‘28 Tudor Highboy: SitRep #1

Here’s the build plan and the cars that inspired it:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=132127&showall=1

…and the initial mock-up:


Higher priorities (family, church, job, yada…yada…) delayed progress, but finally, it’s time for a SITUATION REPORT.

I started by butchering the stock gas tank/instrument panel. First, I gutted the tank bottom, but left the curved sides intact to retain rigidity. A hole saw and 4.5” cutting wheel made quick work of it. The tank had been dry for decades so fumes weren’t an issue. S****s were saved for later use as patch panels.





Then I ground, filed, and sanded the edges straight & smooth. The fuse panel, relays & coil will go inside here.


A s**** piece from the bottom was bent to form the lower edge of the new dash. Lots of (ugly, but penetrating) tacks minimized heat buildup/warpage. Special thanks to Chad S’s “How concerned should I be about warpage when welding in patch panels?” thread.


Then I cut out the stock indentation & threaded fuel sight gl*** hole,...


…welded in a flat piece of 18 ga. sheet metal,…


…ground and sanded the weld bead and sprayed a quick coat of primer. I’ll cut gauge holes later-- tach & speedo in the middle; oil, temp, volts & fuel level on the sides.


Next, I cut out the gas filler cap for later use back aft.


‘Nuther s**** piece formed the patch:


Because it’s an outside panel, I wanted to ensure a pin-hole-free seam and put a bit too much heat into the panel . A little warpage resulted, which, after grinding down the bead, was corrected with some hammer & dolly work.


A coat of primer provides temporary protection while I finish the rest of the metalwork. Later in the build, everything will be media-blasted, followed by a skim coat of “magic dent erasing compound” .


My enthusiastic ***istant/”coffee-gofer” eyeballs the filler cap’s probable new home.


That’s all for now. Tune in next time- when we ventilate the visor with a hole saw, dimple die and hydraulic press!

 

awesome first steps!!! Im tryin to find a 28/29 tudor around so-cal, but no luck yet.....lookin forward to the next installment!!!!

 

Its a step by step process! great looking work so far!

 

bump up your welder heat or something thats way too much grinding.
Especially if your thinking of using that same welder to chop that thing.
At least practice on some of your s****s to see what its capable of.
TP

 

Old post but I don’t care. This is almost exactly what I’ve been planning to do on our sedan and this will be a great reference.

Are the vertical baffles attached to the bottom
You cut out? How did you remove them?

Only thing I can see me doing different is around the column support areas because I’ll be using hanging pedals and it probably won’t clear all you’ve left

 

Tim,
Yes, the baffles are spot-welded to the bottom and the front (the side closest to the firewall) of the tank.
I cut out the tank bottom- as pictured- and yanked a few times. That was enough to separate the baffles from the front. A little grinding smoothed what was left of the spot welds.

Hope that clarifies it a little!

Here's my progress since then:
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/introducing-my-fuel-coupe-styled-tudor.132127/