The Stovebolt Site Forums Project Journals Archived Journals 1940 Chev 1/2 ton “Franken/Restomod”

Hello all again;
It is my sincere hope that everyone is healthy and staying safe through these unprecedented times. There is so much BS and false news, so use a reliable source to get informed and avoid the panic. I would also suggest setting a limit when watching the news as I noticed my wife became more and more stressed and upset watching the constant coverage. While you need to stay informed you can only take so much before it starts to get to you.
Here ( Alberta, Canada ) the response has been unprecedented. Pretty much everything is closed, schools, sports and public gatherings and the streets are almost empty even during our small town "rush hour".For part of my commute to work I have to fly, using the Edmonton International airport and it was eerie as I have never seen it so quiet.
Due to the request to isolate, I spent more time than usual working on the truck. My total for the week was 35 hours. The shop was still open, though it was closed to the public so I felt it was isolated enough to count.
I picked up where I left off trying to get the hood and fender gaps sorted out. You know how it goes, once you drop down the rabbit hole you are never quite sure where you will end up. I removed the front fenders and sand blasted them. I found less damage than I was expecting, so that was positive. There is some hammer/dolly work to be done and may wind up replacing the wheel opening lip, as it is quite rough and there is evidence of previous repairs. Looking at the opening, the leading edge could use some re-shaping to follow the tire contours better. I have included an older picture to show the wheel opening.
I removed the hood sides from the top sections and sand blasted the top sections. Again, they are not too bad. The passenger side has some lead from an older repair, and there are some stress cracks, but overall it looks good. I will cut out the lead repairs and also I think I will fabricate some reinforcing strips to beef up the 90 deg bend in the center where the hinge bolts on. The stress cracks are all centered out of that area so the reinforcing will certainly help.
The rabbit hole I speak of goes something like this; to get the gap between the fender and the hood I need to lower the fender, cutting out another ¼”. To lower the fenders I needed to adjust the fender supports. To get the gaps around the remaining hood openings I need to tilt the grill shroud forward. To tilt the grill shroud I had to add some length to the support rod and so on, and so on…
Back to the fender supports, they turned out pretty good so far. The original ones were in tough shape. The passenger side was welded to the frame when I started so it got cut loose and is missing the foot. The other side has a bunch of welds and stress cracks as well as the holes don’t line up so they are garbage. I liked the look of them though and wanted to replicate it, using a press and some round bar I think I came pretty close. I was concerned about the press handling a thicker material so I used 18ga steel and then laminated them together. I still need to fabricate the feet and upper mounts, but I will get the fenders completed and in place before cutting them to length and finish welding them.

Well, I think I have rambled on long enough so that is all for now.
Keep safe and healthy,
Steve