TECH: How to build frame horns

Here's a little tech on how I built the frame horns on my rpu.

The first step is to cut out a shape that you like for the side profile out of some posterboard, bonus points for using hot pink:


I decided to build frame horns that are kind of a cross between Model A & 32' horns. I am not going to wrap the front of the horns like Model A horns. I cut out the side piece from 3/16" plate. The reason for the notches in the top & bottom will be seen a few steps later:




Now that the first side is cut out, I use blue machine spray to scribe a perfect match for the second one:




Then cut out the second one just outside the scribe line, and grind both together to get a perfect matched set:


Yes, they are disturbingly shaped right now:


Now I clamp the side to the car to make a template for the top panel of the frame horn. I taper the horn so it gets thinner towards the front:


Now use the template to cut the top piece from more 3/16" steel. The top & bottom pieces will need bent to follow the curved shape of the frame horn. I cut thin pieces of angle to clamp the top piece to. These help keep it all square as you heat & bend it with a torch:


A little heat and it matches perfectly:



Now I use more of the little pieces of angle the clamp it up for welding:


If you look at this picture closely, you will see that the inside edges are ****ed together with a tiny gap. This will allow you to weld a nice bead to fill up the corner, and allow you to grind the corner to a nice radius to match the frame. Don't worry about trying to make the worlds most beautiful weld here-I build up a little extra here so that I have plenty of meat to grind down for the corner radius:


With the top welded up, I grind the corner, and cut the bottom piece
from more 3/16. To bend the bottom, I clamp it to the top, and heat & bend it:


Finish grind the top & bottom radius, and you now have a complete horn. Now do the second one, & here you have them:


I tacked them to the car, and am real pleased with the results, I will have to c-notch these before final welding for front axle clearance. I will still have a little over 3" of axle clearance when done:






Now you can see why there were the 2 c-shaped notches in the top on the frame horn. Since the frame is pinched, it allows the grille shell to slip down between the horns. I will make a spreader bar too & have it chromed:


And there you have it. You can use this method to make anything at all that you want to look like it was stamped. I built my motor mount crossmember & rear spring mounts this way too:







So give it a try! There is no end to what you can make with a little thought, and the end result is pretty satisfying. Hopefully this might help somebody out

Dan

 

dan.
really nice work.
Al.

 

Nice! Great post. You do excellent work.

 

You do most Excellent work Impressive craftmanship !!
Klaz

 

After I finished wiping coffee off my keyboard when I saw your phallic pattern, I saw where you were going with it, and I'm impressed. You do some nice work, and you're right, it's so clean it looks factory. Nice job, good tech. Thanks.

 

That is very nice. They look great.

 

Nice work, that pretty much how I do them

 

Very nice indeed.

 

*****en great looking work!!

 

did you really have to use pink paper? i open the page and it looks like some big floppy phallus hanfing from the front of your car. i guess it was just happy to see you?

 

looks awesome... i didnt think it would be so easy to make something look so good... 2 points for the hot pink!

 

I really don't know how they will pick a winner of Tech Week. So much good stuff, and we still have tomorrow!

 

And the weekend.

Looks really good btw.

 

some people can creat beauty from a couple pieces of steel. You're one of them. very inspiring.

 

damn nice work.
what application are the rear springs from?

 

Definitely a Tech Week weiner... er, winner.

 

ONLY 2 points for hot pink..................man, tough crowd
Thanks a ton for the feedback guys, I appreciate! Hope it helps somebody out, I like it because you can make about any shape bracket/mount/whatever you would typically use on a hot rod this way. It make take a little time, but the end result is real nice and easy to do.

duke182, the rear springs are Posies quarter elliptics

Man, the pictures of the side pieces cut out still freaks me out though. I almost had to put "not work safe" in the ***le

 

I had to double check what website I was on.

Great, uh, tips.



Seriously, The ones on my 32 framed Model A were hacked off and I've been thinking about something like this.

 

Excellent fab skills!

 

nice work!

 

Great thread even with the not work safe pink. I can visulize about a hundred guys off the H.A.M.B. out in the shop tonite cutting up lengths of angle iron into one inch wide pieces.

Very slick work there and you make it look all too simple.

 

I really like the job that you did on the frame horns. Nice photos, nice tech. Now about the springs, what are they off of? Got any more photos of the spring setup? Normally I don't like that style, but yours is just different enough and looks really well thought out. Thanks.

 

Nice job. I'm adding this to my notebook. My new project is missing the horns too. Thanks for the killer step by step.

 

Thanks for the tips and pics. Fantastic work!

-Dave

 

I am thrilled that somebody can make use of this. I am honestly still freaked out from the disturbing pictures though, it just ain't right.............

 

I think it took me longer to take pictures than making the horns haha. The rear springs are quarter elliptics from Posies. I really liked the way they worked out though, it's kind of cool because with the bed mounted, they are hidden under the skirts of the bed, you can't really see them. And it is real easy to adjust ride height too. Heres a link to that thread, it still kind of applies to this one because I mount the small spring eye mounts & the frame spring mounts with the same method as the frame horns:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=240412

 

What did you do with the old ch***is you built for the 4-door?

 

At least he didn't flip the horns to the up position. That project would get re-named "the penetrator".

 

Oh, that's an easy one, and the subject of a future tech thread.

The thread will be ***led "How to convert a rolling ch***is to a rolling engine stand with casters using only a sawzall"

Yeah, it became pretty much a high dollar rolling engine/****** cart in one easy step. Now that the front clip is all that is left, I might actually end up building a motor test cart out of it

Live & learn, or something like that haha

 

awesome post!