1966 F100 Short Bed Styleside Metal/Body/Paint Work
- Thread starter theastronaut
- Start date
theastronaut
Promoted Users
Thanks MJM!
I didn't post many details on patching the other side, so I'll be more detailed about this one. I formed the top to bottom curve on the slip roll, then added a bit of compound curve on the english wheel, then formed the tighter curved edge on the Pullmax. The brace and patches are 16g so they required more force to shape than thinner panels. I already had this die set that was a close match.
Clamped in place to scribe the trim line.
Precision trimming with the Beverly shear. It's possible to get a tight fit with minimal gaps or need for further trimming/grinding if the scribe line is accurate.
Welded and smoothed.
The overlapped areas didn't match up well so I used a hammer, steel block, and a rounded over air chisel to flatten out the areas that didn't lay flat on the lower piece.
The flat areas weren't very flat and there were raised bumps from spot welds.
The height of the front edge wasn't consistent from side to side and it had random offset spots pressed in. Originally this edge had padding stapled in place to support the skin while allowing the skin to float on top of the brace. I'll either use similar padding or two part 3M NVH Dampening Material. Since this edge will be very visible when the hood is open I wanted to make it the same height all the way across, both for looks and so the padding or 3M NVH will support the hood evenly. I made a set of simple Pullmax dies from 1" steel bar to reform the edge into an even 3/8" offset.
MJM
Promoted Users
Oh heck yeah, I love these kind of posts. Not only are you showing the level of detailed attention to the repair, you're explaining how the process is done and what tools or machinery is used. I know it takes some time to put these replies to your thread together for the rest of us. I will speak for myself, as well as others and say, it's greatly appreciated.
Between you, 123pugsy, MP&C and some other metal craftsman here, it has really opened my eyes to what can be duplicated, fabricated, and restored. I've never worked on my car to the degree I'm doing now, yeah it's nothing special to the seasoned members but, it means something to me. I wouldn't have been able to achieve what I've learned here without folks such as yourself mentoring so to speak.
I pay attention to the tools and machinery used and have been making a list of them to purchase as they become available. Some will be bought new, some used, over time. I was thinking the first tools to buy for metal working are, press brake, shear, english wheel and lathe.
Thanks again for sharing, it means a lot.
Between you, 123pugsy, MP&C and some other metal craftsman here, it has really opened my eyes to what can be duplicated, fabricated, and restored. I've never worked on my car to the degree I'm doing now, yeah it's nothing special to the seasoned members but, it means something to me. I wouldn't have been able to achieve what I've learned here without folks such as yourself mentoring so to speak.
I pay attention to the tools and machinery used and have been making a list of them to purchase as they become available. Some will be bought new, some used, over time. I was thinking the first tools to buy for metal working are, press brake, shear, english wheel and lathe.
Thanks again for sharing, it means a lot.
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like this i see the gap is tight its finished very niceStarting with the front brace, there was a plate that the hood catch bolted to that also extended up to the emblem holes in the outer skin. The owner wants to delete the emblem and its recess so I cut off the sides that extend up. There was some damage around the emblem area and someone had brazed the inner brace to the outer skin at some point.
The mounting pad for the hood catch bent so I flattened it out.
The safety catch used slide in clip nuts to fasten it to the brace. I flattened out the clip recesses and made a plate with nuts welded to it to clean up the look and make it easier to mount. The clips don't let the base sit flat and they move around whenever you loosen the bolts which makes it harder to adjust accurately. I also welded up the holes for the emblem mounting studs.
The edge that sits against the hood skin was curled and rough. I ran the edge through the planishing hammer to flatten it and pulled tape for a reference to grind back to. Things like this are quick and easy to do while its apart and will make sanding the high build much easier.
Another area that only takes 5-10 min and makes life a lot easier when sanding primer; the cut outs had rough edges that I flattened with a hammer and dolly.
There are a couple of unused stampings that bigger trucks used for latching the hood that aren't needed.
theastronaut
Promoted Users
Getting started back with updates, I'll break them up into a few posts since I have a ton of pics for the work done on the hood and some of the forums I post to have a 20 pic/post limit.
A few post back I started making new pieces for the bottom edges of the sides of the hood. Before cutting off the old sides I made notes of how steeply angled the outside edge was bent every few inches.
I also made tape templates to rough in the shape of each end.
The rear edge had an offset area stamped into it to allow a flange on the brace to fit flush with the bottom edge. I trimmed a piece of scrap 18g to the shape of the recess and used it to define the edges and depth of the recess, then formed it with a rounded over air chisel tip and hammer.
The hard part- making all the pieces fit together with each other while making sure the edges were in the correct locations. Getting a piece too high or too low, or too far in or out, or too far forward or backward meant the gaps and flushness would be way off once its all welded together. At this point the hood skin was really cut up; both sides and almost all of the front were cut out so it was pretty flimsy. I decided it would be best to focus on getting the inner braces and sides fit together first.
With the front brace shimmed into the correct position and clamped in place, I started fitting it's flanges to the new sides. The sides were shimmed off the top of the fender the correct height to keep their edges in line with the bottom of the cowl.
I decided to shave the holes in the braces to make body and paint work go easier later on; getting paint shot through holes like this onto the inside of the outer skin is a pain and it never looks as good as you want it to. The outside edges of the holes had lumps on one end so I used a socket and mallet to cold shrink them down smooth.
A few post back I started making new pieces for the bottom edges of the sides of the hood. Before cutting off the old sides I made notes of how steeply angled the outside edge was bent every few inches.
I also made tape templates to rough in the shape of each end.
The rear edge had an offset area stamped into it to allow a flange on the brace to fit flush with the bottom edge. I trimmed a piece of scrap 18g to the shape of the recess and used it to define the edges and depth of the recess, then formed it with a rounded over air chisel tip and hammer.
The hard part- making all the pieces fit together with each other while making sure the edges were in the correct locations. Getting a piece too high or too low, or too far in or out, or too far forward or backward meant the gaps and flushness would be way off once its all welded together. At this point the hood skin was really cut up; both sides and almost all of the front were cut out so it was pretty flimsy. I decided it would be best to focus on getting the inner braces and sides fit together first.
With the front brace shimmed into the correct position and clamped in place, I started fitting it's flanges to the new sides. The sides were shimmed off the top of the fender the correct height to keep their edges in line with the bottom of the cowl.
I decided to shave the holes in the braces to make body and paint work go easier later on; getting paint shot through holes like this onto the inside of the outer skin is a pain and it never looks as good as you want it to. The outside edges of the holes had lumps on one end so I used a socket and mallet to cold shrink them down smooth.
theastronaut
Promoted Users
theastronaut
Promoted Users
To set the width of the rear hood brace and hood sides I first had to set the location of the rear of the new hood sides. I also needed to finish the left cowl bottom patch. I used magnets to float/clamp the aluminum C-channel in place down the length of the door, cowl, and new hood side. That keeps all the new pieces flowing well from panel to panel. String was pulled down the door's body line at the correct height so that the new bottom edge of the hood isn't too high or too low, which would throw off the body line and hood to fender gap.
Shape of the door transferred to a profile gauge, gauge used to check the shape of the cowl bottom patch.
Adding curve to the flanged ends until the shape matches the door edge. The middle of the panel was stretched to add shape by hammering on top of a slightly rounded dolly to add shape.
Low across the middle after tacking in place.
After planishing the welds, still not all the way back to shape.
Low again after more tacks. This was good enough to hold it together to finish fitting the cowl in place so the hood could be fitted.
With the C-channel and string in place I could accurately measure how long the lower flange needed to be made to make the panel sit flush with the hood and door. This flange won't be able to be added until the fender comes back off, and I need the fender on to set the hood's dimensions correctly.
The front edge of the hood had been cut out for rust repair, and to shave the recessed emblem mount. I made a template of the edge of the upper grill panel and marked that shape onto a 4x6" steel tube. I supported the rear of the hood with angle blocks, making sure to keep the hood level in all directions. I initially overlapped the new panels and tacked them in place, then doubled checked the fit on the truck to make sure the front edge was in the correct location.
With the fit where I wanted it I scribed and trimmed the edge and welded the new pieces in. The nice part of using tubing was that it kept the flange 100% flat.
The braces were sandblasted and shot with SPI epoxy. I also made captured nut plates for the hood latch and safetey catch.
Shape of the door transferred to a profile gauge, gauge used to check the shape of the cowl bottom patch.
Adding curve to the flanged ends until the shape matches the door edge. The middle of the panel was stretched to add shape by hammering on top of a slightly rounded dolly to add shape.
Low across the middle after tacking in place.
After planishing the welds, still not all the way back to shape.
Low again after more tacks. This was good enough to hold it together to finish fitting the cowl in place so the hood could be fitted.
With the C-channel and string in place I could accurately measure how long the lower flange needed to be made to make the panel sit flush with the hood and door. This flange won't be able to be added until the fender comes back off, and I need the fender on to set the hood's dimensions correctly.
The front edge of the hood had been cut out for rust repair, and to shave the recessed emblem mount. I made a template of the edge of the upper grill panel and marked that shape onto a 4x6" steel tube. I supported the rear of the hood with angle blocks, making sure to keep the hood level in all directions. I initially overlapped the new panels and tacked them in place, then doubled checked the fit on the truck to make sure the front edge was in the correct location.
With the fit where I wanted it I scribed and trimmed the edge and welded the new pieces in. The nice part of using tubing was that it kept the flange 100% flat.
The braces were sandblasted and shot with SPI epoxy. I also made captured nut plates for the hood latch and safetey catch.
theastronaut
Promoted Users
Thanks, glad yall are finding it to be helpful!
theastronaut
Promoted Users
The hood brace was bolted to the hinges and adjusted back against shims to replicate the gap size and thickness of the outer skin. Also had to adjust the hinges some to get the angle of the brace corrected so the rear edge had a consistent gap along the cowl, and not tighter or looser at the top or bottom. Since the mounting pad swings in an arc I was able to move the hinges up or down to change the resting point angle. The overall height of the brace isn't that important since the rear flange is vertical; the outer skin can be moved up or down against the brace's flange as long as the brace isn't higher than the cowl, or too low that the outer skin's flange wouldn't reach the brace's flange.
Too narrow to match up with the hood side flanges.
Marking how much the brace needed to be bent outwards.
I clamped the brace to a table and made a mark in the center of the brace to reference how much I was bending the edges.
Double checking and making new notes.
After a lot of hammering and tweaking, the brace and sides lined up.
This area had a spot that fit too tightly against the cowl which would push the skin too close and make the gap too tight, so I laid a couple strips of tape parallel with the cowl edge.
With the first piece of tape removed I was able to set calipers at the correct width (silver mark), then scribe the rolled edge to mark where the edge should roll over, then hammer the edge back the correct amount.
The bottom of the hood brace flange fit too tightly against the hood side flange, so I used a ruler as a spacer/straight edge and scribed a line to trim to. Notice the 1/8" alignment holes drilled through both layers so it can be disassembled and easily reassembled in proper alignment. I did this to all of the pieces once they were fitting correctly.
Too narrow to match up with the hood side flanges.
Marking how much the brace needed to be bent outwards.
I clamped the brace to a table and made a mark in the center of the brace to reference how much I was bending the edges.
Double checking and making new notes.
After a lot of hammering and tweaking, the brace and sides lined up.
This area had a spot that fit too tightly against the cowl which would push the skin too close and make the gap too tight, so I laid a couple strips of tape parallel with the cowl edge.
With the first piece of tape removed I was able to set calipers at the correct width (silver mark), then scribe the rolled edge to mark where the edge should roll over, then hammer the edge back the correct amount.
The bottom of the hood brace flange fit too tightly against the hood side flange, so I used a ruler as a spacer/straight edge and scribed a line to trim to. Notice the 1/8" alignment holes drilled through both layers so it can be disassembled and easily reassembled in proper alignment. I did this to all of the pieces once they were fitting correctly.
theastronaut
Promoted Users
On test fit #6,374 of the hood I noticed that the top of the cowl had a high spot along it's width, which created a weird transition from the cowl to the hood. Even the vents had a rounded shape.
I was able to flatten the vents by tapping them down, with a steel block laid across them to flatten them evenly.
To the left and right of the vents had the same bulge.
After a few passes with the shrinking disk.
The disc leaves the surface too smooth for primer to stick so I rough it back up with 100 grit on a 5" grinder, then 60 grit on a DA.
The shape after- good flow from the cowl to the hood that should be able to be perfected with a single thin skim coat of filler.
Same process on the other side.
I was able to flatten the vents by tapping them down, with a steel block laid across them to flatten them evenly.
To the left and right of the vents had the same bulge.
After a few passes with the shrinking disk.
The disc leaves the surface too smooth for primer to stick so I rough it back up with 100 grit on a 5" grinder, then 60 grit on a DA.
The shape after- good flow from the cowl to the hood that should be able to be perfected with a single thin skim coat of filler.
Same process on the other side.
Vanillagorilla
Professional amatuer
Beautiful work man
theastronaut
Promoted Users
Thanks!!
More hood details. With the front and rear braces tweaked to fit better, I bolted the rear brace to the hinges, clamped the front in it's final location, and the new sides were spaced off the fenders and held in place with a couple of sheetmetal screws. I used tubing to make temporary braces to hold all of the pieces in place so I could begin fitting the skin to the braces and sides.
The rear corners of the rear brace had tabs that fold over the hood sides and spot weld into a recess. The old tabs weren't the same shape on both sides and were in rough shape from all of the spot welds being drilled out, then the tab pried up to separate the skin from the brace. With the sides mocked up I made tape templates of the new tab shape to match the recess size. Instead of welding across the straight edge of the brace I made a rounded patch so the tab could be bent along the crease without worrying about the weld seam cracking.
The recess didn't match left and right, so the new tape templates and tabs didn't match... I didn't catch that when I was making new hood sides using the original sides as templates. To correct that I trimmed both tabs to match and marked where the recess should end and reshaped it to fit the shortened tab.
I taped a piece of 18g underneath to use it's edge as a guide for reshaping the recess.
I relief cut the front corners of the skin to make them easier to reshape, and roughly marked the area that needed to be stretched to correct the shape.
Edges pulled out flush with the upper grill panel, copper spoon used to weld a temporary bridge to hold that shape.
Cardboard template of the upper grill panel's profile, tape template of the new hood corner.
theastronaut
Promoted Users
Yeah, the hood has been a ton of work to make it fit correctly. The updates here are just the Cliffs Notes versions of the final pieces. I should've included before/after shots of how much more grey hair I have from wrestling with it and a few of the pieces I trashed and started over on. It's still not fitting as nicely as I wanted it to, but nothing that a skim of filler can't fix.
John,
If you need anything smoothed out, don't forget I have an English Wheel. It would be my pleasure to help you out.
PM me for my home address
I'll have to take you up on that, you've got more bugs worked out of your english wheel than I've gotten out of mine!
Chris_Hamilton
Trying to be the best me, I can be
Beautiful inspiring work John. Gonna spend the time soon to start at the beginning of this thread. Really good stuff.
Gonna spend the time soon to start at the beginning of this thread. Really good stuff.
theastronaut
Promoted Users
Beautiful inspiring work John.
Thanks dudes!
New lower corner tacked in place, corner profile needs reshaping so both sides of the seam match.
Hammer on dolly stretching to raise the lower side.
Lower section opened up for a filler piece since the gap was too wide to weld.
Other corner fitted and welded.
Marking the inner flange to trim off the uneven edge.
I made a template of the cowl's profile from 20g bent 90* then shaped with the linear stretch dies in the pullmax and the hand shrinker/stretcher, then built the structure up top to keep it from flexing. I used it to check and correct the hood skin.
Lower edges of the cowl marked to match up the hood edges.
Hood hung at the correct height to match the shrinker/stretcher jaws.
Before/after correcting the hood profile.
Double checking the hood skin fit before welding the braces in.
