Thanks,I did not make a template of the skull.I actually got that from a place called Speed Cult,from Detroit,MI. I figured its just as easy to get more from them if I need to.They have a website,(speedcult.com)but I did not see that specific skull.They go to a lot of shows,and bring tons of raw pieces along to sell.They sell them by the pound,but alot of them are not listed on thier site.There is a show coming up at the end of Sept. that they are usually at,Im hoping to be able to get a few more pieces there. More pics coming up........
Got the extension panels and holes welded up on the passenger bed side.Cleaned up the rest of it and sprayed the rattle can metal etch to keep it intact for now. I moved on to the bed floor.I had already cut out the main floor panel,so I trimmed it and cut out the floor compartment openings. With that done I welded it in. I cut out the basic"doors",and mocked up the hinge placement.I still need to make some inner stuctures for the doors,and install the lock assemblies.I am also going to build inner rails in the compartments for a place to have a weather seal in them. .
I was trying to figure out the best way to attach the hinges to the doors,and ended up useing the resistance spot welder we have at work.It seemed to work really well. I still have more work to do to the doors......
When I started this build,I had planned on narrowing the front end,I think it looks a bit bulky to me when not running the fenders.I also think it needed to be a bit shorter to "fit" the rest of the truck. I used 2" masking tape to make cut lines on the hood.I put the first piece right next to the raised center,then 2 more strips out.I traced the edges with a sharpie,and removed the tape leaving the lines. The inner most line is the actual cut line,and the other 2 are for reference. The first cut I made was to remove the rounded front portion of the hood.I thought it would be easier to shorten the hood behind that point. With that done I cut the entire length of the hood on the drivers side,then did the same to the passenger side. With the cuts made,I pulled the outer pieces inward until the outer reference lines touched the cut lines. When you pull the hood in this far,you create a number of alignmnet issues,most of these will be addressed thru out the reassembling of the hood.In the 3rd picture in this group,you can see how much narrower the hood will be at the front . During the cutting of the hood,it twisted a bit,so Im going to have to cut the center piece loose from the inner structure,that will let me square everything back up easier. I also decide to mock up the radiator mount so I can be sure the hood will be were it needs to be when I am done.I also figured out the basic place ment of the head lights.This is what I have going right now,Im still looking it over,trying to make sure Im happy with the direction its going,be for I start welding things up.
I cut the hood center loose from the inner brace,and realized that the inner brace would need to be modified. I also needed to swap the hinges/springs side to side,and move them up higher on the fire wall( you can see the first set of holes).This will let the hood open further and give more room for the m/c assembly on the drivers side. With the inner brace modified,the hood sides now sit 2" further in at the front with no pressure on them.The picture shows the difference between the modified side(drivers),and the stock side. With the braces modified,I realigned the center piece of the hood back on the truck and tack welded it in.then I cut the nose piece into 3 parts and started mocking it into place.
Got the rest of the nose pieces tacked in today.Still trying to figure out which way I want to go with the grille,have a few ideas bouncing around in my head..... The chevy frame did not really have any frame horns,being its a 70 and I had shortened the front end a bit.I decided to make some from scratch.I think it will give the front of the truck a "finished" look.
Spent awhile trying to figure out what to do with the grille.I used alot of tape and cardboard to test my different ideas.This is the one I think I going to go with..... I decided that I should make the side panels first,that way the hood has a fixed place to rest,when thats done I can sqaure things up and start making the actual grille.
Finally got a little bit of time to work on the 48'(honestly,Ive just been slackin',going to a couple of car shows). Got both engine side panels in steel, and temporarily mounted to the truck.I ended up making the lower edge a slow curve rather than having multiple cut outs like I started with.The panel looked a bit funny with the bottom rolling up and down like mountain range.(You can see what Im talking about if you look a couple of posts back.) I also mentioned a few posts back,that I moved the hinges around so the hood would open further.... BEFORE: AFTER: You can see how the side panels and the hood are going open.I still have to finish making all the side supports and mounts.......
Ended up using 1" "L" shaped steel on the strecher/shrinker to make the top and bottom edges of the side panels.It makes them stronger,and gives them a more "finished" look. The lower cowl needed a filler panel to give it a more finished look next to the new side panels,so I made a pattern from cardboard,cut the steel and welded it in. With that done,I welded the mounting bolts into the cab,and reinstalled the panel. You can see how the lower edge looks more "finished" with the "L" steel welded to it.In the last picture,you get the idea of how the cab and the side panel flow together.You can also see how much more work still needs to be done the the rear of the hood to make it meet the cab properly........
Got back on the 48' this week.Finally finished the passenger side panel,ran some 18ga. sheet thru the slip roller and started making the basic sides for the grille shell. Tack welded both grille side pieces to the hood and side panels to hold them in place while I build the rest of the shell.With the panels in place,I took some measurements and layed out the grille opening with masking tape. Used 1/4" round rod and outlined the opening.This allowed me to see how the rest of the shell need to be built. To make the lower part of the grille shell,I ended up useing the original filler piece that fit between the front fenders.I cut it into 4 pieces and welded it back together like I needed it,its actually upside down now. If you look,you can still see the holes where the "ford" letters used to be,still gotta weld them up.I used that piece because it already had the curve I needed, and filled up most of the lower shell area,leaving me only having to make 2 small filler pieces for the corners. I ended up welding some 1/4" flat stock to the inside edge of the grill opening.This gives it a more "finished"look and makes a nice place to hide the outer edge of the grille insert behind.
Got a little more done today,made the inner mounts for the grille shell,did some more welding and grinding on the hood,and even had enough time to push her out into the sunshine so I could clean up the garage a little.
I'm not into butchered, modified trucks but this one is turning out to be pretty well thought out project. Nice job.
I will be studying this thread. Just a bit ago a friend gave me an F1 that is on their pool patio. All I need to do is go pick it up at Thanksgiving. I just bought an engine and trans for it last weekend. I wasn't really into the looks of that year of trucks, but you did a fine job with it. Nice!
Is the front end going to be a tilt front, or a lift off? Just wondering since it looks like the whole front is one peice.
The hood still opens like it used to.I just havent cut the tack welds loose so it can open.Basically the top portion of the grill shell is actually the front of the hood.When the hood is open the grille insert will stay in the lower portion of the grille shell. Then when you close the hood,it sets down over the top of the insert so it looks like one piece again.
Decided to mount the head light buckets,so I can get a look at the whole front end before I build the grille insert. I ended up mounting them a little lower than I had planned,so I will have to clearance the buckets for the shocks to clear them when I finishing making the mounts for the buckets. I used 1/2" flat stock to start making the insert.I ran it around the inside lip of the shell.I welded 2 more pieces of it together to form a "v" shape.This is going to be the center vertical bar. I had to separate the hood from the lower grille shell sooner than I had planned.I needed to get access to weld in mounts(which I have not made yet) for the grille insert. With the hood now opening again,I wanted to also see how the radiator fit.My plan for the grill was to have 1 center vertical bar,and have all the other bars run horizontally.I stared making it that way and was checking the fit in the truck,and realized I dont really like the way the horizontal bars are looking against the radiator I think I might cut them out and run all the bars vertically......
The Jalopy Journal
