Firewall progress- I ended up using 1/2” plywood and 3/16” aluminum. I had to make the lip. The first one I made turned out awesome and then I added some more welds to the kerf cuts and it changed shape so I was like mother f.. made plywood fixtures and second time was a success. You can see them in pics below- I used t-nuts in the plywood- and made tabs to weld to the lip. Worked slick bolts in totally hidden. Glued the aluminum with epoxy! Not so slick... popped it off litterally the next morning to sand that shit flat and then use some kind of solvent based liquid nail adhesive that ruled. Used sand blast sand in buckets to put about 500 pounds on top- I did this and pulled the weight off and checked it and it shifted after squishing the glue- adjusted and put the weight on again let it sit and checked again- Adjusted the last time and it stayed... let it dry with weight on it while I cleaned up the shop. Then I sanded the aluminum sheet to match the wood- blocked the edges- Sanded it 220 up to 800 and roughed it in with a wool pad. I need to go buy sand paper- and a wheel adapter for my hand held buffer... getting there. I’m making the mag cup out of steel on my slip roll and chroming it... not that far yet but totally stoked on it so far.
I love how clean everything is, Tuck! Please tell me you're going to add some detail (i.e. bead rolling or something with a step die) to the firewall and won't just leave it flat... It's gotta have some pizzazz!
I guess Tuck started a new firewall or the pics are out of sync a little. Its obvious he had some issues arise but perhaps he ironed them out...it looked pretty spiffy polished. After nipping out the area for the tranny and distributor/magneto there isn't really much firewall left
I'm pretty sure @Tuck mentioned on instagram that he was going for a smooth polished firewall that would mirror the hemi.
Baaah you guys crack me up!! hahahaha-!!! Sorry my pics are out of order- posting from my phone sucks. Looking at them they’re backwards and mixed up. Yeah I have this theory on engine turned fire walls and checkered fire walls and just plain crazy fire walls- they all detract from the central focus which is the engine!! So why not make a mirror and help shine more light on the subject!! (-: (-: I really dig engine turning though just in neat places like the aluminum backer of a navigator dash etc... I think the chrome nut cup for the mag will help and I plan to make a roof/eyebrow where the column goes in but really you don’t see much firewall at all-! It’s gonna rule!! I think about the word “restraint” a lot... it’s really hard to practice it. It’s such an important word though... even more so in the realm of 60’s show cars IMHO-! I’m going out east to visit my sister who’s on leave from the GW Bush- so I won’t have any progress for at least a week!! See you guys when I get back eh-!
It’s nearing the end of the summer and I’ve made some more progress... but not sure I’m where I wanted to be. It is what it is. I got sidetracked after the trip with putting new fenders on my car trailer... and some other stuff that just needed to happen. I’ve messing with the grill shell and ended up moving it down about an inch and a half. I also cut another 2 3/4” out of the middle. I shortened the fan about an inch. I added a lip from a commercial grill shell that adds a body line and covers up that lip extending the shell a bit- All this messing around over minor details... but lowering and sectioning the grill helped a ton- I bought a 40 deluxe dash for it at the swap over the weekend. I really love the way it fits- plan to alter it quite a bit. I think most 60’s rods evolved from 40’s and 50’s rods and had cues from earlier times... in theory-
Well... I got the Stanchions... they're just sitting on there but they're the real deal not repops. The were plated and someone stripped most of the plating off because they've been chopped already and the threaded holes filled for the wings- they look to be a good height not sure if I'll cut any more out... I need to get a windshield frame. Stoked.
I just wanted to share this here. First off... I love learning. Second off... I picked this Pullmax P-9 up from Johnny last weekend. Horse and buggy trades still in the works... It weighs in at 6800 plus tooling. Not sure how I made it home on the trailer... but thanks to Johnny and his keen eye for balance we made it work. I was second guessing the idea of owning one of these, thinking... I have no business owning one of these, but after doing some research I think this is going to rule and I'm totally stoked. Really the only thing I had no business doing is loading it on my car trailer. It has louver dies and a bunch of tooling- I think the louver dies are going to rule! The other part of this is the ability to make body lines, shrink and dome... and countless other functions. Hopefully, I can unleash this beast to do some mild custom touches to my roadster body this summer.
Nice Tonnage...how the heck did you get it moved into your shop...hey whats that hand signal...Two More Feet to Go...Right......Some moments in life are just priceless.
The Jalopy Journal
