The image of a 1932 Ford three-window coupe with bad trunk corners should accompany the definition of a mixed blessing. Many consider the model the most desirable closed car from what's arguably the most celebrated year in Ford's history, and the prices prove it. But those two small patches of real estate at the back of the body can really cause problems.
The foundation of the process...
The foundation of the process is a simple bronze hammer-forming die-actually two of them; one for each side. These dies were made from plaster impressions taken from the inside of virgin quarter-panels.
What makes them so troublesome is a result of what makes the car exceptional: uniqueness. Like the corners on other cars of the year they rust out and get banged up. But unlike the five-window, which enjoys a healthy crossover reproduction market since much of it resembles the well-attended roadster, the three-window stands alone. Making matters worse is the fairly complex shape of the three-window's trunk corners; many honest pros would admit that it's beyond even their capabilities.
Yet there's hope. Many know Steve's Auto Restorations for the hot rods it builds, but, as its name suggests, the shop's roots are in restoration. After noting a trend in rotten three-window trunk corners, Steve Frisbie tooled up to make exact reproductions of them.
Like almost all panels, these...
Like almost all panels, these corners start as a single piece of sheetmetal. Colton Hardison marked and trimmed it based on shapes laid out on a paper template.
The methods used to produce them differ considerably than those employed to make the company's hallmark Model 40 coupe and roadster bodies. Whereas it takes OEM-scale tooling to produce a complete body, the shop reverts to traditional coach-building techniques to craft these smaller trunk corners. If nothing else, the process reflects old-world techniques that artisans used to make some of the most esteemed exotic cars over the past century.
What follows is not a how-to as much as a how-do, as in how do things like this take shape in the hands of mere mortals. We have another agenda by showing this process: Just as we suggested, the image of a three-window with rusty corners should accompany the definition of mixed blessing; we propose the following images should accompany another definition, like that for prayers answered. Buy a three-window coupe with rusty trunk corners and you'll know exactly what we mean.
A slot machined into the finger...
A slot machined into the finger part of the die corresponds with that hole in the bronze die. A bolt aligns and fastens the two die pieces for further shaping.
Using the dies as a clamp...
Using the dies as a clamp to preserve the cove line, Hardison hammered the flatter (trunk lid) side of the panel into its final shape.
He began by hammering a "cove"...
He began by hammering a "cove" into the panel. This indentation represents how the flatter part of the quarter terminates at the intersection of the character line and lower bodyline.
The impression that Hardison...
The impression that Hardison hammered into the coved area fits into the similarly recessed area in the die. The removable steel "finger" (shown upside down) holds the sheet against the die. Note the hole in the bronze die.
Pressing the dies together...
Pressing the dies together in a simple shop press finalizes the shape of the coved area Hardison started earlier. Note how the forming process caused the sheet to deflect. Had Hardison not pre-stretched the metal along those lines, the sheet would have buckled to a far greater degree.
The coved area results from...
The coved area results from stretching along the V-shaped line. Rather than committing the finished shape to the metal, the hammering establishes the basic shape for further processing.
The other side of the panel...
The other side of the panel isn't so simple. The compound curve of the upper quarter-panel ends abruptly at the sharper-curved belly reveal. That crease represents a third shape to an already complex piece.
Hardison stretched and pointed...
Hardison stretched and pointed the creased area until it landed in the crotch where the quarter meets the belly line. Approximation is sufficient at this point; perfection will follow.
Hardison addressed that abrupt...
Hardison addressed that abrupt crease by first stretching a triangular area along the line where the back of the quarter-panel meets the belly reveal. As was the case with the hammer on the cove, this only starts the process.
With the dies clamped in a...
With the dies clamped in a table vise, Hardison hammered the bulk of the sheet into shape. To prevent the hammer's smallish face from dimpling the sheet, he used a handmade slapper to distribute its force over a larger area.
Hardison clamped and re-clamped...
Hardison clamped and re-clamped the sheet to the die as it took shape. Once satisfied with the general form, he re-purposed a broken hammer handle as a corking tool. It's strong enough to transmit the hammer's force to set the shapes yet it won't mar the sheet with individual strikes as a metal tool would.
In the metal-shaping world...
In the metal-shaping world fancy power tools exist exclusively for convenience, for metal can be bent and stretched over just about anything. In this case Hardison employed a shear table to shift the crease into shape.
This progress shot indicates...
This progress shot indicates just how well the broken hammer handle forms the metal into the creases. Hardison gradually worked the metal into shape, as forcing it would inevitably return a warped or possibly torn mess.
The hammer-forming process...
The hammer-forming process sets the shapes but leaves a rather lumpy surface. He planished the surface with a pneumatic hammer for timesaving and convenience but a plain hammer and a dolly would've sufficed. Note the flat carved from the side of the upper planishing die gives the die access to very sharp corners.
Once planished and cooled,...
Once planished and cooled, the folded edge looks hardly different than if it had been struck into shape by large manufacturing dies.
With the creases corked in...
With the creases corked in sufficiently, Hardison used a blunt chisel-like tool to sharpen the panel's creases.
Hardison trimmed the sheet...
Hardison trimmed the sheet about 1/4-inch away from the die before folding it over. Heating the metal does more than ease the bending process; it also helps shrink the metal flange to prevent it from puckering around the compound curve.
With the insight offered by...
With the insight offered by the process, it's hard to not appreciate the effort, skill, and cunning required to make such a simple-looking piece.