Body & Paint 02 -- Rebuilding the Wooden Body Structure

Now, in January, 2011, we're working on the cowl section -- the sheet metal that is located forward of the doors and includes the firewall.  Dan has carefully removed all the wooden substructure and has sent the instrument panel to the sandblaster. We discovered that one of the sheet metal vent deflectors was missing, so here Dan has fabricated a new one using the remaining original one as a pattern.  

Here's a closeup:

When Dan was removing the windshield posts, he determined that they were frozen in place, firmly corroded to the forged braces that hold them in place and attach to the cowl and firewall.  Ultimately, the only way to remove them was to saw through the 3/4" steel bolts that were unmovable.  This meant that Dan then had to drill out the old remnants of the threaded rod that was cast in place.  This was quite a delicate operation:

And now (January, 2011), Dan has begun making the wooden pieces that comprise the cowl supports.  This is the section of the body that includes the firewall and extends back to the posts in front of the two doors.

It's very important to get this entire structure precisely in the right location and at the correct angle if we want the doors to align properly and latch securely.

Note the large forged and cast brackets that were designed to securely anchor everything and keep it in alignment. 

 Dan wisely decided to make the upholstery panels that go on each side of the rumble seat before we put the body metal back over the wood framework.  Here are the pattern and the finished product (before any upholstery is applied).  The hole in the left panel is to access a storage area for the side curtains.  It will be covered by a hinged cover with a rain protection flap on top.  There will be a similar cover on both sides.