Any ideas how to fix this?

phat46 · April 24, 2005, 12:39:35 PM

I have my chop nearly done and was just gonna strip the cowl and prime the cab when i ran into this mess. The cowl vent had been rusted shut since I got the cab, I unbolted the vent cover and found this rust. The pic doesn't do it justice, the metal along the back of the vent opening is paper thin, it was disintegrating as I wire wheeled the paint off it. The bottom of the gutter area is rusted away for several inches also.
I think the best way to fix it would be to weld in a new opening, but of course I don't have one. Maybe kill the rust and 'glass it over? I don't really need the vent to open, but I don't want to eliminate it either, i don't like the look of a smoothed over cowl on the type of truck I'm building.

Charlie Chops 1940 · April 24, 2005, 12:44:51 PM

Looks like it's all in the rear section. I would fabricate some pieces to repair the floor of the opening first and then make a couple of ell shaped pieces to fill in the cut out rusty areas. I'd cut far enough back to get to good parent material.

Charlie

WZ JUNK · April 24, 2005, 01:45:54 PM

You really need the vent to work. They make a big difference. I have done a lot of work to various vehicles to retain the vent function. You might to try to use a portion of some other model cowl vent to repair yours.

GPster · April 24, 2005, 01:45:56 PM

My suggestion would be find someone that does a lot of woodworking and have him build you a "hammer form" With a bunch of fancy measuring ( allowing for the thickness of the metal). I'd think you could duplicate what you need in one piece and it should be that you won't have to deal with too many compound curves. My other suggestion would come from the idea that I can really complicate simple problems. If you made a new hood top section that was straight accross from side-to-side you could revise the top of the cowl for the new hood line and that would eliminate the space for the vent. Of course to make things even more complicated you make a new cowl top that would recess the windshields wipers lower and you could run the hood top back to almost the bottom of the windshield. Or the next time you chop a top you can just make the windshield stock heigth and make the hood longer. Well they're just about to come and tell me it's time for my nap. GPster

8-Ball · April 24, 2005, 02:41:37 PM

Well if you are building a DRIVER and not a All out show peice,this is what i would do, and have done. Grind area down to shiney metal,take duct tape and put on under side of holes, get some fiberglass, comes in kit, lay it out on top surface and aply resin. Or you could even use just resin without fiberglass clothe. After it sets up remove duct tape. Keep the vent,it will come in handy this summer.Just a little advice from a fellow Michigander ( bay City) 8-Bal

unklian · April 24, 2005, 02:53:49 PM

Hammer form a new piece,weld it in place.

http://www.heritagesonline.homestead.com/metalworking.html

av8 · April 24, 2005, 02:53:53 PM

Quote from: "GPster"My suggestion would be find someone that does a lot of woodworking and have him build you a "hammer form" . . . GPster

Or you might consider using a simple steel die. A friend who has a custom sheet metal shop, and also builds hot rods for $$$, makes simple metal-stamping dies, both plasma-cut and laser-cut to produce interesting details as well as to repop predominately flat panels. For example, this die . . .

. . . produced this 16-gauge panel . . .

. . . which became this runningboard for a '32 Chevy pickup. A second die was used to stamp some character into the aprons.

Here's an example of a repro piece -- the center of a three-piece mid-'20s Dodge roadster dashboard.

The stamping, or embossing is done in a press brake fitted with flattening anvils.

The thickness of the steel used for the die determines the depth of the "draw" or impression.

Just another option to consider for work such as this . . .

Mike

enjenjo · April 24, 2005, 02:54:02 PM

That can easily be done with a hammer form as Joe suggests. One of the best materials for making hammer forms is maple die board.

And a good draftsman could draw a program that could be cut on a laser table without much problem.

I would make it in two pieces though, the top and sides down into the opening, and the bottom with a part coming up to meet the first part. Make it flat, without the V in the center, and shrink it to a V.

tomslik · April 24, 2005, 03:45:41 PM

Quote from: "phat46"I have my chop nearly done and was just gonna strip the cowl and prime the cab when i ran into this mess. The cowl vent had been rusted shut since I got the cab, I unbolted the vent cover and found this rust. The pic doesn't do it justice, the metal along the back of the vent opening is paper thin, it was disintegrating as I wire wheeled the paint off it. The bottom of the gutter area is rusted away for several inches also.
I think the best way to fix it would be to weld in a new opening, but of course I don't have one. Maybe kill the rust and 'glass it over? I don't really need the vent to open, but I don't want to eliminate it either, i don't like the look of a smoothed over cowl on the type of truck I'm building.

what is it you're building?

kb426 · April 24, 2005, 04:06:21 PM

Would it be easier to find a good donor and cut, remove, replace on yours?

Nick32Vic · April 24, 2005, 05:32:07 PM

What kind of car is it out of?

Nick

phat46 · April 24, 2005, 06:28:53 PM

Quote from: "Charlie Chops 1940"Looks like it's all in the rear section. I would fabricate some pieces to repair the floor of the opening first and then make a couple of ell shaped pieces to fill in the cut out rusty areas. I'd cut far enough back to get to good parent material.

Charlie

That's what I did Charlie, after i read your reply I looked around and saw that the extra pieces of the door tops I cut off had some bends that could be used to make patches from. I got one side all tacked in.

The rest of you guys must think i have some kind of skill or talent!!! I did like the idea of the duct tape and fiberglass though...

It's a '40 Ford p.u. cab, and I wish i had another one to cut that part from. The rest of the chop is ready for primer, the roof has a coat of mud on it as it looks like someone held a barndance on it once upon a time; I had to chisel (!) about 3/8" of bondo off it when i cut the top in half.

parklane · April 24, 2005, 08:27:07 PM

Looks real good Joe!! When you get the truck done, you want me to drive the coupe so it will not get lonely sittin in the garage all by itself??

John

Charlie Chops 1940 · April 24, 2005, 09:00:59 PM

Joe,

All good replies. I know Enjenjo loves hammer molds and knew that he would suggest that (LOL). Kinda knowing where you were going I thought simple tech would work too.

Show us a pic of it finished.

Charlie

phat46 · April 24, 2005, 09:01:14 PM

Quote from: "parklane"Looks real good Joe!! When you get the truck done, you want me to drive the coupe so it will not get lonely sittin in the garage all by itself??
John

LOL, funny you should mention that John, my daughter called me this morning from N. Carolina and said she will be home this summer for a visit. During her visit is the annual Cruise night put on by the city. She asked who was gonna drive my coupe if I was gonna drive the pickup that night. I told her that she would have to do it since my wife and her older sister were afraid to drive it. She said that was o.k. but that now she'd have to go out and learn how to "do burn outs and all that kinda stuff"...