My first complete car body.

[vkasiotis]

Hard detailed job 🦾🦾💯

[touringgarage]

Real top and hard Job

[Jaroslav]

Thanks guys. I do it every now and then when I have time. But I have to finish it now.
Interestingly, the first fender went well, but I couldn't shape the second one. In the end, I decided ride this about wave from both sides. It looks like it got the right shape. Now the fender are holding their shape. I need to finish shaping and insert the wire. As the last step, I will do the molding on the edge.

[Jaroslav]

I'm finally go on with the car. Forming the sheet exactly to the shape of the skeleton was an experience. Always a little bit more and then a little bit more. 100x in hand, 100x to compare and think about the overall shape. When you shape in one place, the other side moves elsewhere.
Settlement on the car. The biggest problem I am solving now is drawing a line according to which I will bend the edge for the wire.!!! How to draw a smooth line. In the right place. After bending the edge, everything changes again. I have to balance the shape and in the meantime I will think about how to draw the line. Measurement is a tough nut to crack...

[Gojeep]

Great to see it coming along.

[Jaroslav]

Thanks Marcus, step by step again. I'm making some new tools again, but it's still a matter of drawing a graceful line to bend to. The ideas will come.

[drivejunk]

What a huge job. You are getting there.

As for the line... if you take a profile pic of the car and trace it on the screen then put that on a desk and refine the line with a French curve then draw a grid over that... then scale the grid up on a big big piece of cardboard... then cut out two of them... you'd have a constant reference at the car. The graceful part comes from the eye.

When I've made things that require a precise bend or fold near other shaping and require minimal disturbance of that, I've found that rolling a small step there helps to lock in the critical line and start the bend making it easier to complete the lip, bend, or foldover. And it assures symmetry because you've at least put the step in the exact same place on both parts. Will some distortion occur? Of course but you can handle it and chances are the distortion will be symmetrical as well.

Just remedial thoughts from a bondo hack. Nobody can see both sides at once.

[Jaroslav]

Drivejunk, Thankk you. I put all these thoughts together. Following the original curve of the fender edge, I cut the exact template. Unfortunately, the curve does not correspond to the reality after the production of the wire frame.

I have to shape both fenders on the car at the same height. When I like it, I will disassemble them again and compare them with the wire template.
Then I will make some common average so that it is nice.

It would be ideal to project a laser curve onto the fender and draw a line according to it. I might think of something.

A new smoothing tool took me a bit of time. I could have afforded the luxury of delaying the fenders a bit and experimenting with another idea that I need to verify, but it's nearing completion.

It's interesting how a simple step always stops me. It's a line at this point. We were at a show with a customer and there was a bad curved fender edge on a beautifully restored car....the curve was not good smooth.....and I have a lot of respect for this situation.

[Jaroslav]

Rear fender test step by step.
Paper outline of the opening. The shape of the opening is transferred with a pencil and pressure on the edge of the body. According to the previous measurements, I made a transverse profile. I have an old fender as an idea template. I tried the shaping process on a small sample. I hope that the big piece will work similarly.
My friend still scolds me for the small samples, but it helps my thoughts and imagination - sort of.

[Jaroslav]

Step-by-step molding of the rear fender. A combination of Eckold, EW, pliers and a wooden mallet that only slightly bent the edges - not shaped them. It's the 21st century and I consider hitting with a wooden club to be outdated. Although it seems that time is turning back...