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Facelift On This Ford Tudor Sedan

Ford Shoebox Gets French Headlights & Custom Grille By Scott’s Hotrods ‘N Customs

By Ron Covell   –   Photography By Camren Beattie

Just before World War II, most cars had fenders that stood proud of the main body structure in the style we now call “fat fendered.” When passenger car production resumed after the war, this style continued for a few years. Still, most manufacturers started tooling up for a new, slab-sided look where the fenders blended in seamlessly with the body. Ford made this transition in 1949, and the 1949-51 Ford is called the “shoebox,” reflecting this revolutionary styling feature. This car became immensely popular for car customizers and has remained in vogue ever since.

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02 Close up view of the Shoebox Ford s headlight extensions and grille needing repair
If you look closely at the headlight extensions and grille opening, you will see they are made of multiple, poorly formed pieces. This must be corrected.

Read More: Chasing Perfection: 1931 Ford Tudor Sedan

Scott’s Hotrods ‘N Customs is building a custom Shoebox in the traditional style for Danny Rowe. The car is based on a 1950 Ford Tudor sedan, featuring a just-right chopped top. All the body modifications are geared toward a traditional look while adding sophisticated refinement. Ken DeKiserre is the primary craftsman on this project, and in this article we will take an in-depth look at the beautiful metalwork he is doing on the front end of the car.

Read More: 1931 Ford Model A Deluxe Tudor Phaeton With ’60s Vibes

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03 New metal piece shaped for the Ford s fender extension
Here, a piece of new metal has been shaped for the fender extension, which is held temporarily in place with Clecos.

The car they started with was basically sound. Still, some earlier attempts at reshaping the front fenders and grille opening had to be cut out and replaced, and a lot of work went into making sure everything was smooth and symmetrical along with dialing in the hood gaps precisely.

04 Removal of poorly formed metal from the Shoebox Ford s fender
The poorly formed metal is cut away, leaving temporary tabs for attaching the new metal. These tabs will be cut away at a later stage.

There are some important lessons to be learned from the procedures used in this project, such as removing only selected parts of the body structure at a time so that the overall shape and integrity of the panels are not compromised. Lots of care was put into temporarily fitting and positioning each component before tack welding it into place and double-checking everything before finished welding. A laser level was used at key steps in the process to provide an accurate reference. These procedures are essential for keeping a project from getting out of control during extensive modifications.

Read More: Out Of This World 1963 Ford Galaxie

05 New metal piece ready for tack welding on the Ford s fender
Here’s the new metal held in place, ready for the tack welding. Doing the top and bottom sections separately retains the headlight location with precision.

We trust the photos will give you a lot of insight into the techniques used for high-level metalworking, and we hope it may inspire many of you to take on even more ambitious projects. MR

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06 Tack welded metal on the Shoebox Ford with a precise fit check
The metal is tack-welded here, and the fit is carefully checked before moving to the bottom.
07 Lower panels of the Ford temporarily held by clamps for fit adjustment
Clamps are used to temporarily hold the lower panels in place as the fit is carefully dialed in.
08 Fully welded joints on the Shoebox Ford after fit verification
Once the fit has been verified, all the joints are finished welded.
09 Final look of the fender after the tune up and metal finishing
Here’s how the fender looks after the final tune-up and metal finishing.
10 Symmetry check to ensure both sides of the Ford are identical
Keeping the shape of both sides the same is critical, and frequent checks are made to ensure symmetry.
11 Tuning of the Ford s hood edges to smooth out irregularities
The edges of the hood are tuned up to smooth out any irregularities.
12 Hood positioning with even gaps on the Shoebox Ford
The hood is carefully positioned with the gaps as even as possible and held in place with multiple “bridge” pieces and Clecos. The gap at the front will be reworked.
13 Laser assisted positioning of the Ford s hood and grille opening
A laser is used to position the front of the hood precisely, as well as the grille opening.
14 Level sheet metal angle positioned for hood reshaping
An angle formed from sheet metal is positioned to be perfectly level. The hood will be reshaped to fit this reference.
15 Curled new metal for the top part of the Ford s grille opening
New metal is curled for the top portion of the grille opening.
16 Laser assisted alignment of new metal pieces on the Ford s grille
The new metal pieces are held in place with Clecos, and the laser is used again to ensure that everything is properly aligned.
17 Tack welded panels on the Shoebox Ford after alignment verification
With the alignment verified, the panels are tack-welded into place.
18 Newly shaped and fitted metal at the sides of the Ford s grille opening
A slight correction was needed at the sides of the grille opening, so new metal was shaped and fitted into place.
19 New flange fitted to reinforce the back edge of the Ford s grille opening
Once all the metal around the grille opening was metal finished, a new flange was fitted to reinforce the back edge. Clecos are used to hold it as the fit is adjusted.
20 Low angle view of the smooth metal shapes on the Shoebox Ford
This low-angle view emphasizes how smoothly the metal shapes flow together.
21 Inside view of the intricately fitted pieces on the Ford
Looking from the inside, you can see how intricately all the pieces have been fitted together.
22 Fitting a flanged section to the Ford s front fender for a new splash apron
A flanged section is being fitted to the front fender in preparation for installing a new splash apron to fit below the grille.
23 Flawless fit of the Ford s fender after welding and metal finishing
After welding and metal finishing, you can see the fit is flawless.
24 Use of chipboard to pattern the new splash apron on the Ford
Chipboard is used to make a pattern for the new splash apron. It is held in place with magnets and support blocks.
25 Trimmed and fitted splash apron welded on the Shoebox Ford
The splash apron is trimmed, fitted, and welded into place.
26 Sheetmetal angle fitted to strengthen the front edge of the Ford s splash apron
To finish and strengthen the front edge of the new splash apron, a formed sheet metal angle is fitted into place.
27 Sheetmetal angle shaped for perfect hood gaps on the Ford
On the top of the fender, a sheet metal angle is shaped by shrinking and stretching the flanges to dial-in the contour needed to perfect the hood gaps.
28 Fender edge of the Ford getting closer to the perfect fit
The fit of the new fender edge is getting closer but still needs some more tweaking.
29 Adjustment of tricky parts on the Ford for a perfect fit
You can expect to work tricky parts like this back and forth a few times until the fit is finalized. A few more small adjustments are needed here.
30 New inner fender edge fitted and welded on the Ford
The new inner fender edge is fitted and welded into place with the fit perfected.
31 Additional strength added to the Ford s inner fender edge using an angle
Another angle is fitted to the inner fender edge for additional strength. Silicon bronze filler rod is used here to reduce the distortion that may occur with a fillet weld.
32 Smooth contour of the Ford s fillet weld after sanding
Here, the fillet weld is sanded to a nice, smooth contour, and a graceful mount has been built to attach the top of the fender to the newly fabricated core support.
33 Final look of the Ford s front end after top notch metalworking procedures
With all the front end metal finished, you can see how beautifully everything fits together, which is the hallmark of top-notch metalworking procedures.

Source
Scott’s Hotrods ‘N Customs
(865) 951-2081
scottshotrods.com

Click on this issue’s cover to see the enhanced digital version of Facelift On This Ford Tudor Sedan.

mr july 2024

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