I definitely want to see the fender buck being built. I have a good idea how to get it done, but will be patiently awaiting the write up.

Pretty cool Dave. I'd wrap that thing in silk, dope it, throw some tars and engine in it and you'll be on your way. Don't use the Cuda harness though. Might cause some problemos.

Looking good!!

Ha! I was thinking the same thing! I mean, a 4x4 wood post frame can handle, what....30hp?:burnout:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

Not quite the same as the immensity of your project Dave, but maybe this will give you even more motivation (not sure you've ever lacked that, lol) or maybe just a feeling of camaraderie with this fella who faced some battles during his epic restoration of a burned out Riley sportscar:

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/classic...rned-barn-fire

That’s inspirational for sure, Mark! Thanks for the post! Been sanding and forming more on the buck. Almost feel like I’m a furniture maker!

Cheers
Dave

After packing up Crusty, I decided to dive into my 507 project today and it's all I can think about! There's a lot of woodworking involved on the buck and a lot more to come. I started by making templates for the front grilles and side vents. Once in positioned them in place I fastened them down with 3" screws. I can clearly envision where the metal needs to curve to create that sultry sensual style that this car commands. I cut the wheel wells out by first drawing a 36" circle on a piece of plywood and then cut the circle out to make a template. The center of this will also provide me with the axle position and I can position a tire in the well to check spacing and measurements. It's almost like assembling a car on a wood skeleton to verify everything, and then forming the panels after it's taken back apart. What a fun learning process!

The cool thing about the 3D scanning is that there is a notch where the hood, door edges, trunk, windshield frame, door handles, and Roundel emblems are located. That really eliminates any guesswork for me.

It's coming out exactly how I thought. And that in itself is pretty scary! :cool2:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

This is so cool!!! Coming along great Dave!! :biggthumpup:

Thank guys! Right now instead of running to the auto parts places for coils, wires, etc...I’m running to Home Depot for 80 grit, Sawzall blades, and wood! More to come over the weekend.

Cheers
Dave

Love watching this develop Dave. So, please refresh my memory, are you going fiberglass, aluminum or steel for the body panels? Will you be forming them yourself, or do you have a guy for that?

Thanks, Mark! I’m going through all of this to make the body out of 20ga or 22ga steel. I didn’t want to use aluminum since I’m not familiar with it, and the expense. And yes, I’ll be doing all the forming myself. I know! I can’t wait to watch this train slowly derail too!:hmmm::rolleyes2::biggthumpup::tongue:

I’m working my way around the car sanding and blending curves. The plan over the weekend is to start forming the nose as one solid piece. That’s called a hammer buck since I’ll actually be hammering the metal on that piece to form the nose. I’ll have to fall back on all my artistic experience sculpting the curves, etc. Fortunately before becoming a pilot, I wanted to be a car designer, so all my high school classes were art and design related. I dun just knew’d that edjumacashun would come in handy!:grin:

Cheers
Dave

Very cool Dave, keep up the great work!!

Dave, there are some good Kirkham videos on YouTube that show great metal forming skills. The Kirkhams are the ones that built my bronze bodied Cobra. What these guys do with a flat piece of metal is amazing.

Way cool Dave! Are folks down in Texas smaller than us Yankees?:hmmm: I don’t know how I’d fit my keester in them tiny cavities you got. Oh well, you took art in HS, so who am I to second guess?!:biggthumpup:

Tim, can you share a couple pics of that Cobra? I'd love to see them and I'm sure that Dave wouldn't mind seeing it as well.

Here you go.

Last one

My God those cars are works of art.

:drool: Wow, that's beautiful!

I need to con you out of that somehow...

That's gotta look like a shooting star zipping down the road!! :eek2::beers: Bee-u-tee-full!! :burnout:

----Charley,,,Just keep telling Tim how labor intensive that finish is and I'm sure he will sell it to you for a song...…..Bill S

That is unbelievable, wow. Whew, that is amazing, congrats on owning it. I love bespoke stuff in general, and I think you've taken the cake with that.

That’s it right there!!! :laugh:

Good..night!!! That is gorgeous!! I can only hope mine comes out 1/1000th as nice as that!! How in the world do you keep that clean!?!

Don’t you worry Samitron.....you’ll be sitting in it next year at MCACN if things go right!!

Cheers
Dave

It takes some work to keep shiny, but it's worth it. It's an amazing car with the bronze body and stainless steel chassis. There's absolutely no paint on the car or chassis at all.

Well men, I think I’ve made an executive decision on the 507 build. I’m starting to lean on taking a page from “The Book of Woj”:flag: and leaning on making the first run of my design out of fiberglass. I put the kaibosh on that idea initially since I really wanted the body to be metal. And then there’s the mystique of all the Fauxbras running around, but honestly, I think with this car and all the other fabrication involved on the chassis (including the amount going into this buck right now!!!:rolleyes2:), the fact that the body is fiberglass probably won’t make a real big difference in the car’s appeal when it’s done. My initial thought was that this was going to be taking the easy way out, but the more I read about it, it’s changed my mind completely. Making a fiberglass body ain’t exactly easy either!:no:

There’s several reasons for leaning on using fiberglass, and mainly, it has to do with the amount of tools required to form the metal panels. I’m looking easily at upwards of over $10K for a few tools I’ll need before I even buy a sheet of metal to beat on!:shocked: So just for giggles, I started looking at how to make a fiberglass body/mold and coincidentally, I’m pretty much headed down that direction right now!:biggthumpup: I still would like to make a metal body in the future. Maybe the next one.....:rolleyes2:

The next stage of the buck is building up all the cavities with foam and sculpting it down to form the body shape so I can compare it to the original. This will allow me to fine tune any errors I see so the final product is as close to the real thing as possible. Think of the clay models that the Big Three do when designing a car. Same concept!:biggthumpup: This will be all sanded smooth, primed, and painted. This will allow me to spray a mold release on the surface and keep the underside of the body smooth while laying up the body. I could also make molds for each part, then assemble them later.:hmmm: I haven’t decided which way I’ll be going (mold or moldless) and am still looking/readin/researching this whole endeavor. I could mass market the car if it comes out right! Uh.....no:no:

So now we’re coming into the next phase where I’m going to start needing my donor chassis which will be the basic platform of the 507. My chassis design of the car has changed from what I thought I was going to use initially, and now I’m leaning on using the Mercedes R107 (1971-1989) 350SL/450SL chassis. I’m looking at the earlier versions that have manual windows and locks since that will make the door internals ready to go for the 507. These Mercedes have dimensions that are just about identical to the 507s in length, wheel base, track, and width. This will give me the basic 2dr convertible body chassis I need with all structural issues taken car of, plus a functioning convertible top. :cool2: Although I am still planning on using a 4-wheel torsion bar suspension like the original had. More details on that later.

More pics tomorrow!!!! It’s really coming out great and starting to look like a car instead of a popsicle-stick Tyrannosaurus Rex!!!:cool2:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

You're amazing, Dave. I can't wait to see your progress.

I watched some of the Kirkhams videos on YouYube yesterday and as a A&P mech and sheet metal hack I found it very interesting. Like the repair to the left rear fender/Q panel that was caved in..... WOW !
These guys are GOOD.
Question Tim

What was the metal and or process in making your bronze body ?


Thanks Mike

The metal is silicon bronze and the body was built in Poland at the old Mig factory. They hand pound the panels and attach them the to the stanless steel chassis. It is shipped to Kirkham for finishing. There's a good video of Kirkham building a bronze hood for a SOHC twin supercharged car. I have no idea how they produce such beautiful cars.

I don't mean to take up Daves post as I want to follow his build. I'll put this on a separate post.

you could do matchsticks..

https://www.youtube.com/embed/HyuE1XnYO0I

Why don't you just continue as you have been doing and make the rest of the car out of the same wood? Just fill in all the remaining cross sections and you are done.

Thanks for the compliment, Tim!

Oh, it's not taking over my thread. No worries! That's a beauty and inspirational for sure. It's downright mind boggling what they can do with that metal.

Steve, that MDF is heavy, and not overly cheap. I just bought the foam and will be sculpting it out starting tomorrow. I'l update later this week!:laugh:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

Ok, that match stick guy is amazing! So, I should make a matchstick car? If I hit anything the body would bust up into a billion pieces!

I fabricated up thre windshield frame using measurements from the model along with the windshield gasket I have. I also cut out the rear wheel wells. This frame will get a sheet of metal screwed to it to keep its shape when removed. I'll then ship this to the company that will use this template and make the glass for me. It really gives the car more of the car look! :hmmm: :biggthumpup:

Headlight buckets should be here next week and I'll mount those which will give me the correct position for the openings I'll need. The buckets are going to be from the 47-54 Chevrolet 3100 along with the trim rings.

Up next will be foam cavity filling! :biggthumpup:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

I could see Fred Flintstone driving that the way it is!

Yesterday I started to do some foam installation along with a little filler to see how it will take shape. Once the whole body is done I can sculpt the curves more precisely. I'm extremely pleased! Less typing.... more foaming!!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

Wow

I sure hope this turns out well. You're putting a lot of work into it.

Total rookie here but could you use spray foam?

Thanks, Freddie. I think it will. Crush, the spray foam would be a big mess, and carving this foam is a smaller big mess, so I decided on the smaller big mess:frown:.

Updates later this week! Coming together nicely! I think if things go well I may pop a body next month!:headbang:

Cheers:beers:
Dave