Post by Fletch on Apr 21, 2009 15:04:58 GMT -8
It’s time to get this roof put back together. This is where we left off with the body and the roof in several different pieces.
In order to reassemble the roof of the '40 we're going to need some Evergreen Strip Styrene. For this project we're going to require 3 different sizes of Evergreen .010X.080, .010X.125 and .010X.250.
Beyond the Evergreen you'll need your normal building supplies; plastic cement, a hobby knife, some type of file and your trustworthy Sharpie.
The first order of business is the install the backing pieces of Evergreen to the "A" & "B" pillars. The .010X.080 is used on the "A" pillars and the .010.X.125 on the "B" pillars.
Once the backing pieces are in place, glue the roof section that includes the "B" pillars in place. Making sure that the door lines are vertical from the body to the roof. If not this is the time to adjust as this will square up the rest of the roof during reassembly.
In the above photo you can also see the .010X.250 backing piece this will help to stiffen and support the joint in the roof between the "A" pillar and "B" pillar sections.
Attach the section of the roof that includes the "A"pillars next. As you install this piece use the inside curve of the door windows as your alignment tool. You'll have a slight overhang on the outside of the windshield, it's considerably easier to correct this then it is to attempt to get the curve of the door windows correct.
There are still a couple of freehand cuts that need to be done before we can install the back glass section of the roof. The back glass piece of the roof as it was removed stood up at the stock height and angle. As we've reduced the roof height this piece will still attach to the body where it was removed, however, it will now be leaned forward. The area marked in black needs to be removed. This is going to be a free hand cut as each chop of a '40 is going to be different so is the amount that needs to be removed from this piece. Remove only the amount needed to get this piece to lay forward as we wanted it to. The closer the fit here = less filler later. The last cut we need to make to get this piece to lay flat in it's new home will require you to decide how much of the hump in the roof do you want to retain.
If you want the hump to be prominent remove a small section from the back glass piece. If you are looking to get rid as much of the hump an possible possible remove a slice from the main roof.
The last pieces to be reinstalled in the body are the rear portion of the quarter windows. There is no high tech way to do this step, it is just simply a matter of taking them one piece at a time and reforming them to get the curvature you're looking for, then cutting them to fit.
Back the quarter windows with scrap .010X.250 Styrene. Make the piece is
large enough that it is connected to the main body, the roof and the quarter windows.
There you have it, the basic bodywork to chop a '40 Ford Coupe n under an hour. After the glue has had a chance to gas out for a couple if days, go back using scrap styrene pieces and fill any gaps from the reassembly.
The section of the roof between the "A" & "B" pillars will have a large gap. Depending upon how much you chopped the roof of your '40 will determine how big this gap is. The more you dropped the top the bigger the gap. Determine the size of the gap, using Evergreen strip styrene fill the gap. This can be done using a single strip the width and depth of the gap or with multiple thin strips. Either way allow this area sufficient time to dry as it will appear that within 24 hours everything is just fine. However, if you attempt to finish the area to soon the plastic cement may still be working and cause the filler pieces to shrink once you have the body finished and in paint. As can be seen here.
Hosted on Fotki
My personal benchmark for this is 2 weeks, that way I can be sure they cement has had enough time to air dry and then can go to work and sand ->fill repeat as needed.
If you need to use filler for any gaps, use a 2 part AB putty like Milliput. They make several different grades. You also can use "Plumbers Putty" which is available at most hardware stores. As a final go over use a 2 part Polyester or Urethane Glazing Putty.
In order to reassemble the roof of the '40 we're going to need some Evergreen Strip Styrene. For this project we're going to require 3 different sizes of Evergreen .010X.080, .010X.125 and .010X.250.
Beyond the Evergreen you'll need your normal building supplies; plastic cement, a hobby knife, some type of file and your trustworthy Sharpie.
The first order of business is the install the backing pieces of Evergreen to the "A" & "B" pillars. The .010X.080 is used on the "A" pillars and the .010.X.125 on the "B" pillars.
Once the backing pieces are in place, glue the roof section that includes the "B" pillars in place. Making sure that the door lines are vertical from the body to the roof. If not this is the time to adjust as this will square up the rest of the roof during reassembly.
In the above photo you can also see the .010X.250 backing piece this will help to stiffen and support the joint in the roof between the "A" pillar and "B" pillar sections.
Attach the section of the roof that includes the "A"pillars next. As you install this piece use the inside curve of the door windows as your alignment tool. You'll have a slight overhang on the outside of the windshield, it's considerably easier to correct this then it is to attempt to get the curve of the door windows correct.
There are still a couple of freehand cuts that need to be done before we can install the back glass section of the roof. The back glass piece of the roof as it was removed stood up at the stock height and angle. As we've reduced the roof height this piece will still attach to the body where it was removed, however, it will now be leaned forward. The area marked in black needs to be removed. This is going to be a free hand cut as each chop of a '40 is going to be different so is the amount that needs to be removed from this piece. Remove only the amount needed to get this piece to lay forward as we wanted it to. The closer the fit here = less filler later. The last cut we need to make to get this piece to lay flat in it's new home will require you to decide how much of the hump in the roof do you want to retain.
If you want the hump to be prominent remove a small section from the back glass piece. If you are looking to get rid as much of the hump an possible possible remove a slice from the main roof.
The last pieces to be reinstalled in the body are the rear portion of the quarter windows. There is no high tech way to do this step, it is just simply a matter of taking them one piece at a time and reforming them to get the curvature you're looking for, then cutting them to fit.
Back the quarter windows with scrap .010X.250 Styrene. Make the piece is
large enough that it is connected to the main body, the roof and the quarter windows.
There you have it, the basic bodywork to chop a '40 Ford Coupe n under an hour. After the glue has had a chance to gas out for a couple if days, go back using scrap styrene pieces and fill any gaps from the reassembly.
The section of the roof between the "A" & "B" pillars will have a large gap. Depending upon how much you chopped the roof of your '40 will determine how big this gap is. The more you dropped the top the bigger the gap. Determine the size of the gap, using Evergreen strip styrene fill the gap. This can be done using a single strip the width and depth of the gap or with multiple thin strips. Either way allow this area sufficient time to dry as it will appear that within 24 hours everything is just fine. However, if you attempt to finish the area to soon the plastic cement may still be working and cause the filler pieces to shrink once you have the body finished and in paint. As can be seen here.
Hosted on FotkiMy personal benchmark for this is 2 weeks, that way I can be sure they cement has had enough time to air dry and then can go to work and sand ->fill repeat as needed.
If you need to use filler for any gaps, use a 2 part AB putty like Milliput. They make several different grades. You also can use "Plumbers Putty" which is available at most hardware stores. As a final go over use a 2 part Polyester or Urethane Glazing Putty.