Thread: Lethal Weapon, Project A-Bucket

Tweet

Originally Posted by dlotraf33

I hope so. Considering the exceptional work you do my best will not even come close to what you discard after deaming it a failure. Every time I check your thread I am amazed. And if you ever decide you don't need the talent in the tip of your pinkie, well send it abroad, I sure could use it.......

Good catch on the sides being too high for good proportion. That's the beauty of mocking up before committing to the final product.

I don't think that 2" is quite going to get you there though. I'll post up a side view of a roadster body just to give you an idea of how deep you really need to go if you want to recreate the near perfect proportions of Henry's original design. It's what makes the '28/9 so popular even if people don't realize what makes it "look so right". Part of what you're doing here is going to be influenced by how you deal with the windshield. I would encourage you to do some mock up of that too before committing to metal. You don't have to reproduce the actual roadster windshield (though that's easily doable), but some channel material coming off the top of the cowl piece you've got would work too. Personally I would still trim down the base of where the stanchions mount just to visually "lighten" the bulk of the cowl, but it needs to work for you.........thus the suggestion to include w/s mock up at this stage. If doing some channel stock a slight to more aggressive slant back will be more pleasing than the oft mistaken job done of just straight up.

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

Good catch on the sides being too high for good proportion. That's the beauty of mocking up before committing to the final product.

I don't think that 2" is quite going to get you there though. I'll post up a side view of a roadster body just to give you an idea of how deep you really need to go if you want to recreate the near perfect proportions of Henry's original design. It's what makes the '28/9 so popular even if people don't realize what makes it "look so right". Part of what you're doing here is going to be influenced by how you deal with the windshield. I would encourage you to do some mock up of that too before committing to metal. You don't have to reproduce the actual roadster windshield (though that's easily doable), but some channel material coming off the top of the cowl piece you've got would work too. Personally I would still trim down the base of where the stanchions mount just to visually "lighten" the bulk of the cowl, but it needs to work for you.........thus the suggestion to include w/s mock up at this stage. If doing some channel stock a slight to more aggressive slant back will be more pleasing than the oft mistaken job done of just straight up.

Thats what I was looking at this morning. I intend to move the pillars inward similar to the roadster. I have the closed pillars, he cut them off to ship the cowl and then the deal fell thru and I ended up the lucky recipant of it. I may not lower the sides quite as low as the roadster body, alot will have to do with how I blend in and relocate the pillars. I want them to lean back slightly, but not too agressive. And if you have the roadster handy that you posted the pics of. what is the measurement from door top to the line where the tank seperates from the cowl bottom? That would be a handy piece of info before I cut the ply down. I may not be able to go that low and look right unless I completly rework the piece that wraps over the cowl top below windshield. Looking at several, it looks like the closed cab is taller in this area than the roadster. And I don't want to try to recreate a roadster cowl. As some will tell me it's a poor copy, or bust my chops telling me it isn't a roadster. I think I have the look of the solution in my head, question is will it translate when I start working with the metal. Thanks again Bob

Probably the easiest dimension to transfer would be door hieght at the cowl. That's 24 1/4", which corresponds to the bottom of the stanchion too. But as you say, you don't have to exactly emulate that. The closed car cowl top at the upper portion of that cowl reveal is bulkier than the roadster, that's the part that throws most conversion off. Again, that can be reshaped to look more in unison with whatever new stanchion configuration is done, but the bulk needs to be thinned some visually if not literally.

This angle should give you the best perspective of what I mean.....

Hey dlotraf33, heck you are doing just fine with the written word now and the pictures are excellent size and detailed. Now you will just have to give us your first name or nickname so that we can encourage you.

Originally Posted by Whiplash23T

Hey dlotraf33, heck you are doing just fine with the written word now and the pictures are excellent size and detailed. Now you will just have to give us your first name or nickname so that we can encourage you.

Thanks Whip, I thought of that earlier today. It's Charlie. For those who havent caught on my user name, which started as e-mail, is old fart spelled backwards.............. And thank you all, for the info and words of encouragement.............

Thanks Charlie for that and yes I answer to Whip most of the time but I have been called far worse at times.

Originally Posted by Whiplash23T

Thanks Charlie for that and yes I answer to Whip most of the time but I have been called far worse at times.

Originally Posted by Whiplash23T

Thanks Charlie for that and yes I answer to Whip most of the time but I have been called far worse at times.

I was having a lazy moment, I hate typing when the hands don't want to comperate.......... I'm bad with names. I think I know what yours is but you won't catch me in a lie this morning.......

Well the weather STINKS! Really it's only cold here, but I guess Dallas got some ice. My distribution center is closed, and if I get a truck today, doubtfull, all the product I wanted to install today and tomorrow has already been delayed till monday. Crap! Oh well might as well make some metal dust.

After looking at the mocked up cab for a couple of weeks, I decided, as Bob pointed out the cowl in the pillar area was just too bulky. After studying it for a bit, it looked easy enough to narrow. I just had to cut a couple of rusty bolts, and some really bad welds, looked like old coathanger welds, to remove it. Rrilled out a couple of rivits and we have three separate pieces.

DSCF3072-600.jpg

I cut out the corner, that wraps around the gas tank top, so sides could be slid inward. Once fit I'll trim the removed piece to fit the cowl top and weld back in the pillar.

DSCF3079-600.jpg

I slid the sides in to give me what I found to be the most pleasing ammount of reveal and clamped into place. Then I trimed the top so it would fit. All sitting in place, and then step back and eyeball from several angles. Yup that should work.

DSCF3078-600.jpg

Marked all the holes so I could drill them. A quick trip to TSC for some bolts and a new set of bits and we can finish this step. Holes drilled and the pieces bolted back on the cowl.

DSCF3075-600.jpg

Although I stated I am not trying to copy the roadster cowl, this does look more pleasing to the eye. It did look too fat at the top of the cowl. At this point I decided not to put the pieces back into the pillars, where they wrap around the tank. I want to decide how to handle the windshield posts. I havent yet decided weather to use roadster posts, modify the closed cab posts, or just fabricate some of my own design. I think I really need a windshield frame before I box myself into a corner, and have to redo somthing.