Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

[J. Robinson]

I didn't get as far as I wanted the last time, but it worked out OK. As it is, it gave me time to study what I had done and I decided to cut 2 1/2 inches off the top of the hood sides. I did this so that it will simplify building the exhaust system later. So.., after trimming the top off the side that I already made, I used it as a pattern to make the opposite side.

On the right side I encountered a little clearance problem with the outer water jacket on the intake manifold, so I made short work of it with my Sawzall. I'll complete this modification later...

With the hood sides cut to fit, the next step is to reinforce the top edge. The reinforcement is added there to stabilize the edges where the hood tops will meet and latch to them. I made the reinforcement pieces from 1/8 x 1 1/4 flat stock. After cutting the flat stock to length, I drilled 1/4" holes along the top edge of the hood sides, 4" apart.

With the reinforcement strip situated half under the hood side and half exposed, I welded through the holes to attach the reinforcement to the flat stock. After welding, I dressed the spots flat with a grinder. There are some small dimples left in the welds, but rather than risk warping the panels with more welding, I will fill these little imperfections with glazing putty later when I'm doing paint prep.