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....................................................-- Body Part I --.................
I started on the body work right before Speed Week in 2008 and then after Speed Week I didn't really get back on the car until January of 2009 due to a lot of things, all good, that went on in the fall of 2008. Some of you have been waiting for updates for some time, so I appreciate the support you have been showing me and your patience. Now let's start building again, Sum.
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I wanted to start with some body panels that wouldn't totally discourage me, so started from the cage area rearwards. To bend these simpler panels I put a piece of plywood on the arms of my 2 post lift and raised it to a good work height. Next a piece of tubing the same length as the plywood was lightly clamped to the plywood on both ends (arrows)......
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......This allowed me to bend the .050 3003 aluminum panels that had been cut a little over size with one radius on one end and a different on the other end. I would work the bend and then take it to the car and see how it fit the body mounts I had previously made. This actually went pretty fast.
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Here two panels have been bent and are held at this point with clamps. Notice that the intake track/exhaust track/fin is not on the top of the car. That kept it out of the way.
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When I had the panels close to what I wanted I marked the top and cut it so that it would almost fit the top intake/exhaust/fin.
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I then put the intake/exhaust/fin back on the top and moved the panels up to it and scribed them for a close fit and they were cut the final time. At this point the panels were drilled with 1/8th inch holes and held on with clecos.
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The two panels overlapped some where they met. I then marked a common line down them and cut them so that they fit flush to each other on one of the body mount ribs. Hopefully they will eventually be welded together and become one panel along with some others below them.
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A view looking rearward.........
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........and another. I'm happy with these and feel I'm off to a pretty good start, but these are the easy ones.
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