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Old 05-08-2009, 08:53 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 27

THE ART DECO ROADSTER PROJECT
Late February 2009
The weekend of February 20-22 we hosted a regional MetalMeet (Dixieland '09) at our shop. We had about 30 folks sign in with skill levels from total newbie to very experienced. Quite a few worked on the roadster.
One of the reasons I'd been in such a tizz before the meet was that I was trying to get the right fender finished to the point that flexible shape patterns could be taken. Bennett Chapman led the effort on this and made the whole pattern. I then marked up the panel into sub-panels... I think there are 16 of them...ranging from fairly easy to pretty dang hard. The pattern was then carefully removed, powdered, and cut into sub-panel sections. Folks started picking up patterns, whacking up pieces of aluminum and shaping.

I was involved with the decklid and didn't spend too much time giving direction but as it turned out everyone worked together only came to me when they wanted feedback or were really stuck. By Saturday night, I had this fender kit ready to start assembly.

At the same time, I drafted Bennett Chapman and Bob Baisden to install the door skins on the frames. Will Cronkite and several others were involved and it turned into a really positive learning experience because many folks had never done it before...including me.
No one was brave enough to tip the edges on MY door (it's kind of a one shot or scrap process) so I got elected to do that part with several people helping hold and provide lights and motive power to the bead roller/tipping wheel.

Once the edges were at 90 degrees, they were slapped over by holding a dolly under the panel and slapping the edge over. Several passes made it tight.

Here Bob is applying upward pressure with the dolly while he massages the edge with the hammer.

At the same time, Joe Hartson, Matt Incho, and I worked on the deck structure. After an excellent suggestion from Dan Shady, we came up with this configuration for the structure.

It is actually made of several pieces. The fender is tipped to a 90 degree with a 1" flange. A 1/2x1/2 flange was shrunk/stretched to match up and then a false wire edge 90 was shaped to fit. All this will be welded together and provide the weather strip and drain channel. The deck lid will fit on top of the weatherstrip. Getting all this to match the same three dimensional shape was a challenge. Plus we also made a mirror image piece at the same time for the other side.
Once that was done, Joe and I shaped some 1x1x 1/10 alumimum that became the outer rim of the decklid structure. Once it was welded together, we made these neat stiffeners at the top and bottom. Joe Hartson brought a neat dimpling tool that raised the edges of a 1 1/4" hole and once those were welded in the structure got STIFF! And LIGHT!

We also got the decklid skin shaped up, determined the center lines and crimped it onto the frame. Really, REALLY came out nice. Of course I don't have any photos but you can't really tell anything until I get the other fender built and everything in place.

Alabama code requires headlights to be 24" off the ground at the center and we played around with placement and shape. I think this is it.

One final thing that got done was attaching the left front fender to the A pillar. The thing in my hand is a self clinching stud that Joe Hartson brought me. These things are SUPER. You press them flush and they WON'T come out and they are flush as you can see in the 1/4x1" aluminum piece just in front of my middle fender. A hole in the A pillar allows a nut to be spun on the stud from the backside. A small lip was turned on the fender itself and then welded to the 1/4x1' aluminum. Really worked great. Totally invisible and I can tune the door gap by adding some weld bead and filling to perfection.

My TIG welder started having problems establishing an arc so I didn't get any more welding done.
The meet was a blast and we got a lot done on this project and others. By Monday am, everyone had left and my wife and I started packing for a vacation. Before we left on Tuesday, I dropped the welder off at the local Miller repair shop and they had a new high frequency card in it (under warranty) when we got back . Love that Miller Dynasty!
I hope to start assembling the left rear fender 'kit' this weekend now that I've rested up from the vacation and caught up on a few honey-do's.
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