1934 Ford Highboy Coupe - Dropping Your Cowl And Tweaking Your ’Rails, Part 2

Here the frame point is tacked in place. Once completed, it will carry the framerail’s new profile and add additional strength to its overall structure.

With the cowl section trimmed, you can see the gradual progression to the second panel. Remember that the template measures 29 inches in length with a gradual rearward tapering to 1 inch.

To create the cowl drop and stretch, a call was made to Dick Spadaro Early Ford Reproductions for a pair of their steel, ’32 Ford five-window coupe lower rear quarter patch panels.

Once the second panel was marked, it was then trimmed with the plasma cutter. The reveal line will gracefully flow into the rocker panel of the ’34 once completed.

The two panels were then TIG-welded together using a Lincoln-Electric Precision TIG welder. A 5-inch disc grinder was then used to clean up its upper bodyline as well as deburr any rough edges.

Using a plasma cutter, the template was trimmed and deburred. The subrail base was then test-fitted in place and given a gentle curve to follow the curve of the framerail.

Measuring from inside the cowl to establish the top dimensions of the new upper subrail section, thin cardboard was used to create a template.

Using a center punch, the mounting holes were marked and then drilled on a drill press using a 7/16-inch bit.

From the exterior of the cowl, trim lines were marked to the template. Framerail to body mounting holes were then located and also marked.

With the upper subrail base in place, a section of 16-gauge mild steel plate was clamped to the exterior side of the framerail to create the lower section of the subrail assembly.