Making A Wood Buck

The first step in building the buck is a simple one: creating the vertical plane between where the nose will attach to the hood-the front piece. Cook attached small wooden blocks to the backside of the front piece so it could rest on the crossmember.

A vertical cut was then made at the top dead center of the plywood panel, which gave Clay Cook the centerline of the car. He then attached some masking tape to the center-top section of the cowl, pulling it forward through the slot to find the center peak of the hood, paying attention to the clearance between the hood and the top of the carb.

Another section of wood is added to at the hood's centerline, resting on the lip of the cowl and the top of the front piece. Each vertical section of wood is called a station.

Cook then measures up the same amount of distance from several points on the engine, effectively tracing the profile of the engine onto the wood.

Once the profile is cut out, the piece is lowered into place and attached to the front piece.

Knowing where the hood will end allows Cook to locate the backside of the nose on the front piece. (The stock Model A radiator grille was used as a template to determine the shape, though a track nose will be built for the car).

The top section of the front piece can now be removed, which yields the front edge shape of the hood.

Wanting to be able to work on the nose and hood sections independently, Cook fabbed the top piece so it could be removed from the front piece.

The shape of the nose's leading edge was found by adding another vertical station to the front piece, then standing back to eyeball what that shape should be. Once penciled on the wood, it was cut to reveal the final shape.

After attaching the leading edge station to the front piece, another piece of tape was pulled forward from the edge of the cowl (where the hood top and hood sides will meet) to mark the point where it meets the leading edge.

Another section of wood is added between the two points, and an arc is traced on the piece with a pencil to find the correct curve.

Once cut, the piece is test-fit in place. To save time, a second piece can now be cut in the same shape for use on the other side of the leading edge station, too.

With the first horizontal station attached, the nose is starting to take shape.

Next, a template is made from the Model A radiator grille that will show the mounting edge of the nose.

Once traced onto the front piece, it can be cut down to its final shape. Attachment blocks for the other stations can be added at this time, too.

Slots were evenly cut into the leading station so additional horizontal stations can be added.

Another brace was made at the rear of the hood section that shows where the hood and sides will meet.