In
our last article we dealt with the gas tank. With the tank completed,
we move on to the remaining body pieces. Specifically, the rear
frame horn covers, front splash apron, hood and hood sides and,
of course, the rad shell and insert.
Starting
with the rear frame horn covers, while they fit fairly decently
with the fenders, the gap between the body and the covers was
a bit excessive - not particularly a fault of either. The solution
however was better suited to one than the other. That is, the
covers could be more easily reshaped (easier but not easy) than
trying to alter the body while maintaining the body lines. Also,
the seam in the frame horn cover was filled to provide a smooth
profile. The result, after fiddling with the covers is very good
- a nice tight fit with the fenders and the body and the side
profile will look good when painted.
To
complete the rearend treatment, we decided to not use commercially
available brackets for the license plate but rather to add brackets
to the spreader bar, which would hide the wiring for the license
plate light. The brackets were added at an angle matching the
profile of the body. That is, not at right angles to the ground.
Up
front, because we lowered the rad shell (to eliminate that sort
of nose-up look), the front splash apron required some modifications
(it was already the "chopped" version). It's always
a domino effect when you start jacking around with things. Further,
we altered the way the apron is fastened to eliminate the two
sheet metal-type screws that are normally found along the top,
inside edge. This cleans up the whole look. No changes were required
to the spreader bar.
With
the splash apron complete, we were ready for a hood and sides.
Remember the domino effect? Here we go again. Because of the dropped
rad shell to slightly drop the hood line, an aftermarket hood
was not in the cards. We enlisted the help of Jim Bailie.
Jim worked his magic on the top and sides. We've decided to be
different (what else is new) and to go with a front opening hood,
hinged at the firewall and sides that hang over the rad support
rails. Gravity and the closed hood keep them in place. They are
subsequently easy to get off with no hood latch mechanism showing
when the sides are removed. We have this system on our roadster
and it has been easy to use and trouble free.
Regarding
the rad shell insert, we selected a Super Street Dan Fink
insert with curved bars and a polished finish. The surround and
bars are fab'd from stainless steel. It's a beautiful piece and
fit the shell perfectly.
