I always wondered how one would make a bottom die, but your explanation makes sense... it doesn't have to be the female version of the stemper thingie. Post some pictures of it so it is solidified in my brain. Sam.
sam, I dont have a picture here at work and I wont be able to get one for a day or so. Its just a D shape though thats as deep as you want the louver to be tall, the straight side is a sharp edge and the rest is radiused so as to not mark the metal but still let it press into shape i hope that helps Zach
Hey Zach, Everything looks as if it is coming together. I don't think I can say how truly amazing a job it is. But I will try. The pictures don't do this justice folks, the work that Zach has done is truly amazing. If you ever get to see it first hand you will know what I mean. I know you said it earlier, but there is NO buck, it is all by hand and eye, with some wooden hammers. It is a work of art. This is strait up. Can't wait to see it finished. Best — MRAK
Congrats Zach, the roadster looks wonderful and I'm really looking forward to seeing it in person at the Showdown. Chuckspeed had the roadster out in Sept I think it was at a local Detroit area car show. He drove it there but I think he was still having some issues with it machanicly. His pops was with him. It was a very warm day and a group of us sat around in the shade for quite awhile and benchraced. I haven't heard rfom him since then and that really is usual.
I dont know who thinks what, but I've heard some rumors that some people dont believe that I made the parts for my cars. I just want to set the rocord straight. These cars are 100% built by me with my own hands in my own garage on my own time. The only thing farmed out was the radiator on the last car. Probably the radiator on this one. I pride myself in doing my own work. I went through alot of effort to learn what I wanted to learn to do this aluminum work. In October of 2002 at Hershey we saw a small booth with a planishing hammer in it. My dad picked up a paper and brought it home. later we were reading through and found a guy named Fay Butler. It wasnt untill August of 2003(look on his site) that i got in to a spot to attend his class. Fay is a great individual and taught me alot of about the hows and whys of what metal does when you work with it. The downfall was that the class is so fast paced that you can't learn by hand. So when i was at home trying to do the same work i was having trouble figuring how to adapt the same techniques to hand tools. Early in the following year i learned of a local guy who builds race car bodies in his barn. He's a rather hard to find guy, with only a PO box. but after some asking around and some digging i finally found his shop and stopped by. I'm not going to mention his name as i believe he wishes to remain private. This person helped me alot in learning what tools i needed. What trees to cut down and some tips to making parts without machinery. I started out with a pattern he made for a hillegass nose and borrowing the buck that he had for this nose also. after one attempt i was a bit discouraged with the process. only to find out that it was spoiled with a bad piece of aluminum. I started over and had the nose in shape in no time. This guy helped me in learning where things needed to be shrunk and where they needed to be stretched and a small amount of wheeling the part on his english wheel. but i did almost all of the work on that nose myself. Since then i have built the 2 noses on the cars shown in this thread Neither Fay nor the "other guy" have had a hand in either one of them. or even seen them in person for that matter. Both are more then capable of doing alot higher quality of work then i am. I am just learning and trying to figure it out as i go. I hold them both in the best regard as probably the 2 best metal shapers in the world and i am proud to have learned from them. But I do not farm out work to them. Theres no pictures of me working on these noses because i was working on the noses, theres no process, no set order of events, no guidelines, and no secrets. Just start with a flat sheet and work it out untill you have what you want. So believe what you want to believe i guess, but you can take my word that I build my own stuff 100% I'm a bit insulted that people would think this. So if you guys know the person you think did the work. Call him and ask him. I have nothing to hide. Zach
wow you have handled this as gentleman. Much better than myself. I have watched you along with the growth of this board and you are both phenomenal. Your level of integrity, humility and craftsmanship are something we all should learn from. Well the craftsmanship part I dont think I will ever obtain I guess you have already learned that there will always be those that will try to piss on your parade. I guess I am trying to understand why those that have doubt have to express this publicly instead of a PM with straight up questions. I would say good luck with your future? But you seem to be one of those rare individuals that will fabricate his own. Still, Good Luck!!!
Zach(SUHRsc) ,I posted on Kruzer63's update and now i'll add it here.We on the HAMB,are lucky to have,some of the most talented young craftsmen on earth,continuing with traditional workmanship and work ethics. When i hear people complain that, "nothing is built like it used to be",i can tell them, they are wrong,and show them the work of fine young builders,like yourself,Kruser63,Kennedy and a few others who i've missed mentioning. Imagine if you were all put in the same shop,and turned loose with all the right equipment. "The HAMB Dream Team"! Don't let the rumours get to you,you're talents,put you above all that.Your work is inspirational to many of us who do admire it.
Go ahaed Zach.... you can mention my name. And let me know when you want your next radiator bud! Haaaaa... Player haters we call em! You rule.
I really enjoy seeing your progress reports, the workmanship is great. The dedication to learning how to do these things is uncommon. I don't have your skills, but I build everything I can with my own hands and get far more enjoyment from that than opening boxes the UPS guy delivers! It appears that some members here have trouble accepting how much a determined, talented guy can accomplish with a minimum of equipment. Your work gives me encouragement and makes me want to get my ass out to the shop!! I look forward to additional posts...................
Thanks for all the great feedback from everyone. Zach posts these updates because so many people ask about his cars plus he wants feedback. He is very critical of his work and would love for anyone to say that they dislike something because it gives him a different perspective or new ideas he hasn't thought of. I commend someone like Clark or anyone else that says what they think or hear and doesn't hide behind it. It takes character to come out and say it and not just spread the rumors or say something behind someones back. Anyone with doubt should swing by his house and check it out. I know first hand that Zach has so much respect for those that he's learned from and would give credit where it's due. He loves his craft and is someone dedicated to keeping to a period and style he loves. If he can't find something pc then he opts to build it himself. He does have his radiators cored at a place in Middletown and bought a Brookville body since he couldn't find one for this build and he couldn't produce them any faster, cheaper, or straighter himself. Zach takes his time and is so meticulious with his cars. In the end he does it because he wants and loves to and not because of what he will get out of it like recognition and money. I know some people may doubt that but he's a very simple person and anyone that meets him will figure that out quickly.
Frankly, I don't want such nonsense to sidetrack a great thread. I've never met Zach, don't know him a bit, but love these cars and won't (for a minute) allow drama to get between them and me. Let's move on.
Shit Zach....I believe ya man! Now....back to the nose.....are these side "spears" separate or are they a part of the nose???? And do I see a bellypan???? I just can't get enough of THIS car.......it's THE Hamb build of '08!
the tapered sides are part of the nose, the hood sides are triangular shaped and will get a row of louvers on each one the nose will be fixed to the car more permanently and the sides will come off then to access the motor(see the marker lines as to where the recess will lie) the belly pan will also be its own seperate piece that im working on figuring out how to attach to the tubular frame i was hoping to have all of this aluminum work done by now but its figuring how it all plays into each other part that slows up the process, heres a shot of the nose as a whole before griding the welds down
I want to post something here, No one ever knows where rumors begin and I'm sure we're all guilty of passing them on here and there. No one needs blamed for what was mentioned or implied. Things happen and people talk, life goes on. So no matter where things went or where they came from it can all end right here, right now. It worth questioning if theres some substance behind it. Which maybe this was the case here, but hopefully i set the record straight No name calling, no bad mouthing, no nothing, just build hot rods. Zach
Again great reply! But you forgot "nuff said" I always wanted to use that. I am on board let's build!
Man... You are a lot cooler about it than I think I could be. But you are right. Subject closed. Lets move on... The one good thing that came out of this is ( for me ), that going back through old Posts I got to see some pics of the other Noses. I didn't realise there were that many ( and I look for Metalwork all the time...) Seeing stuff like that makes me want to play with Aluminum more...
Hey Zach, Are you going to extend the side bubbles back farther? That 'bend' created where they meet the cowl right now kind of clashes with the straight line of the hairpin? Just a thought... I still keep coming back to look at this post. You're more creative than about 95% of the hot rod builders out there right now. Of course you're going to get fools saying somebody else did the work. Don't sweat it.. And don't worry, I won't tell anybody what you said about you using the same guy Boyd does to take all your poops for you... -Phil
The Jalopy Journal
