The years haven't been kind...
The years haven't been kind to the Deuce, particularly out back where it's obvious many different hands have tended to it in past decades.
Our latest stop at the Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop in Greenfield Center, New York, gave us the opportunity to check out what was going on with our five-window coupe project. Having already completed a hell-bent chop, and cowl and doorskin replacement, it was time to wrap up the sheetmetal updates in high style as the crew took on the coupe's rear quarter and subrail.
When it came time to address the rear quarter, Keith Cornell felt the more shapely rear panel Ford used on the '32 roadster would add just enough balance to the five-window's body to relate to the other changes that had already been engineered into the car. That said, he placed a call to Brookville Roadster for a pair of the company's stamped-steel rear quarter-panels to take on the job. Upon closer inspection to the substructure area of the car, it was determined a portion of the rear subrail assembly would need to be replaced, so the Brookville order was bumped to include this assembly, as well.
When the parts from Brookville landed, Keith began the reconstruction for the rear of the body by first making some initial trim cuts to the new panel to meet the current five-window body specs. This allowed him to lay the new steel directly onto the existing panel and get an idea of what it would take for the job to get started.
Once the rear quarter was...
Once the rear quarter was stripped down, the ravages were obvious and proved that struggling with patch panels would be like shoveling sand against the tide.
Keith said the initial fitting of the new panel to the body is imperative prior to the original steel being removed. A good rule to follow here is to measure twice, cut once. When Keith determined where the subrail would need to be cut, he first rough-cut the subrail and then proceeded on the outside of the quarter using a plasma cutter to ensure a nice, clean incision just above the wheelhouse reveal line.
After following with a cutoff wheel for any remaining areas not accessible by the plasma cutter, all that was left once the cutting was done was to unbolt the body panel from the subrail and chassis. At this time, the new panel would find its way onto the body numerous times while a proper fit was dialed in, thanks to plenty of time spent trimming and finessing the new steel to perfection to ready it for final welding.
After determining what balance of the original quarter needed to be removed, Keith hit that area of the body with green machinist dye and then clamped the new panel in place to lay his scribe lines down to act as a guideline. All that was left to the side of the Deuce was wide open space after the showers of sparks and echo of cutting steel stopped. Keith then followed up working the area with a flat file to deburr the freshly cut steel in preparation of what would soon follow.
Tune in next month when the Deuce finally gets its new Brookville subrail and roadster rear quarter-panel welded into place.
The interior shot of the quarter...
The interior shot of the quarter told the real story where rust, deterioration, and abuse attacked not only the integrity of the sheetmetal but that of the subrail assembly as well.
A decision was made to order...
A decision was made to order up a pair of fresh roadster rear quarter-panels from Brookville Roadster to give new life to the back of the car. Here, Keith Cornell of Rolling Bones starts a test fit.
After unbolting the subrail...
After unbolting the subrail from the chassis, Keith proceeded to make a rough cut through the subrail with his cutoff wheel to prepare it for removal.
Keith then set his sights...
Keith then set his sights on the exterior of the quarter to gain access to the subrail, first using a plasma cutter, following the reveal line, and then proceeding with a cutoff wheel to the lower quarter area.
With all cutting complete,...
With all cutting complete, Keith removed the entire wheelhouse area and subrail assembly as one complete unit.
The test fitting of the new...
The test fitting of the new Brookville quarter-panel could begin now that the wheelhouse area had been removed since the quarter could now be laid on the remaining body panel without any obstructions.
With assistance from team...
With assistance from team member Matt Schmidt, Keith began the first of many passes with a Vixen file to "true up" the quarter-panel lines for a test fitting to the body prior to removing the original panel.
An application of aerosol...
An application of aerosol green machinist dye gives Keith a clean, visible backdrop to scribe a cutting line onto the original panel once the final test fit is completed.
A section of 1-inch square...
A section of 1-inch square steel stock was welded into place to keep the body secure and square to the chassis once the quarter-panel is removed.
Keith notched the bottom rear...
Keith notched the bottom rear of the original panel to help visualize where the final cut to the original steel would begin once all fitting was complete.
Keith was able to determine...
Keith was able to determine the amount of trimming the B-pillar area would need by clamping the new quarter-panel over the original panel. The existing doorjamb was solid, so he decided an initial 1 3/4-inch trim would get things started in the right direction.
Keith marked the panel for...
Keith marked the panel for cutting and clamped a 1-inch piece of flat stock to the quarter to act as a guide once the sparks start flying. Note that he made sure to give the flat stock a gentle bow to match the curvature of the new panel.
With his small-diameter cutoff...
With his small-diameter cutoff wheel hard at work, Keith trimmed the B-pillar area of the new quarter-panel to ready it for another test fit to the body.
This image lets you see just...
This image lets you see just how close the new panel is to getting its final fit. It's at this time when the most critical cuts and trims are made to allow the original and new steel to be joined together.
Having the new panel on the...
Having the new panel on the workbench gave Keith a nice, solid surface to work on as he hand-filed recent cuts made to the panel to soften the edges and remove any burrs.
With the new panel fully trimmed,...
With the new panel fully trimmed, Keith clamped it to the body one last time to scribe the guidelines into place for use in cutting off the original panel.
We can see how Keith clamps...
We can see how Keith clamps the new panel to the body for its final fit, as well as how he plans to blend the beltline of the new panel to the original once all cuts are made.
With the intense concentration...
With the intense concentration of a surgeon, Keith set out with his cutting wheel to follow the scribed lines that would lead him to a full removal of the rear quarter of the Deuce.