"The Next One" - Handcrafted Mid-Engine Sports Car

I really appreciate everyone's enthusiasm on my Rhythm fabrication thread. That really shows the passion you guys have for not only your projects underway in your garages but as well as other members' rides. Thanks very much.

I had mentioned that I wanted to share a new project vehicle that was in progress. Like the first vehicle build, it's something that both my dad and I are involved with...I wouldn't have it any other way.

The Idea

Rhythm was in the final stages of assembly and as crazy as it sounds in the back of my mind I found myself already tossing around the idea of creating a second mid-engine vehicle. However, taking into account what had been learned over the course of the building Rhythm, I decided that if and when this new project began, fabrication would have to be approached from an entirely different perspective.

You may have previously seen that Rhythm’s body was essentially hammered and dollied out entirely by hand. While this sounds impressive and taught me how sheet metal behaves, it was immensely time consuming – not something I wanted to repeat. So an English wheel would have to be bought or built to help in creating the panels. I decided to build one. Also, with the next one, a fixture would have to be developed to not only provide a base for shaping the body panels, but to also ensure higher fabrication tolerances. These fixtures are usually referred to as bucks and can be created many ways including carving a full-scale shape out of foam or building a wooden buck. To meet our requirements we decided to create a wire frame buck. This buck would provide the flexibility to alter particular aspects of the design features relatively easily if it was ever necessary. To ensure that the buck was always square and remained true during the sheet metal shaping process an extremely rigid frame table was necessary. I dislike doing things over again, so the frame table was designed and built in such a way that it was fully adjustable in all 3 planes and to not only work for this project but for others as well.

Design Overview

Starting out as a fresh sheet of paper design, ‘the next one’ loosely resembles Rhythm. Simply called R2, the lines have been re-proportioned and tightened up resulting in a modern aggressive appearance. Since it’s being built as a driver, we want a final fit and finish that only a metal body can provide. An LS6/LS7 engine mated to a Porsche G50 transmission called for a redesign of the chassis for increased rigidity as well. Rolling on 275/35/R18s in the front & 315/30/R19s rear R2 is 28” shorter, 6” narrower, and a little over 900lbs lighter for a total weight of about 2800lbs. The final horsepower to weight ratio is expected to come in around 6lb/HP.

Here are the specifics:
R2SpecSheet2.jpg


Creating the Wire Frame Buck

Once R2’s final design was established and renderings completed 2-dimensional construction drawings were created. These were then taken to a print shop and scaled to full size side, top, front & rear views and posted on our shop’s ‘build board’. Then the exciting part began. To create the wire frame buck, the wheelbase, engine/transmission, seating position, and front windscreen locations were set using sliding jigs on the frame table based on design dimensions from a common datum point. Construction of the wire frame buck began by simultaneously working with four drawings and translating reference dimensions from the ‘build board’ into 3D and 'stump shaping' steel rods, square-stock, and flarbar to match the appropriate feature curves.

Initial 20 minute mockup... I grabbed some parts from storage to get an idea of the new proportions. Ahh.. no worries, those won't be the final wheels... :D
INVR2-BodyFabrication02-1.jpg


We're into the thick of it with the fabrication of the wire frame buck. The various lengths of box tubing were fabricated to slide along the frame table, then lock into place at set positions. Other lengths were tacked to them.
INVR2-BodyFabrication012.jpg


To make room for another job, R2 is rolled out of the bay and covered up. At this point, with most of the wire frame completed, the tarp actually created a temporary surface on the buck and outlined some of the body lines.
R2-UnderWraps12.jpg


Just to clarify, the wire frame is a temporary structure. Once all the inner & outer panels have been created it will be removed and all the panels re-assembled on their own.

__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
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It's great to see it progressing nicely. What is the next phase then?

Thanks guys!

In regards to the next phase, the focus is still on creating all the panels that will never really be seen. That is, structural components, inner fenders and so on. After a few hundred more hours we will turn our attention to the exterior skin.

To answer your question Red ... as for completing this build, we're looking at a total of about 4 years with the theme that's been decided on.

Cheers!
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Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
Cardboard/pressed paper gets used a lot around our builds. Every piece is mocked up in cardboard first...then transposed onto sheet metal. Could probably build 1/2 of R2 if I wanted to :p

Rear exhaust scoop mocked up with cardboard.
INVR2-BodyFabrication452.jpg


Slip roll used to create the sheet metal inside piece for the rear exhaust scoop.
INVR2-BodyFabrication462.jpg


More structural supports for the body...in this case the roof. There's one of my first slappers...its a brute... but moves 18ga sheet metal around nice.
INVR2-BodyFabrication472.jpg


Inner rear hoop for the cab's roof completed. Once installed it will tie the roof sub-structure into the rear wall and floor.
INVR2-BodyFabrication482.jpg


Front inner fenders are next :D

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Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
So here go the front inners. It's deceiving how much sheet metal these eat up out of a 4'x8' sheet.

What started as an almost straight piece of sheet metal had a lip created in the tipping wheel and now having this lip shrunk to create the curvature for the drivers side inner front fender splash. ... that was a mouth full. :D

A particular inner profile was required to create exterior joint that won't trap moisture down the line.
INVR2-BodyFabrication532.jpg


... and the shrinking continues...
INVR2-BodyFabrication542.jpg


... and some more... The distortion isn't an issue at the moment as it can easily be cleaned up later.
INVR2-BodyFabrication552.jpg


... almost there...tweaking the shape here and there to finalize the curvature.
INVR2-BodyFabrication562.jpg


Inner fender splash formed into a nice curve. Now just need to smooth out all the shrinking ripples and fit it into the vehicle.
INVR2-BodyFabrication572.jpg


Using the wheel to touch up the new piece. Then onto the other one...only in reverse.
INVR2-BodyFabrication492.jpg

__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
Wow that is some fender bending, do I have the tenacity or patience to undertake such a task, I fear that I lack the intuition to put my hand to such a master piece. Carry on the good work, it is refreshing watching an artist at work.
 
Continuing on with the front inner fenders ... The fabrication of the two compound pieces begins.

Got ahead of myself and ended up rolling the P/S piece before taking a picture of how it started. So here is the D/S piece(left) next to the completed P/S piece(right).
INVR2-BodyFabrication502.jpg


Starting the wheeling process for the inner fender on the other side. The template box is getting fatter there in the background.
INVR2-BodyFabrication512.jpg


After only a few passes the piece is starting to get some curvature. At this point I wasn't too concerned about wheeling marks since the metal had a long way to go and would be smoothed out as it came closer to the final shape. The completed passenger side piece provides a comparison of the shape we need to attain.
INVR2-BodyFabrication522.jpg


Front inner fenders complete and installed. The moisture trough has yet to be redone...
INVR2-BodyFabrication602.jpg


__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
Decided it was a good time to get some more work done on the rear hatch.

Creating the rear hatch's vent areas.
INVR2-BodyFabrication582.jpg


Filling in corners. Once the pieces have been fit and welded into place the seams will be tapped out, ground and finished to appear as though the rear structure was fabricated as one piece with no joints.
INVR2-BodyFabrication592.jpg


'Hammering' out the rear hatch's substructure. Looking from the inside out, vents have been created to facilitate more effective cooling.
INVR2-BodyFabrication622.jpg


A few more pieces to go yet...then onto the top skin.

Thanks for looking :)
__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
Missed the last few updates Nick, it's coming along quite nicely :bigsmile:

Thanks T9 man and no worries. If you don't catch it this time around there's always next time as I still have a long way to go before this ride is done.

It's great to see the interest you guys have in this one-off build...I really appreciate it.

__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
More progress on the rear hatch ... the outer skin this time. At this point I'm not too worried that the pieces don't fit exactly to each other...that will come. Once the momentum is set for shaping the pieces to the buck, one side is done followed by the other side. That way I don't forget a particular sequence taken to create the panels.

Starting with D/S the sail panel.
INVR2-BodyFabrication672.jpg

Fitting it into place, the sail panel inner piece flat horizontal surface will be bent down into the vent area with the end bent to close in the end - trimmed where required - then hemmed

INVR2-BodyFabrication682.jpg


INVR2-BodyFabrication692.jpg

Fitting up the sail panel outer pieces.

INVR2-BodyFabrication702.jpg

Creating the front pieces for the rear deck.

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Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
As a student currently studying engineering... this is an awesome thread to be reading. Nice one invision, gives me a reason to keep studying (and now take my car, when I get it, apart). This is the exact sort of thing I have been wanting to do as my philosophy runs along the lines of, if I can't build it with my own hands then I don't want much part in building it. This is such a great idea and should really be read by students all over (I may put this out among mates on the course...)

Good luck and you have another avid reader.

Will.
 
As a student currently studying engineering... this is an awesome thread to be reading. Nice one invision, gives me a reason to keep studying (and now take my car, when I get it, apart). This is the exact sort of thing I have been wanting to do as my philosophy runs along the lines of, if I can't build it with my own hands then I don't want much part in building it. This is such a great idea and should really be read by students all over (I may put this out among mates on the course...)

Good luck and you have another avid reader.

Will.

Hi Will, I assume you're studying Mechanical Engineering. The profs and texts will cram all the theory into your head, but it's when you actually get into the garage and get wrenching on your car that one actually makes that knowledge useful in the real world.

Thanks for the thumbs up and good luck in your studies. Feel free to share this build progress with your mates.

__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
Here's some work done on the front fascia/headlight surrounds.

INVR2-BodyFabrication632.jpg

First a quick flexible pattern was created of the headlight bucket area using some masking tape. It's then removed from the wireframe buck and transferred to pressed cardboard where an appropriate cut and bends were made. Here are the two together to confirm the final shape.

INVR2-BodyFabrication642.jpg

The template was transferred to sheet metal which was then cut out with some excess added to the perimeter. Used the slapper and dollie to clean up the waves around the edges caused by the shear.

INVR2-BodyFabrication652.jpg

The piece is taking shape. The initial shape was created using the tipping wheel. After some perimeter shrinking was completed excess material was trimmed away. The top as well as the bottom areas needed to be torch shrunk and finally planished to create the vertical accent . At this point I was preparing to weld up the joint, grind, and take a soft abrasive disk to take care of the HAZ areas.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of the final result. You'll have an opportunity to see it later on in other photos as to how it came out.

__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
Its been a while since I have been on, but I am very pleased to see that your project has vastly progressed. Your enthusiasm and determination is addictive, as can be seen by the comments that are praised not only upon your project, but also your skills. Keep it up the end will be sensational.
 
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Moving on with the front fascia.

INVR2-BodyFabrication712.jpg

Initial layout out of the grill's centre bar. Piece is clamped and the rear surface is about to be scribed.

INVR2-BodyFabrication722.jpg

Shrinking down the material to create the required curvature. This slow process resulted in some deformation of the surfaces - too much material having no where to go.

INVR2-BodyFabrication732.jpg

In order to eliminate the buckling, the torch is used to heat the affected area. Then while still hot, the area is quenched with a wet rag. This increases the curvature a little more than necessary, but when the piece is planished it should end up close to what we need.

INVR2-BodyFabrication742.jpg

After some hammer and dollie work the piece is fitted ... not too bad for the first time. However, some additional shrinking needs to be done as the curvature isn't just right yet.

__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
Looking great Nick ;) quick question, do you start of with a lot of sketches for this type of project or is all this just inside your head? :embarrest:

For me, I have an idea that pops into my head then I research it to see if anything is actually available or if I then have to have something specially fabricated ;)
 
Looking great Nick ;) quick question, do you start of with a lot of sketches for this type of project or is all this just inside your head? :embarrest:

For me, I have an idea that pops into my head then I research it to see if anything is actually available or if I then have to have something specially fabricated ;)

Usually get a concept in my mind how I want something to look. Then work the details out on paper...such as how the flanges should roll, how surrounding panels will come together with it...fasteners...etc. But, it doesn't stop there. As I'm making the ... whatever...if a better idea comes up along the way I run with it. The sketches act only as a guide. If you can draw it, you can build it...something I always say.

Taking the windscreen as an example. I wanted to use real glass. Now, unfortunately, that's something I can't make. So had to go out to find something that would fit the bill that the final sketches called for. Once the glass was found, a metal perimeter was created, located in the vehicle and the sheet metal panels shaped to fit that opening. It's a ton of work, but when there is nothing on the road that has the shape of roof(or any panel) required...there's no other way than to make it by hand.

Next time you get an idea for something, let me know. I'll try and give you a hand in finding a way to fabricate it.

Cheers!
 
After most of the structural components were completed ... the stuff no one sees once the car is complete...it was time to start on the exterior panels.

Here go the door skins.

INVR2-BodyFabrication762.jpg

The beginnings of the upper door skin. Using the wire frame buck as a jig, the sheet metal is repeatedly fit to the established profile as it's being shaped.

INVR2-BodyFabrication772.jpg

A combination of English wheeling, tipping, and hand tweaking gets the panel closer with every pass.

INVR2-BodyFabrication782.jpg

Passenger top door section done! Now the edges need to be hemmed, but not before the upper area is fit and welded to the lower section. The process in making this panel with multiple reverse and convex curves as a single piece really got to a be a head scratcher.

Initially, due to the reverse curves, I had planned to make what your see there out of 4 pieces. That meant an additional 80" of welding, hammer/dollie work, and finishing. Starting from the middle and working outwards with a little pinch of patience and some metal shaping black magic...we pulled it off in one.

INVR2-BodyFabrication792.jpg

Door panels shaped and mocked up on the wire frame. Now the fun begins to trim and weld the two together and hem the edges over the door buck.

Both sides of the vehicle are being run in parallel...that's the beauty of having built a wire frame buck to use as the guide. You can just barely make out the wire frame for the door under the skin on the left side of the panels.

__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
A few things are running in parallel...depending on my mood and whether additional hands are at hand.

INVR2-BodyFabrication902.jpg

Fabricating the side scoops. A few passes in the wheel to develop the feature. Next thing to do is tip the leading(left side of panel) edge.

INVR2-BodyFabrication802.jpg

The first piece of the roof's substructure is underway....but can't be completed till the front windscreen surround is in place. Using 18Ga material for this area. The skateboard wheel in the tipping machine gives a nice smooth finish on all the curved bends.

INVR2-BodyFabrication1012.jpg

Once the windscreen surround was finalized with a 3/16" gap around the glass the remaining structural components for the roof were created.

INVR2-BodyFabrication852.jpg

With the help of my Dad on the other side of the wheel to support the sheet, we rolled the rear hatch's dove tail area. This completes all the upper pieces for the rear hatch. Now time to glue them together somehow ...:blink:

While we're in the stage of creating the panels we only focus on shaping, not really stopping to start scribing/fitting/welding the pieces together. That will come later.

Thanks for looking.
__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
Awesome... fantastic skill, workmanship, ideas and build thread...

textbook material.


Thanks Gents! Quite humbled by all your comments. When I got started into this hobby I never imagined shaping panels like this was possible. Believe me when I say I've spent many hours working at this skill....and this is still so much more to learn. There are guys out there who are so much more talented at metal shaping than I think I will ever be. Watching them move steel is like magic, "Now you see a flat panel ... now you don't" :D

Regards!
 
I agree with the textbook bit. You'd better start writing as soon as you've finished this :p I will more than certainly buy one. This has also inspired me to go ahead and start making some new things. I mentioned in another thread that I wanted a C&C miller, well I have now started designing and building one and have had quite a bit of success so far. Thanks for the inspiration bud.

Will.
 
...This has also inspired me to go ahead and start making some new things. I mentioned in another thread that I wanted a C&C miller, well I have now started designing and building one and have had quite a bit of success so far. Thanks for the inspiration bud.

Will.

Actually thank you Will! It's really great to hear that your project is coming along well...to take a concept from paper and with your hands making it a reality. Send me a PM sometime as I'd enjoy hearing more about your build.

At the same time I'd like to thank everyone here for allowing me to share this project with you. A lot of work goes into running this forum and without this medium we wouldn't have the opportunity to see what's happening in each others' backyards so to speak. And as I've said before, there is a lot of amazing talent showcased ... an inspiration to all who see it.

Nick
 
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When my dad and I were building the body for our first scratch built car - specifically the upper rear 1/4's, due to tool limitations, they were created from 5 pieces and there was nothing wrong with that. But, creating, fitting and welding the pieces was a really tedious process.

Since we built the English wheel, I've had some practice making pieces for R2 and other projects. The thought crossed my mind about making the upper 1/4's for R2 as one long piece to eliminate some welding. However, the thought was a bit intimidating. Reason why?... the 1/4 had 3 reverse curves - one for the fender flair, one on top to accentuate the taillight and one for the dove tail. You'll see what I mean in the photos below.

So here it goes.

Interchanging the upper wheel with a rubber wheel provided a consistent initial roll. Placing the panel on the buck shows just how much more curvature the 1/4 panel requires.
INVR2-BodyFabrication912.jpg


Switching back to the hard upper wheel and moving some metal fast. I'm not worried about the tracking marks as they'll soon be smoothed out. The tracking pattern can be seen throughout the panel ... the ends are starting to curve downwards.
INVR2-BodyFabrication922.jpg


After some rolling, the 1/4 panel is starting to take on a nice shape. But we have a little ways to go yet...
INVR2-BodyFabrication932.jpg


Most of the tracks have been smoothed ... the next step is to create the fender flair(reverse curve #1) and the tail light feature.
INVR2-BodyFabrication942.jpg


After putting in the fender flair the panel needed some more material to make the reverse curve 'right'...meant some more wheeling...
INVR2-BodyFabrication962.jpg


The reversed curve fender flair is coming in nicely, but we've lost some curvature in the horizontal plane...so a few more passes in the wheel to bring it back in before moving onto the taillight feature(reverse curve #2)
INVR2-BodyFabrication952.jpg


1/4 Panel almost there...a tweak here and a tweak there...then onto the other side. You can just make out the taillight feature and the dip(reverse curve #2) on the top. When the panel has the right shape it should sit there without forcing it down with clamps.
INVR2-BodyFabrication972.jpg


Here is the 1/4 panel for the other side being fit to the buck...some more wheeling is still required to get the centre up/ends down...can't just depend on the squeeze clamps.
INVR2-BodyFabrication982.jpg


Thanks for checking out the build.
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__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
Your work sir is phenomenal! I wish one day after college to be able to do this, maybe in a couple of years you would like to take on an apprentice? lol
 
Your work sir is phenomenal! I wish one day after college to be able to do this, maybe in a couple of years you would like to take on an apprentice? lol

Thanks Ice.

Make your wish of building something like this a reality by starting your research now and establishing what you want as a final result. That is, body, drivetrain, chassis... and so on. I took Mechanical Engineering in university, but they never taught us how to build vehicles. It's something that was done as an extra-curricular activity ... learning by doing. My first car, an 8 year(8000 hour) build was my apprenticeship.

Best of luck!

__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
Here are a few snap shots of items being knocked off the list while working solo in the shop.

Tackled the windscreen surround. At the time when the wire frame buck was being fabricated a 1/4" rod was contoured around the actual windshield then located and welded into place. The challenge came in forming the exterior sheet metal up to the glass with a consistent 3/16" perimeter gap as well as creating a rigid substructure for the roof that also supports the glass.


A bit of wheeling was done to develop the low crown centre for the hood according to the wire frame's complex contours. Panel is clamped in place to mark and tip the edges.



Once tipped, the sheet metal centre section is clamped to the hood's wire-frame buck again which is bolted to the body's wire frame for orientation. Next step will be to create the right and left panels. In case you haven't noticed, the old glass we were using for mock-ups had an unfortunate accident.


Taking a break from the hood, attention was moved to the front fascia. A basic profile template was created as a guide for the final piece.


Bottom of the actual front fascia created. Some adjustments still need to be made to the top of the opening. More on this later.


__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
Moving onto the rear fenders...

Rear fender flare sheet metal was cut out oversize and clamped to to get an idea where and how much it needed to be formed. Using the buck as a tracing guide, the inside face of the panel was marked up in preparation for shaping.
INVR2-BodyFabrication1032.jpg


Fender wheeled to give it a subtle swell and top edge tipped with a soft radius die. Ready to tweak the shape so that it sits relaxed and create the wheel well lip.
INVR2-BodyFabrication1042.jpg


Since it's sitting almost on it's own on the buck only a few clamps are required to hold the panel in place. The wheel well lip can now be rolled rolled using the buck as a hammer form. Thinking whether or not to add an additional tapered feature just above the wheel opening. I prefer clean lines and feel that the added feature to make the rear too busy. We shall see.
INVR2-BodyFabrication1052.jpg


Now it's onto the passenger side...same thing, just the other way around.

Both drivers and passengers side pieces obviously start flat and being absent minded at times I have to remember which way they need to wrap around the rear and mark them accordingly. Went digging in my picture collection and unfortunately this is the only photo I took of the passenger side fab progress... before diving into completing the other side.
INVR2-BodyFabrication105A.jpg


Thanks for looking
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__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
Hope I haven't put you all to sleep shaping all these panels. hehe

It's a mountain of metal work to tackle - with about 74 exterior panels and just about as many structure components. Some are straight forward while others take some thinking to determine an approach that eliminates welding pieces together .... not that there is something wrong with welding panels.
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So, getting on with the build - with the rear 1/4 pieces taking shape it was time to move onto the rear bottom fascia. Using the buck as a template, sheet metal pieces were cut to the approximate dimensions required. Adding too much material would hinder the shaping process and result in more waste.

Here is a progress comparison. Yes, the left piece started out just like the right one...just forgot to take a picture of it.
INVR2-BodyFabrication1092.jpg


Bottom left rear fascia piece all smoothed out and ready for trimming.
INVR2-BodyFabrication1102.jpg


Tuck shrinking of the right rear piece completed to help with the curved profile and ready for some english wheel shaping.
INVR2-BodyFabrication1112.jpg


Both sides almost completed ... need to trim up the perimeters and install them for scribing.
INVR2-BodyFabrication1122.jpg


Pieces clamped in place and scribed. Once the remainder of the body panels have been shaped the huge job of trimming, fitting, and welding will begin.
INVR2-BodyFabrication1132.jpg


Front fenders are coming next. Thanks for looking.

__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
Great stuff dude, I love reading your updates and over looking all the fine metal work man.
 
As promised... the front fenders
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Cutting into yet another new sheet after creating a template of the general shape required..
INVR2-BodyFabrication1142.jpg


The electric shear can create wavy edges while cutting the metal if pushed too fast so I usually, try to lay out/cut the sheet in a way that the wavy edges remain on the drops. However, at times the good piece may still end up with these distorted areas. The slapper and a flat dollie are used to even them out. Also, putting the perimeter through the wheel with some light pressure will take care of this issue as well.
INVR2-BodyFabrication1152.jpg


Left and right pieces both start out nice and flat. However, 2 reverse curves in one panel will take care of that very quickly.
INVR2-BodyFabrication1162.jpg


I started with rolling the piece though the wheel with the rubber wheel installed to give the panel some rigidity while working it.
INVR2-BodyFabrication1172.jpg


Witness marks were made to indicate areas that I need to stay away from as they cannot be rolled...yet. The panel was then flipped over, having only the centre rolled to create the concave area. At this point the steel upper wheel is installed and after a few minutes of alternately rolling one side and then the other with some pressure...the fender is starting to take shape and fit the buck. However, there's still a long way to go. Areas to push and pull are highlighted.
INVR2-BodyFabrication1182.jpg


Almost there...smoothing out and preparing to tip the body line features and edges into the panel. The wire frame's features are traced onto the underside of the panel. Also a bit of excess to trim away.
INVR2-BodyFabrication1192.jpg


At this point this was far enough for the passenger side... the driver's side needed to be caught up. More to come
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Thanks for following along
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__________________
Nick M.

A journey in design and fabrication begins with a vision, a single pen stroke ... and in some cases the blow of a hammer.

Some projects: http://www.facebook.com/iNVisionPrototypes
 
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