By Ron CovellPhotography by Adam Banks

n past issues, we covered much of the metal fabrication done by the Rad Rides by Troy crew on the Ross Myers fenderless ’36 Ford roadster. This time, we’ll take a deep dive into the apron panels that fit under the lower hood panels and the construction of the doors.

The team at Rad Rides uses shrinking dies on a powerful Eckold machine to do much of the forming of large, low-crown panels, along with an English wheel and a planishing hammer for the final smoothing. A Pullmax machine is used for many of the steps and beads; they metal finish and carefully sand each panel to perfection as it nears completion.

They are charting new territory by making a fenderless version of a ’36 Ford roadster, a task few have attempted because of the complications involved. It’s quite a challenge to make the large areas previously covered by the “fat” front fenders look good when exposed for all to see. By incorporating a masterful blend of steps, sweeps, ridges, and creases, the aprons that fit under the hood sides have become a real focal point on the car, and they blend nicely with the custom-made framerails, which also have a stepped detail done in the style of the ’32 frame.

Every bit of the door is custom made. The doorskins were made from 18-gauge cold rolled steel sheets, but they selected 14-gauge steel for the inner panels. The heavier-gauge steel is more difficult to work with, but it ensures that the doors will be massively strong and will close with a solid “thud.” These doors will hold their shape very well over the long haul. A tremendous amount of time was spent perfecting the fit and gaps around the doors and the end result was striking.

The door hinges are from a production car, but they were extensively reworked, allowing the doors to open to nearly 90 degrees, a much wider angle than on most cars of this era. Most of the other details on the door were custom made, including the dovetails and door handles. All these details were finished to perfection since the owner made it clear that he wanted the finest quality achievable for this groundbreaking project.

3. The freshly formed panel is test-fitted to the car and adjusted as needed. You can see that the shape flows nicely into both the cowl and grille shell.

5. With the first two pieces of the apron fitted and joined, 1/4-inch-diameter steel bar stock is bent to represent the shape needed for the lower panels.

7. The rear portion of the lower panel is shaped in a similar manner and planished smooth.

9. The lower panels have been welded together here and metal finished. Note the line drawn for a feature to be added near the center of the panel.

11. A front view shows the beautiful flow of the steps, beads, and linework and the impeccable fit and finish on all parts.

13. A slightly oversize piece of 18-gauge sheet was shaped by using radial shrink dies on an Eckold machine, followed by smoothing with an English wheel. After the contours are refined, the panel is filed in two directions to reveal any tiny deviations that need correction.

14. After the final smoothing, the file marks were removed with an orbital sander. The crease in the top of the doorskin was done with the same custom-made Pullmax dies used on the quarter-panel and cowl.

16. The top portion of the inner doorframe was a complex construction. You can see how each piece was meticulously fitted into place.

18. Here’s the 18-gauge steel door top shown after rough shaping and planishing.

20. After being metal finished, the door top is clamped into place in preparation for scribing and trimming the doorskin.

22. After grinding the weld smooth, metal finishing the joint, and orbital sanding, the doorskin looks like it was made from one piece of metal. The doorskin was joined to the inner frame by edge-welding.

24. Here’s the completed door panel handle detail.