Thanks Baileigh for promoting the Winter Project Contest. I have really enjoyed coming to the HAMB and just typing in winter project to check out all the neat projects everyone is working on. I think it’s really helped to get some of the interesting posts on the forum. Does it sound like I’m sucking up ....? Well…. I am, but it’s is also TRUE. For you to understand the scope of my winter project(s) you have to understand a little bit of my history. I started as a regional Airline pilot at the worst possible time in history January 2001. Thanks to 9-11 (01), I’ve suffered through Base closers, relocations, furloughs, involuntary recalls, Union negotiations in a drastically changing climate, and changing airlines, forced moves with no relocation allowance etc. At one point in our life I’d counted we had moved seven times in five years, and my little girl was in three different schools before she finished first grade. Anyway with the multiple bankruptcies and the reduced flying schedule, the opportunity came that I could take a leave from the airlines. As my second job, with my dad, (whenever I was close to home) I’d been banging dents out of cars for the last twenty years, in a little restoration shop he started. I decided it was time to expand upon this knowledge and take some classes at UVU from Cris Boggess. I’ve know Cris for a long time and he has done beautiful work for us in the past. I took my leave (without pay) from my day job and spent all my money on tuition. The largest project I’ve done at school is also the smallest. It’s an All Aluminum Pedal Car (truck), with the body and fenders built from scratch using 3003 .063 AL. The frame and wheels came from American pedal car, great people to deal with, thanks guys. www.americanpedalcar.com The first thing I built was the rear fenders. The pictures to this were lost, in a computer crash. The next thing I built was the grille. P.S. please don’t reply to this until you see the post “that’s it” in order to maintain the fluidity. Then reply away!
I started out with making a wooden buck for the shape and size of grille I wanted. Then I made paper patterns to transfer this to the metal. I then ran a test piece of metal to check the spacing on the beading. I did the beading on a nibbler machine called a Pullmax. This one is a P-5 model. I ran the outer bead first since the dies are wide and would’ve crushed the narrower inner beads. Then I ran the center bead and worked my way out to the sides moving the fence on the machine 3/8” after each pass for the left and right bead (or vertical bar). I then went in and shrunk the corners using a kick and Lancaster shrinker. I then cut the top and bottom to create a peak in the center.
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CCLINTO%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C04%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> The pics for the hood where also lost. I made a steel hoop to locate the steering wheel and then made a wooden buck to sit on top, of the hoop, to give me the contours I wanted. I then used the buck for the grille again to create the paper pattern. I drew out where I wanted all the beading and the louvers on the paper so I could press out the louvers in the flat sheet of Al.
Next was the body Section. I had lengthened the frame 5” to create better proportions on the truck and I wanted to do something really trick in this area. I decided to emboss some very narrow scallops. I started by again making a paper pattern and drawing out the scallops for size and shape I wanted. I then transferred this to some 18ga steel. I cut out the scallops with a jig saw and a die grinder so as to have a little space between the two parts. I then made a strap to hold the two pieces together using clecos. Next I took my flat sheet of Al and English wheeled the shape (not the scallops) into the panel I wanted. After I got the shape or curve in the panel I wanted I sandwiched the AL between my metal parts I’d cut and ran it through the English wheel again. I then ran a bead in it in the pullmax again and then rolled a Stainless steel wire edge in at the top for safety and for strength. I made the bed I wanted to show off my skills from McDonnell Douglas / Boeing where I worked for 5 years before the airlines. I wanted a lot of rivets, so I made stake pockets that will be riveted. This was pretty simple most all the parts were made in the brake of bead roller so I must have neglected the pictures. Sorry guys.
The front fenders came next and had to be a big contrast to the back of the truck and have a lot of shape. Not only did they have to look cool but they had to be functional. I had also modified the frame kit to allow the steering to turn sharper, since the stock kit is VERY limited. They also had to clear the monstrous large wheels at over 10”, and not interfere with the louvers I had already pressed into the side of the hood. That’s a lot to ask of one part. So I spent a great deal of time making a wooden buck for the shape and function I wanted. Oh yeah and it had to be reversible for the opposite side. After the buck was made I again made a paper pattern to give me the road map for the flat sheet. The first thing I did was stick it in the radius break. Then I used a wooden mallet and a sand bag to stretch the metal in the center and again used the kick shrinker along the edges.
One fender is easy making one mirror opposite is the hard part. To aid me in this I used my knowledge I’d gained from spending hours reading over on the www.metalmeet.com site. Thanks guys. I made a flexible shape pattern out of (get this) Glad press and seal and fiberglass packing tape. I did this by covering the first fender with the press and seal and then covered it with the strapping tape. I then cut off the extra around the edges and then carefully pulled the pattern off the first fender. I then used cornstarch to kill any of the sticky areas on the pattern. I can now use this to guide me where I need to stretch the metal to make the correct shape and the buck to give the part the correct arrangement.
That's it. Let the replies fly! That’s about where I’m at. I’m making the running boards next then the bed floor and the tailgate. Oh yeah it’s going to be a Ford, sorry you Chevy guys (and gals). If it makes ya feel better I have a ’57 Cameo sitting in the garage. Thanks again everyone who has posted I’ve really enjoyed seeing your projects, and thanks Baileigh.
lol I couldn't figure out how to make my kids butts narrow enough to fit in the boat-tail. Just think if they had made a truck though.... You might be a redneck if... you take a speedster and make a truck. Oh yeah I also designed the seat to move forward and aft, to adjust for size. Then the seat is also reversible, and I made a bracket to lock the steering, so you can use it as a stroller, or if no Babies a swap meet wagon yeah! Perfect size for the vintage 3x2 intake manifold for the Lincoln v-12.
A few updates for ya It Looked good enough in green I almost left it that way to give it the vintage feel, but I decided I wanted a little bit more durable finish.
The Jalopy Journal
