The new piece was bent down...
The new piece was bent down the center at about a 90-degree angle to form the new peak. If you don't have access to a sheetmetal brake, there are a variety of ways to clamp the metal and hammer a 90-degree bend into it.
We checked the piece against...
We checked the piece against the hood several times to make sure the new peak matched the original peak where they meet, and to simulate the bend in the nose of the hood as closely as possible. Here you can see the edges are slightly wrinkled, which will be remedied with the shrinker/stretcher.
The new piece was hammered...
The new piece was hammered over the buck until the radii were smooth and uniform. The initial bend for the front of the hood was started simply by bending the piece by hand and exaggerating it by stretching it with the hammer.
When choosing metal to complete any project, always use the same gauge (thickness) as the metal to which you are welding. Different thicknesses of metal have different tensile and elastic strengths, so they'll be much more difficult to hammer straight once they're welded together. Early Fords and Chevys used 20-gauge, so that is what was used for this project.
Not all of the tools used here are necessary to complete this project, but you will definitely need a welding machine (MIG or oxyacetylene will work just as well as the TIG used here), at least a few body hammers and dollies, a grinder, and a cutting tool (cutoff wheel, bandsaw, or shear). Having a shrinker/stretcher makes the job easier, but is by no means necessary.
Sources
Roy Brizio Street Rods
650-952-7637
www.roybriziostreetrods.com
It is helpful to shrink the...
It is helpful to shrink the flanges of the new panel in order to match the new piece to the slope down the nose of the hood. It is possible to skip this step, but fine-tuning the radii of the piece is easy with the shrinking tool. Spend a lot of time here; this is where patience pays off.
Once the new peak fit the...
Once the new peak fit the contours of the hood, we used it as a template to scribe the cut lines into the hood. Always round corners when possible-even rounder than this is better.
The new peak was then tack...
The new peak was then tack welded into the hood. The front of the peak was hammered into a point and will be further hammered when it is welded. Where the peak ends is up to you. This one ends slightly farther down the nose of the hood than the ornament mount originally ended.
We finished by welding up...
We finished by welding up the panel, grinding the welds, and hammering the seams straight and then completed the custom look by punching three rows of louvers in each side of the hood.
This is a shot of the tack...
This is a shot of the tack welding job. Notice how the metal warps and changes color.
If you're obsessive compulsive,...
If you're obsessive compulsive, you'll want to clean up the inner brace like we did by cutting (and filling) where the hood ornament bolted through the hood.