Heading in the Right Direction

My Grandfather doubted our abilities in this particular piece. I can understand his concern. It is curved in three or four different directions. You think I could remember since I actually made the piece. The bottom is curved to match the cowl, the top is curved to match the roof, and then it is also curved front to back to also match the roof, and then it is rounded on the corners so that it looks nice. I have actually worked on this piece for three or four months and now they are finally finished. Here are some pictures of the process...

It starts out as a square block of wood. We made a pattern to make the top and bottom curve to match the cowl. We cut it with a band saw and then used an orbital sander to sand it to match. It took some time but it fits perfectly.

You can't tell very well but if you look at the top you can see that it is curved. It also has a slant to it to match the roof. We made this slant by setting it up on a joiner the angle that we needed and slowly cut away until it looked right. And then put a half inch radius on the front and sanded it to make it look smooth. We also cut the corners to match the curve of the cowl.

So to connect the side rails that are in the second picture to the header you cut a groove on the bottom side of the header and then cut the top of the side rails to go under it. This picture above is the header, it's cut out. And the picture below is the side rail with it cut out.

The Car that Thought it Could

So have you ever heard the story of the Little Engine That Could? Who tried to get up the hill and kept saying "I think I can I think I can..." Every time it made him work harder. He worked so hard he was able to get over that hill. People cheered! Some might of cried, others were happy! His wife loved him!

I know that this might come as a shock to many people but life doesn't always work this way. My Father and I tried to be the Little Engine that Could. We even used "I think I can I think I can" as our rally cry. But as most of you that read my blog know my car didn't. Keep in mind though we have not given up hope. Like any great business we have just extended the deadline.

On a happier note we did get to venture to Boise to enjoy a wonderful Model A meet hosted by the great Treasure Valley Model A's. For those of you who have never been to one of these meets, it is a bunch of old people standing around talking about the past, wondering about the future, and fixing their Model A's. In between all of that they go on tours (my favorite part). Some of the tours we got to go on was to the Yanke Museum, Lucky Peak, and the Warhawk Museum (well we went to the park). It was lots of fun and we thoroughly enjoyed our time. And don't worry this car will make it to a meet sometime in the future.

Four Doors and a Running Board

I know it has been awhile and we still have some catching up to do, but we do have four doors now! Unlike the front doors the back doors are curved to match the fender. As you have read in previous posts, this took a lot of maneuvering, cutting, sanding, and fitting to make it all fit together. The rest of the door is the exact same as the front door. Here are a few pictures...

This picture is without the curve piece and the plywood insert. The hard part about this curve is that you have to make sure that the bottom piece is just big enough to fit between the door pillar and the fender. So you have to cut grooves in and curve it to match the curve to match the fender to match the gap...you can see how it gets complicated fast.

This is what it looks like on the car. I really need to get a picture with the trim on it. But if you look real hard you can picture the trim and almost the car done hahaha.

This might be harder to see but there is a groove that is on the back side of the curve so that the door matches with the other curve piece that goes over the fender. There is basically a door stop on the curve of the fender. 

I am really excited that we have four doors now! So basically the whole outside of the car is complete. So stay tuned for more updates.