Alberto, What Alloy are you using for your lids? Also, have you considered making plexi-covers for your Alfastein? (a la Dino covers) That might look pretty cool! Jon
Jon, 3025, which is the only stuff available here. We anneal it before use. Yers, I will be using Duetto plexis, as the scoops are from a Duetto, so no need to fabricate. You are always on the ball... Regards, Alberto
Thank you! I think it is great fun to be messing around with making things, as we all learn and after all... it is not so scary. Manuel, my "sheetmetal tailor", is having a great time with this, really inspired as he had never done it. He is now in the rarefied world of creating, not fixing. The Giulietta has such a nice rounded posterior and anterior now. Not that it didn't... Jon, you are totally right, the plexi really works in the looks dept. , just need a bit of adjusting. Original Carello! I know, I deviated into Alfa.... moving right back to Dino, next week. My wife won't be very happy, as Dino is at home. Regards, Alberto Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
That is going to be a really neat car Alberto. Please find some way to keep posting pics of this project! I think people will be interested. Back in the day I used to roll in a fuel injected 74 Alfa GTV. (a total I restored after driving it home from the junk yard) I installed a supercharger, custom exhaust, trick paint job, etc... There are a few old pics, but not digital.
Tried to make the top folds on the trunk lid, came out really well. The the real hard section, is the rear bend at the duck tail. I think it needs some major shrinking and with a small shrinker that I have, it does not seem like we're getting places. I can see making the horizontal section in one piece, as no problem there. Then, the vertical strip where the push button goes, could either be cut and then TIG welded in smaller or larger sections. possibly, a couple of darts, could be cut out just to the very ends, to the left of the right, so then do weld section would be smaller. Problem is I don't know how to TIG weld, so I suppose will give it a shot and watch a DVD or two. If anybody can figure out how to make that rear transitional bend, which by the way, is a compound curve, please let me know. Jon, are you there? Regards, Alberto
Hi Alberto, There are two methods I think you could try to make the rear transitional bend. #1. Initial Tipping with hammer and chisel. First, please notice the shape of the brick breakers chisel being used in this photo. We custom shaped it with a mild crescent. You can make any custom chisel blade shape you want or need. By "rolling" the chisel as you tap, (tap gently at first, with force later on to achieve a 90 bend or more etc.) you can tip your desired bend line even though it is curved or compounded. We found this chisel shape is great for tipping edges in new Dino door skins, new hood skins, rear of the Dino front fender to the front door edges, etc, all of which are compound curves similar to the rear transitional bend you are attempting. The curved transitional bend will be initially defined by marking a line using your flexible shape pattern, and or by marking a line on the back side of the panel with the panel on the buck. I think that the deck lid panel will bow slightly upwards once you execute the bend accurately. This stress (bowing) will probably create the compound curve you are observing in the finished horizontal panel. If you were free shaping, I would also make cardboard or metal check patterns, horizontal and vertical, that match the finished curves you want. You are fortunate to have a buck pattern for checking panel fit. You may also find that you need to wheel the desired compound curve into the panel either before or after you do your bending. #2. Bending on the buck. You could also clamp your partially shaped (horizontally) panel firmly to the wooden buck (especially along the top rear edge) and use your slapping hammers to break the edge over the hardwood. If you can clamp your panel securely and accurately, you probably won't even have to tip the transitional bend with a chisel first. ( I would do so however) Please closely look at the super heavy duty metal Dino body bucks that were posted earlier in this thread. Those monsters are not all about checking panel shape. The reason they are so beefy is that production panels are actually clamped and bent, hammered, over the edges of the buck. Your hardwood buck should make a good dozen panels before it loses detail. The metal bucks could probably make several hundred or may be even thousands before needing to be welded and ground back into shape. I think you will be able to slap out any stretching that may happen once the transitional bend is made. I don't think you will need to tuck (dart) and weld once you are finished. Post up some pics! Image Unavailable, Please Login
A couple of efforts and I am very satisfied with the results. The compound curve turned out to be not so terrible to make. Thanks Jon. Next week will give it a more definite go and try to make the whole lid. Difficult pieces to photograph and show the results in a very clear fashion, should have painted them. Too much work. Sorry about my dog, but whenever anything is on the lawn, for him it's play ball time... Regards, Alberto Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
