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Tidying Up the Front End of a 1946 Ford Roadster PickupFrom the April, 2012 issue of Rod & Custom By Kev Elliott
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You know how there are some jobs that you just never seemed to get around to? The front of my 1946 Ford roadster pickup is a perfect example. It’s been on the road for a few years now, yet I never seem to find the time to fit the front bumper or fabricate a lower pan. Matters were made worse by the ugly radiator mounts that were supposed to be temporary over a decade ago, and are not only still there, but were in plain view under the grille. Ever since I first built the... Ever since I first built the pickup it’s never had a front bumper or gravel pan, or indeed anything below the grille, leaving the rather unattractive radiator mounts exposed. This is the original bumper from the same car that donated the sheetmetal. I intended to use these brackets, but they’re sprung steel and one was bent. So, rather than re-mount the radiator (it fits just fine, why fix what ain’t broke?), I decided to do the next best thing—hide those mounts behind a neat lower pan and bumper. I took the opportunity to move the bumper a lot closer to the body, and fabricated mounting brackets from 1 3/4-inch steel strap, figuring that it was so low it’d be worthless as an actual bumper, so I wouldn’t need sprung steel brackets. Armed with a 5x1-foot piece of 18-gauge steel sheet, 12 inches of 1/8-inch C-channel, some 1/4-inch plate, and 3/16x2-inch strap, I set to work, and have to say I’m pleased with the result. Now why didn’t I do this years ago?  I mocked the bumper up at...  I mocked the bumper up at a height I liked, not leaving too much of a gap below the grille.  I also brought the bumper...  I also brought the bumper in way closer to the body than its stock position, eliminating the gap where once a gravel pan lived.  Though the bumper hides most...  Though the bumper hides most of the “gap” at the front, I wanted to fabricate a new panel, not quite a rolled pan. Borrowing the sheetmetal brake at Circle City Hot Rods, I bent up a C-channel, 4 inches wide, with 1/2-inch returns, from 18-gauge steel.  Perfect. All it needed now...  Perfect. All it needed now was a gentle curve along its length. Note I used masking tape to protect the painted fenders.  Using a shrinker/stretcher...  Using a shrinker/stretcher from Summit Racing, I shrunk the upper and lower return edges until I achieved the curvature desired.  The jaws for the shrinker/stretcher...  The jaws for the shrinker/stretcher are easily swapped. The stretcher jaws are on the left and the shrinker jaws on the right. It can be seen how, as the jaws are forced together, the angles dictate whether the jaws are pulled apart to stretch, or pushed together to shrink.  Shrinking the return lip causes...  Shrinking the return lip causes the panel to curve, as shown. This panel was shrunk a little at a time until the desired curvature was attained. Trial and error and experience will tell you how far to go.  With the curvature matching...  With the curvature matching that of the lower edges of the fenders, the panel was trimmed to length and trial fitted to the truck.  I planned to radius the corners...  I planned to radius the corners of the grille opening, meaning adding an upward curve to the ends of the new panel. I fabricated these return edges 6 inches tall, where the panel will bolt to the fenders. As the panel is 4 inches tall, this will provide enough material for a 2-inch radius curve.  The new panel was then trimmed...  The new panel was then trimmed to fit between the end sections, and will be butt-welded to them. Fabricating them this way provides a neat 90-degree bend at the ends, rather than trying to weld on the corner.  Butt-welding the panels together,...  Butt-welding the panels together, the front end looks neater already!  Whilst at Circle City Hot...  Whilst at Circle City Hot Rods I also formed a 45-degree bend in another length of 18-gauge steel, which would become a top section of the pan between the section I’d already fabricated and the radiator. Here I’m using a plasma cutter to trim a curve on the front edge to match that of the first section.  They say a picture is worth...  They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this should explain things more clearly!  It’s not all fancy tools around...  It’s not all fancy tools around here you know. I used an argon bottle top to form the curves at each end of this panel!  Using the plasma to cut a...  Using the plasma to cut a relief, the radiused ends were easy to form. I could have made the ends separately, but why make more work for myself, and extra welding?  This second section of the...  This second section of the panel will have to be fitted to the first one from behind, but a trial fit showed it to be the perfect length, before unbolting the lower section to facilitate trimming welding it all together.  With the upper section clamped...  With the upper section clamped to a steel bench, I used a hand-operated joggler to form a step in the sheetmetal, mainly to provide some strength, but also to negate the need for a 4-foot-long butt-weld and the accompanying warpage issues! The return edge of the lower panel will sit on this “step” …  … as seen here, clamped in...  … as seen here, clamped in place ready to be welded. The 45-degree angle not only provides some stiffness, but hopefully will help direct air through the radiator.  With the welding completed—in...  With the welding completed—in short 1-inch sections to reduce the risk of warpage—the joints were ground smooth.  Doesn’t that look better?...  Doesn’t that look better? With small triangular fillets welded into the corners below the radii, the pan is almost complete. All it needed now were a couple of slots for the bumper brackets to pass through. First though I had to fabricate those brackets! Note the masking tape around the grille opening. This prevented any sparks from damaging the paint during the previous grinding session.  I broke out the plasma cutter...  I broke out the plasma cutter again and made a pair of brackets from 1/4-inch steel plate to weld to the chassis, as well as some 1 3/4-inch strap for bumper brackets. Note the holes in these are larger than those in the chassis brackets to allow for some adjustment.  With the chassis brackets...  With the chassis brackets welded in place, the bumper brackets could be bolted on to check for length.  Having access to a lift in...  Having access to a lift in our tech center sure made things easier, as I was able to lower the truck down over the bumper to determine the length of the bumper brackets.  Here I’m marking the exact...  Here I’m marking the exact position of the brackets on the rear of the bumper.  Two 4-inch lengths of 1/8-inch...  Two 4-inch lengths of 1/8-inch C-channel were drilled and tapped to accept 3/8-inch bolts …  … then tack-welded to the...  … then tack-welded to the rear of the bumper. Another pair of 4-inch-long lengths of steel strap were bolted to them, again through oversize holes, and welded to the bumper brackets.  The lower pan panel was then...  The lower pan panel was then sat on top of the bumper brackets to determine the exact position where the slots needed to be placed.  A Rotabroach was used to drill...  A Rotabroach was used to drill the top and bottom of the slot, the remaining steel removed with a cut-off wheel followed by a file. Turns out I could have skipped welding the majority of the end sections to the pan, as the slots aligned perfectly with the welds!  The bumper brackets now pass...  The bumper brackets now pass through the slots in the new pan. I’ll probably use early VW Bug grommets here eventually.  I figured while I was working...  I figured while I was working with sheet steel I’d fabricate a couple of filler panels to fit either side of the radiator, not only to ensure all the air coming through the grille would pass through the radiator rather than around it, but also to hide the ugly ends of the abbreviated Caprice framerails! First I cut a paper template.  The template was used to mark...  The template was used to mark out the shape required in 18-gauge steel. Here’s where a plasma cutter comes in handy again, as I was able to make the panels from single pieces of steel.  A little bending and a couple...  A little bending and a couple of small welds later, and I had a pair of neat closing panels.  And there you have it, a new...  And there you have it, a new lower pan, grille enclosure panels, and bumper. The front end of the pickup looks way better now. And all for under a $30 outlay, including hardware. Now you all know why Project Purple Pig isn’t done; I’ve been trying to get the truck “finished”!  A quick trial fit of the grille...  A quick trial fit of the grille and it could all come apart again for paint.
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