Modern Rodding TECH

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illustration of a ’36 Ford Roadster
1. This drawing by Adam Banks (who is also the main fabricator on the project) set the direction of the build.
’36 Ford Roadster
Part 3: Looking at the Decklid, Rear Wheelwells, and Floor
By Ron Covell Photography by Adam Banks
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onstruction is moving at a rapid pace at Rad Rides by Troy on Ross Myers’ scratch-built ’36 Ford fenderless roadster. In this installment, we’ll look at the construction of the decklid, the rear wheelwells, and the floor.

Building a complete body from new metal is a daunting project, but the crew at Rad Rides decided it was the best way to go; when you look at the caliber of the work being performed, we think you’ll agree. The work rivals the best you’ll see at any coachbuilding shop around.

Adam Banks, the main fabricator for the project, uses a somewhat unconventional technique for forming the panels from 18-gauge steel. Shrinking dies are used on a power Eckold machine, starting at the edge of each panel and working progressively toward the center. Once the shapes have been roughed out with the shrinking dies, the panels are further smoothed with an English wheel and then meticulously metal-finished to perfect the contours. Finally, each panel is painstakingly sanded to remove all tooling marks, leaving a bright satin finish on every exposed surface.

The decklid was formed from a single piece of metal. It was made slightly oversized, and once the contours matched the body perfectly, the edges were marked and trimmed; then they were carefully flanged to create uniform gaps all around.

The rear wheelwells are a particularly intricate fabrication. Rather than just have smooth surfaces, the crew decided to give the panels lots of ribbing and steps, done mostly with special dies on a Pullmax machine. In the end, the wheelwells have the look of die-stamped OEM panels. You will have to crawl on the ground to see these panels when the car is finished, but that’s what goes into building a car at the top level.

The floor panels were all made from 14-gauge steel, and they have steps that mimic the shapes of the framerails and X-member beneath. It has a very tidy look both inside the car and when viewed from below.

Next time we’ll look at even more of the outstanding work being done on this project. You won’t want to miss it!

tail end of the scratch-built body, an opening was made to accept the decklid
2. At the tail end of the scratch-built body, an opening was made to accept the decklid. Note that a flange has been turned all around the edge and that guides have been made to define the contour of the decklid skin.
decklid skin has been rough shaped
3. Here the decklid skin has been rough shaped with an Eckold shrinker and smoothed with an English wheel. The shape is continually refined until the fit is perfect.
decklid skin
4. Once the decklid skin is properly shaped and trimmed to size, a flange is turned on the edge, making sure the lid fits into the opening with a uniform gap.
smoothed decklid
5. Here the decklid is being smoothed by filing and sanding. The final finish is achieved with fine grit abrasive on an orbital sander.
decklid opening
6. An additional return is added to the decklid opening in the rear of the body, creating a channel for the rubber weatherstripping.
return fastened into place with plug welds
7. You can see how the return has been fastened into place with plug welds. The welds will be ground smooth to make them completely invisible.
trial-fitted decklid in the opening to check the fit
8. The decklid is trial-fitted into the opening to check the fit. As you can see, the gap is crisp and uniform.
chipboard pattern
9. A chipboard pattern is made for one of the wheelwells. This will be transferred to a piece of 18-gauge steel.
edge of the steel blank
10. The edge of the steel blank is shaped with the Eckold power shrinker and smoothed with an English wheel.
panel looks like it was factory stamped
11. After metal finishing, the panel looks like it was factory stamped.
chipboard being used
12. An inner panel is needed to back up the wheelwell. Chipboard is being used here to determine the size and shape of the sheetmetal blank.
three inner panels are trimmed to size
13. The three inner panels are trimmed to size, bent as needed, and test-fitted together on the workbench.
wheelwell test-fitted against the body
14. Here the wheelwell is test-fitted against the body and the inner panel and the shape is adjusted so they fit together with close tolerances. The shaping of the wheelwell beads is done with special dies in a Pullmax machine.
inner step being built
15. An inner step is being built to fit in the center of the wheelwell. This is a two-piece construction, with the mating edges curled to 45 degrees before tack-welding them together.
inner step is fitted and tack-welded into place
16. The inner step is fitted and tack-welded into place. This is some tricky work, indeed.
man using a hammer while working with metal
17. While Adam Banks is the main fabricator on this project, Troy Trepanier stepped in from time to time to keep his skills sharp.
wheelwell completely metal finished
18. With the wheelwell completely metal finished, you can appreciate what a complex construction this is. It has the look of a die-stamped part.
inner panel fits between the framerail and the wheelwell
19. Looking from the inside, you can see how perfectly the inner panel fits between the framerail and the wheelwell.
wheelwell tack-welded into place
20. With the fit verified, the wheelwell is tack-welded into place. After giving everything a final check, it will be finished welded and metal finished. The round hole allows the transverse torsion bars to be changed without pulling the body off the frame.
small finishing panel is shaped to fit under the tail of the body
21. With the wheelwell completed, a small finishing panel is shaped to fit under the tail of the body.
panel is welded and metal finished
22. Once the panel is welded and metal finished, it is impossible to see where the seams are.
rear portion of the floor being fitted to the bodywork
23. Looking up from the bottom, you can see the rear portion of the floor being fitted to the bodywork. It takes a lot of care to get these convoluted panels to fit together so nicely.
remainder of the floor panels fitted into place
24. The remainder of the floor panels are fitted into place here. Casey Modert did the fabrication on the floor panels and firewall. Note the steps in the panels, matching the shape of the frame beneath, which add both strength and style. The heavy, 14-gauge steel used for the floor eliminates the need for extra reinforcements.
SOURCE
Rad Rides by Troy
(815) 468-2590
radrides.com
Modern Rodding
VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 42 • 2024
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