My Daytona Coupe (cobra) scratch build

[MAStuart]

Joe and Doug,
I will have to see what I can do about getting a cheater lens for my helmet, it sure couldn't hurt. I will have to rob the piggybank, because I need some supplies, a tank of gas for the mig welder, cups for the tig torch, cheater lens, and who knows what else.
Doug, not the night you asked, I was in bed sleeping by 11pm. Usually I try to shut the computer and TV off by 1:30 or 2am, but sometimes it is 3 or 3:30. Those days I don't feel goodthe next day.

[MAStuart]

As I stated the other day, I want to start making the lower part of the rear quarter. I was going to post a few pictures and ask how I should go about it. I went out and took a few pictures and got some poster board to try and make a rough paper pattern and then I was going to ask if I should make it in 2 parts, part A and part B. I never post the pictures and asked how to go about it. Today I went out and thought I would give it a try. By the way, for me, I think it would have been easier to make in 2 parts. I don't always do things the easy way and tried to make it a one piece part. I started with a blank cut from a panel my son and I tried to wheel for the roof, that got way out of hand. I thought, instead of throwing it in the scrap I would try to recycle into this lower quarter. I started off wrong, it had a compound curve to it. But I put the pattern on the wrong way so the compound curve was the opposite way I needed it to be. I wanted to try and use my lightly modified horror-fright chinese wheel. As you can see in the pictures below, it is coming along, but it still needs a little work. I don't want screw it up now. I could use some suggestions on how I can get it to fit a little better.

Next two pictures are the area in question.

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Crude paper pattern

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Paper pattern sitting on blank. Black area is where paper overlaped.

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After a little shaping over a large pipe and getting the crown forced the other direction this is what it looked like

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After I wheeled it awhile it look and fit like this.

Shot from above

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Shot from the front

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From the back

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How should I proceed from here? If you need more pics let me know .



Thanks Mark

[MAStuart]

Good news ....... went back out the shop for a little bit. A little bit turned several hours . Turned into a late night.... But I got it. Will post picutres later. Mark

[anders nørgaard]

Originally Posted by MAStuart

Good news ....... went back out the shop for a little bit. A little bit turned several hours . Turned into a late night.... But I got it. Will post picutres later. Mark

That sounds great Mark

Learning is fun, right?

Let me make a guess... you wheeled/stretched the panel in the area where it reads "crown" in the pic. The area that corresponds to the center part between the overlaps in the paper pattern.

[MAStuart]

Hi Anders. Learning is fun? Sometime and other times it's very frustrating. Once in while you say to yourself, boy that was easier than I thought that it would be.

Anders, I assume if you had the capability of shrinking those pie shaped areas in black, you wouldn't have to stretch the rest of it nearly as much. So yes, the area marked with stretch was the area that needed the most stretched. Am I assuming right, by making this panel most with stretching, the areas in black would have the least amount of stretch if any. The whole rest of the panel would need some stretching. This panel is far from perfect and needs some work. It fits the buck pretty good and I don't have to force it to work. I don't know how I did it, but somehow it fits. When I didn't know what to do with it, I just walked away for awhile and then came back and worked some more. Below is a picture that shows how much crown or shape is in the panel.

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[MAStuart]

Hi Guys! So far I haven't finished filing and pannishing on the weld on the quarter panel yet, I have been working on it a little at a time. I have about a foot left to do. I will need to fill in a few small spots with the tig welder. I haven't attempted to attach the lower panel yet because the upper panel where it blends into the roof still needs some work. I have also been making more chassis parts. Not a lot more parts need to be made and I will have all the chassis parts made. I will then need to spend some time welding everything in the proper position. Sorry, I got side tracked a little bit. My son and I tried to make a roof panel and it was going to be 3 pieces. A large central panel and 2 narrower strips along the edge. We didn't know what we were doing and the panel was never going to work. I used it to make the lower part of the quarter and a smaller section of the roof. We also attempted to make a large central panel at metalmeet, without much success. It was certaininly coming along nicer than the one my son and I tried making. I have decided to make this panel in a way that I thought I could make it. It will be made in 4 sections. In the end it will only have, maybe an extra foot of welding. The weld will cross in the middle of the panel. I have been working on these panels and have got them to fit very nicely. Doing this has helped me see that the middle of the roof needs to be raised up a 1/4 to 1/2 inch. It looked like the roof would have had a flat spot, although it did have a crown, it still looked like it would have a flat spot. Modifing the buck slightly will cure that. It also showed how much I have to modify the quarter where it blends in with the roof. The roof panels I have made are coming out nice. The only area that needs a small amount of work is the outside corner where it meets the windshield, it needs some more shape.

My question is, although these panels fit well they are not exactly smooth and straight, they have the odd lump or low area here and there. How do I make them nicer. I have tried to wheel the low areas more to raise them up, but only succeeded in making the lumps a little bigger. What are my options? If I had a deep throat, non-marring shrinker, I would shrink the lumps and wheel the panel some more. How should I proceed to smooth these up. I will attach some photos shortly of the progress. Mark

[MAStuart]

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I will check back later ......going to try and make another roof panel. Mark

[larry mullen]

Mark
I have to deal with the same highs and lows on 19ga. fenders I,m shaping . I use the off dolly method for working the highs down . , If there not too large . You can use a shrinking disc on aluminum , have to be carefull not to gall the surface though. I belive theres some posts on that subject .
Larry mullen

[Hotrod1932]

Mark that is lookin good!!! So nice to see that beautiful buck getting covered up. Those panels are looking great! Keep it up my friend!!

[wagon john]

Mark, As far as lumps and low spots go I have had good results doing a few very light wash-over pases. When I say light I mean such light pressure that if you hold one wheel you can still slide the panel between the wheels. This wash -over will smooth things out more than you might think, but be careful, I have often focused on the finish of the panel only to discover I have lost the shape. If the high spots are on a high crown panel they can be lowered with a slapper as the area around the high spot can support itself. John Glover said it best when he said (I am paraphrasing) fit and finish should come together as the job nears completion. Thanks for posting your work. I sent you a personal message, could you please check it.,Thanks