Thread: Followed Me Home, '33 Build

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So I finally jumped into the body prep process, getting ready to shoot some color on the '33. I debated a bit about starting a new thread, or even whether to post anything about the process at all. In the end I decided to post a few shots of what's occupying my time, and to add them to the build thread for continuity.

It's really hard to make that first cut into a nice gel coat, because once that first cut is made the die is cast, no pulling back. I had been looking at the rear license bracket, and the way the bottom rode up on the reveal line at the bottom of the body where the originals flared into the gas tank cover. I decided an inset was needed to let the plate fit flush. Here's the "before":



The first step was to go inside the trunk and lay in four or five layers of cloth & resin to fill in the hollow at the bottom, to prevent cutting through and having a hole to patch. Then it was a matter of taking an angle grinder with a thin abrasive disc and making a cut across the bottom, a pair of verticals, and then cut down flat across the license area to pull out the chunk. A bit of Fibral Lite filler (body filler w/ fiberglass added) and a few licks with a 120 grit block and it's nearly primer ready.





And with the bracket in place:





The next problem was the cowl. The "widow's peak" at the top center is formed from a stock body, which I believe is higher at the center because of the shape of the center hinged hood. Regardless, the one piece hood top I'm running is more flat, and that "widow's peak" is about 3/8" high - too much to grind down without creating a hole, which would be very hard to patch on a finished car (laying glass on an inside flat surface is not a fun task, especially when you're above carpet, wiring and the HVAC box). Here's a couple of shots of what I'm describing:





The solution is to make a "V" cut on the flat in front of the "widow's peak", which allows the offending tip to push down.



With the hood on, and support brackets adjusted to get it centered and aligned as close as possible a spare battery provides the weight needed to drop the peak:



Turned & centered, checked for even "droop", the inside was filled with Fibral Lite, pushing into the slot cut and creating a solid wedge inside to make it impossible for the peak to shift later.



After drying over night, another application of Fibral Lite, a contoured sanding block to match the contour line, and it's near ready for primer.



The resulting alignment is not perfect, but sooooo much better and easily addressed with a dab of filler during final block & fill.



Next is extending the back edge of the hood ~1/2" to fill the gap, and re-contouring the hood front into the grille shell due to the laying the grille back for clearance & appearance. Later....

PS - If you'd just as soon not see this kind of stuff just say the word.