1939 Packard Custom

The windshield wood was a quick last minute mock up . I just cut some timber on the band saw and left it long . I was more interested in how wide it was to determine if the roof will fit. Looking at the rake on Bert’s Beauty I think I can lay it  down a little more. I’ll do that in the morning and reshape the outer A pillar. I need to get some 6.5 rod to make some lines for the body.  But so far the dimensions are true either side.

Going hard on it this week. Cowl dimensions locked in and squared. Just tech screwing everything together presently in case problems present themselves later on. So far everything seems good.

I think I over did it in the sun yesterday so today I paced myself. Relaxed a little and enjoyed letting Brontë, my 16 yo daughter drive me to the yard on her learner’s licence. She was bored in two hours but I managed to weld in the cowl vent. I’ve put a slight crease. Through the middle of the hood and cowl to give a little stiffness and will cover it with a narrow stainless trim from the radiator ornament to the windshield.

Yes. The steering wheel is too close. I plan on cutting the shaft and putting in a junction and bring it back and up on a higher angle. For the moment I’ll just concentrate on the cowl and keep making the infills and deal with seating position and ergonomics later. I will have heaps of space to mount a new brake and clutch pedal assembly under the new cowl. My mate has several truck cab over pedal assemblies for me to look at. I can hide a booster under there too.

Bert was kind enough to share some pics of his windshield fabrication. His mate in Sweden constructed it. Solid stainless bar was machined for the glass groove. That’s some serious machining if you’ve ever played with stainless. Truly one of the best shaped screens I’ve seen. I particularly like the less ornate A pillars that perfectly compliment the early 40s build.