Channeling creativity when working on your hot rod is one of the main ways to infuse newfound personality into its design and construction, separating it from the rest. Over several issues, the team at the Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop in Greenfield Center, New York, completed major fabrication elements on Dick DeLuna’s ’34 Ford coupe. They did so by lowering its cowl line, eliminating its lower frame point, and updating its front subrail assembly, thus adding plenty of exciting attitude to its overall appearance.
When we last left off, the...
When we last left off, the bottom framerail point had been reworked, a new subrail assembly had been fabricated, and the cowl and rocker extensions had been installed, giving a newfound sleekness to the front of the coupe.
Focusing on the final stage of the metamorphosis, team member Keith Cornell prepared the coupe for a thorough reworking of its front framerails. Examining the ’rails, the factory upward sweep was the first issue to be addressed since in order to achieve the new proportions the ’rail would need to be flattened to flow correctly with the recently dropped cowl line and reworked lower frame point.
To determine the amount of flattening out required for the ’rail, a section of angle iron was first clamped to its top from the cowl forward using a pair of C-clamp Vise Grips. Following the line of the angle iron, it was apparent that a number of pie-cuts would be needed to flatten it out. To identify the first cut required, a measurement of 11 inches was taken from the front of the cowl to the point atop the ’rail where it began to drop from the angle iron. Using a square and black marker, Cornell marked the top and side of the framerail to prepare it for the initial 90-degree cut.
To establish the new proportions...
To establish the new proportions of the front ’rail, the factory sweep needs to be flattened out. To do this, a section of angle iron was clamped in place from the base of the cowl forward.
It’s important to ensure that the framerail is properly supported up front prior to cutting. While wearing protective glasses and work gloves, he used a Hypertherm Powermax 30 plasma cutter to make the incisions followed by a small air-driven grinder topped with a 40-grit disc to deburr and clean up the area. With the framerail slightly bent open for access, it was determined that a 1/4-inch pie-cut would be needed. Using a square and black marker, the cut was marked to both the side and top. A smart tip from Cornell was to use a small section of 1/8-inch angle iron clamped to the ’rail to act as a perfect straightedge when making the required cuts. He followed with a plasma cutter to trim and disc grinder to clean up the area. Once completed, the ’rail was bent back in place and the angle iron was clamped back atop the ’rail starting at the cowl.
With a straightedge anchored...
With a straightedge anchored on top of the framerail, a measurement was taken 11 inches from the front of the cowl to where the ’rail drops from the straightedge.
Team member Keith Cornell...
Team member Keith Cornell used a square to mark a 90-degree line with a black marker to indicate the first pie-cut required to the top and side of the ’rail.
Using a Hypertherm Powermax...
Using a Hypertherm Powermax 30 plasma cutter while wearing eye protection, Cornell made the initial incisions to the top and side of the ’rail.
With a small air-driven grinder...
With a small air-driven grinder topped with a 40-grit disc, the top and side of the ’rail was cleaned up. Using a square, a 1/4-inch pie-cut was marked for removal.
The ’rail was bent open and...
The ’rail was bent open and supported for easy access to trim the pie-cut. A small section of 1/8-inch angle iron was clamped in place to act as a straightedge guide for the plasma cutter.
The ’rail was then measured...
The ’rail was then measured 3 inches from the first pie-cut and marked using a square and a black marker to establish the next incision.
Once the marked area was trimmed...
Once the marked area was trimmed using a plasma cutter, it was ground smooth with a small grinder capped with a 40-grit disc. The ’rail was then bent back into place with the straightedge on top to track the flattening of the top of the ’rail.
With the pie-cut removed and...
With the pie-cut removed and surfaces ground smooth using a 40-grit disc, the ’rail was bent back into place. The straightedge was then clamped back on top of the ’rail.
After the surface was ground...
After the surface was ground clean using a small grinder topped with a 40-grit disc, a plasma cutter was used to cut the top and side of the ’rail.
A measurement was then taken...
A measurement was then taken from the pie-cut forward illustrating 3 inches were gained in flattening out the top of the ’rail until it drops, confirming our next pie-cut.
With the straightedge clamped...
With the straightedge clamped back in place atop the ’rail, a measurement of 5 inches was taken from the last pie-cut to where the ’rail drops from the straightedge. This was marked using a square to confirm the final cut.
This image lets you see just...
This image lets you see just how the process is moving along in relation to the cowl and body.
To secure the cut from movement,...
To secure the cut from movement, a Millermatic MIG welder was used to tack the ’rail back together. Final welding will be completed utilizing a TIG welder.
With the ’rail bent open,...
With the ’rail bent open, Cornell measured for a 3/16-inch pie-cut using a square for a straightedge.
Once the initial cut to the...
Once the initial cut to the framerail top and side was completed, Cornell used a square to measure a 3/16-inch pie-cut. The ’rail was cleaned up using a 40-grit disc and trimmed using a plasma cutter and straightedge.
Once trimming was completed,...
Once trimming was completed, the framerail was tacked together using a MIG welder. Here you can see the dramatic changes in the ’rail from the three pie-cuts confirmed by the straightedge clamped in place.
This close-up lets you see...
This close-up lets you see the exact amount of the trimming required to create the wedge on the ’rail using a plasma cutter.
Using a section of 1/8-inch...
Using a section of 1/8-inch rectangular steel tubing, a new wedge section was fabricated and clamped in place on the bottom of the ’rail.