More progress today on the passenger side fender. I started to make the rear portion and improved the fitment of the front getting me closer to the stage of welding them together
Above I use a polyurethane wheel cover to control the stretch of the aluminum to the left and right of the wheel only. These tips I picked up watching lazze metal shaping on YouTube.
This gives a nice curve to my panel without raising it like a dome shape. I’m no expert but thought it would be nice to explain to anyone who is interested.
I, for one, am always blown away by the talents of some people, and this is truly remarkable. In Britain, they are known as ‘panelbeaters’, and when you retire, you may want to hop on a ship and take a vacation over there and see what is still being done.
Very interesting. I never heard that term before here in the US. I do hope to make it over there in the future to visit Goodwood. I’ve watched videos online and it seems like an amazing experience.
There was a fellow here a number of years that built an XJ13 by hand using wood bucks, a panel beater. It was a thing of beauty and IIRC he was able to obtain one of the original V12 blocks. I can’t wrap my head around that concept that anyone doesn’t believe the XJ13 wasn’t an absolutely stunning car. There are few hand built models around but rarely seen. These shots were taken in '11 at Lime Rock Park, Jaguar brought the car over for the 50th anniversary.
pauls
In my opinion, Jaguar has made some of the most beautiful cars ever made hands down.
Ironically, one of the builds that really inspired me was not a Jaguar at all but one of the Italian sorts. I’ve included the video below. One thing I love about the build is the raw nature of the body. It looks handmade. You can see hammer and dolly marks, and welds. Rather than looking like a perfect gem that was stamped out and mass produced, it looks raw and untamed.
With my build I want to find a balance between the two. I hope to achieve a high quality while still looking bespoke.
Wiggy,
Thanks for posting it, just as awesome as I remember. I noticed a major difference in the engine in Neville’s car and the original XJ13 that Jaguar toured here in 2011. Interesting.
pauls
I decided to try something new and capture some time lapse video. This is the first time I have tried recording video of the project and posting it anywhere. I’m going to try this out as a new way to document the build while still making regular updates here.
You are absolutely correct. I will try to find a setting that timelapses a little slower and maybe try to post a few realtime. Thanks for the feedback.
Well I made my first major mistake on the middle section of the hood. Each side has a reverse curve the runs the length next to where the fender meats. This valley turned out to be really tricky to make.
I started with one large section and ended up cutting it into two.
It seemed no matter what I did I could not get the reverse curve at the bottom correct and ended up trying to stretch the panel quite a bit which left wheel marks by the headlight.
Yes, metal shaping is one of those things where the more I do it, I realize the less I actually know. These hood panels have been a struggle and are a good example of why reading the panel and creating a better plan before wheeling is so important. Right now I do not have that skill and rely more on trial and error but hope to continuously improve throughout the project.
I am completely in awe of your project and watching you go through the different challenges that come up.
I have been toying with the idea of fabricating the air tunnels under the bonnet as well as the mud guards. Using aluminum. Not for the weight savings but more for the experience.
Carbon fiber is also a consideration . Both nice challenges.
Here are pics of a beat up metal set that I will use for a guide without taking the ones out of the car it probably will be much lighter too, that’s a lot of metal once you look at them.
I have been putting off the project for years though. It’s easier to watch you do it.
He says he needs practice, but from what I’ve seen, he could leave his day job and be better than some “professionals” are now … and he is just learning.
Kidding about leaving the day job … that would take the fun out of doing it, and of learning to do it better.
I can see this in a few years: The latest handcrafted custom aluminum Jaguars from AluminumJag, LLC.
Wow, first thank you so much for the supportive sentiments. You are correct, the car is just a fun project, and not a job. I tell my wife all the time that this is my retirement hobby/job (I’m just not retired).
I am also so new to Jaguar’s that I didn’t even recognize the air vents. However it looks like a good project. Since you mentioned weight, I’m not sure what my completed body will weigh, but I am guessing not much.
After I finish wheeling the rest of the hood, I need to decide if I want to weld it all up or start on the rest of the body. My welding is so so at the moment, and my thought is if I move to the rest of the body, there are plenty of sections to weld that are less visible and will allow me to tune my craft a little before moving back to the hood. Panel warpage and smooth transitions are areas I need to practice.
More to come and thanks again for following along!
A good way to.hold things together with welds and not warp panel is spot welding, if you have a spot welder, or puddle welding. Do just enough of either, spaced well apart to avoid heating the panel. After the welded areas are cool enough to place your hand over, and not think ‘oh, that’s quite warm’, and if you need or want intermediate spots welded for additional support or alignment, repeat halfway between the first welds.
If your welds are not going to be in an area which will not be seen, you could drill about 1/8" holes (forgot the exact size, could be 1/64 larger/smaller) and use panel alignment pins through flange joints.
There are also panel alignment clamps for butt weld joints. Not sure which, or both, you’ll be method you’ll use.
I use a tool which creates a flange, then also punches the hole to puddle weld through to the flange - when I can … butt … but sometimes butt welding is what is needed.
I also took @JerryPeck advice and did some spot welds to start. The first fender I made above was the first aluminum piece I ever welded. This will be my second.
I used the beverly shear above for most panel trimming but I probably need to get my hands on a good pair of metal shears. Any recommendations would be appreciated
