Technical Hard chop: sitting on the chopping block

Next the other corner and then that long 5/8” gap across the cowl.

 

Lovely work, thanks for walking us through what you are doing, such a nice job!

 

Excellent.

 

Starting to work on filling the cowl gap. Test fit the roof skin to get a look at the profile. Everything is coming along smoothly and easy.
I’m no Bobby Walden, but I like my technique on a heavy chop.

 

Bobby Walden is probably taking notes!
Tom

 

Very different look

 

Yes it is; and much improved!

 

Great job...fun to follow along on your progress and process! What's the purpose/story on the yellow spray painted legs and floor?

 

Looks so tuff…can’t wait to see how you tackle the cowl gap.

 

Dang the un-chopped version looks goofy now

 

Unchopped early Fords look like a tractor cab.

-Abone.

 

Working on filling the cowl gap 12” at a time. I aligned the metal with a couple of bolts and washers. Then cut a strip of 19ga and scribed it to fit the gap.

 

Tack welded it in
Then fully welded
Next I knock the top of the weld down close to the parent metal. Then the long process of hammering and dolling the weld to restretch it. Finally, comes the filing and planishing to even it up.

I don’t want to grind any of the parent metal away. I would rather fill with lead than to keep grinding the weld down til it disappears.

 

Continue filling the cowl gap.

 

In pictures always looks to me as windshield section higher then rest of cowl. Is it the picture, my eyes, or do you hammer down as weld or?

 

I guess it looks like I bashed it down in the picture but I didn’t. I will try to metal finish the panel. I don’t want filler.

 

It looks like the suicide doors will attach with two hinges per side.
Do the hinge pins still align, so there will be no bind?

Nice progress.

 

You and your fancy 19 gauge

phhhhtttttttt

I’ll get some one day


Maybe

 

Really nice metal work. Night and day improvement on the look. Thank for sharing the details.

 

I only removed the middle hinge so the doors should still swing like originals

 

Understood, easier to align two hinge pins than three.

 

Half the cowl is filled.

 

Beautiful. Magic.
Looks like welding that narrow strip puts a lot of heat in one area. But you're keeping it from warping.
Might be too much to ask, but I will anyway. Any chance of you doing a short video of the process? I'd love to see your technique. Especially the hammering. For our education. Perfectly okay if you're not up to it, there are plenty of other hammer-welding how-to videos. But the proof is in the pudding, you make good pudding, and I think we might be able to learn something from you just by watching. I know I would.
Keep up the awesomeness.

 

I won’t post welding on here. Too many different opinions on how I need to do it.
Welding the strip on the cowl isn’t anything special. I can say is get it tacked in and aligned up perfect before welding.
There is no such thing as warpage from welding. What is actually happening is the weld shrinks from the heat and that shrinkage may pull and distort the metal panel near the weld. Do not try to fix that distortion. Just re stretch the weld with a hammer on dolly technique and the distorted metal will relax and fall back in shape.
I’ve seen more panel ruined from grinding heat than welding.

I learned my metal skills from Peter Tommasini. He took me under his wing and showed me hands on how to move metal. He sells DVDs on how to do these things.

 

Cowl is 85% done.

 

After the cowl work, I’m onto the back window and corners.

 

That chop looks so good!!! Thanks for sharing your method although I dont have the talent to pull it off I really enjoy seeing the process and your skills.

 

If you sand down your 18ga panels before you spray primer, or apply filler, you made your own 19ga.

 

Peter Tommasini is a great guy and terrific metal shaper, how did you happen to get in that situation where you were able to learn from a master? I was able to work with him for a few hours on two days, and I learned a lot.
Tom
Don't know how that highlighted paragraph got in there.

 

I like your use of turn buckles on the bracing good idea.