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Old 05-08-2009, 08:31 PM
Kerry Pinkerton's Avatar
Kerry Pinkerton Kerry Pinkerton is offline
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Near Huntsville, Alabama. Just south of the Tennessee line off I65
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Default The Art Deco Imperial Project - Part 17

THE ART DECO ROADSTER PROJECT
3/18/08
Considerable progress even if I am doing it wrong.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Hartson
....Thanks for showing the good and the bad it helps me learn and understand the process.






To be honest, writing things down helps me understand the process too as well as gives me something to look back to the next time I have to do it as a reminder.

Cut my screwed up back panel apart and welded it back correctly. Cleaned up the welds and Cleco'd it in place.

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Now I can see how the 'ditch' progresses front to rear. This is from the back
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A little further forward
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Yet more forward
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And the front. A nice smooth transition from a pretty deep reverse at the rear to none at the front.

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This is the part of the double reverse panel that I gave up on earlier. It's pretty simple, just an edge tipped on the correct line and shrunk/stretched to give the correct profile.

Later on the inside edge will be scribed and tipped also.

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Now I can start on the rolled pan. I raised the car on the lift, made sure it was level side to side, and marked a constant distance off the floor as the vertical transition line on the rear.

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Then I bent a bunch of strips to the same radius and taped them to the line using more of the aluminum tape. I rasied the car a bit and used the 60" rule to make sure the bottom of each strip was at the same height and tweeked them until they were.

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Then I taped some mid strips between the strips.

And applied the magic aluminum tape. Now I can see what the rear of the car will look like...with enough imagination that is.

This is the view from another car following.

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I was halfway through making the flexible shape pattern when my wife came out and informed me I was taking her to dinner.
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I doubt I'll get this finished tomorrow but should make some progress.

I've changed my mind (AGAIN) about how the fender/body will be attached. I'll explain it later but I won't be doing a body/fender flange down the bottom of the reverse transition.





Quote:
...Just seeing the need, from a looks perspective, for a rolled rear pan. However, I have to ASSUME that it will also be one heck of a high pressure area, at speed..... Curious to know if you've planned around this. ....






There will be a full trunk that will more or less come to the bottom of the rolled pan...should take the wind load off the pan....I think...maybe??


Quote:
...Just a reminder; before you fab that rear pan put the car back on the floor to make sure the pan looks the way you prefer. Can be decieving up in the air.






It's at close to ride height in the photo.


Quote:
... Question? How does the fender to body transition piece get fastened
1. to the fender
2. to the body

It looks like it overlaps right now.






It does overlap on both edges at the moment Richard. I'm using Clecos to hold things together until I get everything roughed in and then I'll start finishing each piece and welding everything together into one big complex panel.

I've decided that what you're looking at will basically BE the rear fender. The whole unit will go from the outside of the fender, through the reverse, and up to the decklid opening where it will bolt to an inner structure. There will also be a support structure inside the wheel well tied to the frame...different from the earlier one I did. Also a different and much more better looking inner fender liner.

Basically the whole back of the car behind the doors will be 4 relatively complex panels. Two rear fender assemblies, a deck lid, and a small panel at the center rear of the car below the decklid. The decklid will hinge up from the front and go all the way to the cockpit. I've got several reasons for doing it this way and THINK I have everything thought out...hopefully.
3/19/08
This rolled pan kicked my butt. Even though it's in two pieces it was by far the most difficult two parts because both of them were had significant changes down their length.

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I'm pretty happy with the look though. I think I'm going to tackle the door next and try and get the whole side done in panels and cleko'd together before I invest the time in welding and finishing things that might have to come apart once I see it all at a distance. Alan knows what I mean and I've learned that lesson before once or twice.

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I did the left hand part of the pan all on the stump/bag and wheel. It went pretty easy and fast. Because it was a little slower, I didn't over do it and have to back into it like I've been doing.

The right hand panel was a real --ich though. A LOT of stretch where it meets the fender. I ended up doing a lot of kick shrinker/stretcher work to tune it in place. I've decided that after some hand tools, stump, bag, a wheel (or three), the deep throat kick shrinker/stretchers would be the next tool I'd want if that was all I could have. Quote:
Just curious, does any of the Dakota survive in the current incarnation?






Actually, I'm using the Dakota gas pedal
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