to use as a guide when it is passed through the bead roller for it's second shaping. But before it is passed through the bead roller it has a shape formed on it by hand.

It is then passed though the bead roller ( with the bend down ) a number of times. The bead formed gives us what will be the centre of the curve that is formed to give the final shape of the piece.
Geoff aka whodaky

 

The final shaping of this piece is done with various hand tools ( my hands, hammers, a piece of railway iron, curved round bar stock, the vice and various other things ). It would take way to many words to describe how it was done, but trust me I did it, as can be seen by the images. Ideally, videoing the process would be the way to go. But I am not into that, so my humble images and descriptions will just have to suffice.
Geoff aka whodaky

In this shot I have the actual new piece sitting on top of the area being duplicated.

 

Brilliant!

 

Fantastic work Geoff

 

Unbelievable......Patience looks to be a major ingedient!
Thanks for showing this to us!

 

Thanks for the replies guys.
Greaser, yes patience is definitely very much required in this process.
But I think the main thing for me is the challenge. There is nothing more satisfying than coming up with a way of doing something and then producing that something from nothing, as it were.
A lot of this stuff is the attitude one has. Nothing much is to daunting in my mind. One just needs to look at what one is taking on and figure out a game plan as it were. Also one needs to not be put off by something not working out the first time. Quite often that failure can be overcome by going about the process in a different way. Being a good lateral thinker is a big help.
Anyway, enough of my philosophies.
Thanks again for viewing this thread and commenting.
Geoff aka whodaky

 

Have been doing a bit more to one of the door tops this morning. I am documenting what I have been doing.
But it was time for a coffee break, so I thought I would show a shot of where I am at. Later I will post a series of shots and descriptions of how I got to this stage!
Geoff aka whodaky

PS. These might even end up looking like I hoped they would!

 

Oh, I think that is a real possibility..

 

As I said in my previous post I did a bit more on the door tops today. I ended up getting the left and right hand outer sections of the upper rear corner done. They will join to the left and right hand pieces I showed yesterday.
I was hoping to get these pieces tacked to each other, but that didn't happen. Maybe I will get one done during the week, after work!
Here is a shot of where I am at now. In the next few posts I will show you how I got to this point!
Geoff aka whodaky

 

Like I have shown before, I will again be using builder's aluminium flashing to make the template to arrive at the true shape for the material to make the pieces I am about to make.
But first I remove the hinge piece that would be in my way.
Then I clamp on a piece of the aluminium flashing onto the original corner section I am basically copying.

With the aluminium clamped on I pressed lightly to make an indentation that would be my guide for marking out and trimming this piece.
I then remove the aluminium and placed it on my bench. Where the indentation was, I marked a dotted line as a guide. Measuring out from this line a little over 3/8" ( 10mm ) I marked a line pararllel to the first line.

This will be the line I cut along to end up with the initial shape for this piece I am making!
Geoff aka whodaky

 

I then clamped the trimmed piece back onto the original corner section.

Then with my fingers and the end of a paint brush handle I form the roll onto aluminium over the old door section.
Geoff aka whodaky

 

I then remove the piece and mark out further material that needed to be removed.

This material is trimmed off and I now have what will soon be the true shape of the material required to make this piece.

I then place this trimmed piece back on the original corner section, to see if it requires any further material removed.
Geoff aka whodaky

 

As a guide to check that I was on the right track, I matched this aluminium piece to the steel piece, to see if it fits up nicely.

It did fit nicely. So next I flattened out the aluminium, this gave me the true shape of the piece that will need to be cut out to make that actual piece I am making.
Geoff aka wohdaky

 

Next I used the template to mark out the material to make the actual piece.
A little over 3/8'' ( 10mm ) from the curved edge I marked out a line. This line is my guide for forming the rolled edge in this area.

Again I used various bits and pieces to form the roll required.

A bit of filing and basic fine tuning and the 2 pieces I just made will be ready to be welded to the 2 pieces I made previously!
Geoff aka whodaky

 

Geoff, Man you are handling the door tops really well. I like the way you are creating the shapes ,Spencer will look at this page one day and he will see who fixed his door top tops and I thank you for doing this job ,it just gets his coupe closer, I finished making his tail stands they came up good. Geoff its going to be good when we start on the patch panels for the last grasp.......see you next w/end I am ready to go man.

 

wow,i have really really enjoyed reading this whole thread.thanks and none of it is boring,cant wait to see these door tops finished.keep up the good work

 

Thanks Waynos, I am glad you are enjoying the thread.
I also can't wait to get the door tops completed. Although I am enjoying working on them. Can't wait to present them to Spencer T and see one of his interesting expressions on his little face.
Hey Tony. I know you were a little unsure about how I was going to go about making these door tops. I know at the time when I brought them home I didn't have a definitive idea of how I would go about making them. But the more I looked and studied them, the ideas started to flow. In fact they are still flowing, thinking about how I will be making the front corner of the door tops. But I have a plan, so that's a start.
It's actually been good to use my bead roller and Shrinker/stretcher. As I hadn't really used them since I bought them around 18 months ago.
Tony I am looking forward to coming down on the weekend. I will bring all this door top stuff with me, so you can see it all first hand. It would be good if we could get out to Renee' and Sam's for at least an hour or so. I want to make a template of the curve along the upper door jam. Just to make sure it is the same as the old door tops I brought home with me.
I will give you a call on Thursday night Tony, to let you know my travel plans as it were.
Geoff aka whodaky