This week I started on the tilting front end, first by checking the fit of the cowl and...

aluminum radiator. The Ron Davis radiator is the same size as the stock unit and...

fits nicely. Eventually, brackets will be made to attach the top of the radiator to the upright supports.

This week the fabrication will start with brackets for the tilt nose...the main brackets are cut from 1/4" plate. The smaller components...

are from 1/8" sheet and 1"x1" tube stock. The plans for the tilt mechanism are readily available on the internet for use on Bugeyes.

The main brackets are installed on the cowl at the bench...

I plan to eventually weld the components together where they are presently bolted.

The pivot bolts and nuts will be replaced in the final version with a single pin and clips for easy removal. The cowl tilts easily.

For the first time in almost a year, the front end is sitting on the car...just to remind me what it will look like.

Time to start stripping. I'm using "Aircraft" stripper applied with a brush and removed with a scraper.

Here's the passenger fender stripped. I stopped on the lower portion as it will be cut off and a patch panel installed.

I used nitrile gloves and went through a bunch as the stripper will penetrate them. Heavy rubber gloves would be better.

The stripper makes quick work of the respray...

you can tell when it's done it's work....

and time for the scraper.

I tried sanding the cowl, but strippper was the only solution...too many curves.

For some reason, some prior owner had gone crazy with filler, for no apparent reason...

in some places it was 1/4" thick!

This fender has some significant damage and repair...it will require filler removal with the sanding disc.

Here you can see several past attempts to "pull" and then fill the damage...

all that is coming off and then some hammer and dolly work to flatten the metal.

I'll shoot for getting the curves true and the creases straightened as much as possible...but there will still be a little filler required.

With the fenders and cowl stripped I loosely bolted them on to see how far the clip could rotate forward.

When the headlights are added it should be right about 90 degrees.

The loose bolting allows the fenders to splay outward, but you get the idea.

I layed the hood in place to check for fit...

I'll be adding steel to what was previously the panel gap between the hood and fenders. That will yield a correct width at the firewall.

A key join will be the front of the hood (bottom view) and the cowl. I'll cut out the old metal and weld in a new 16 gauge piece.

I didn't like the way the tilt brackets connected only to the thin sheet metal cowl, so I made some 3/16" plates that will...

weld to the cowl and disperse the weight more evenly.

I'll replace the mock-up pivot bolts with a single pin; first job is to fabricate a heavy washer. The 3/8" drilled hole is a much tighter fit...

than I could get with a stock washer. Here I've welded the washer to the rod and cut off the corners.

Then it was further shaping by twirling the pin/washer on a steady rest while the grinder was held in the vise.

The result was a more or less round washer. Notice the penetration of the weld between the washer and the pin. First try was not effective.

I didn't weld the back side as I wanted a square corner to fit tight against the tilt bracket.

Here's the finished pivot pin end...should work nicely. The flat was ground and punched to provide a surface for drilling.

Here I've tack welded one of the hinges...

the bolts have been removed and replaced with welded 3/8" steel rod.

The inside plate will be welded to the sheet metal cowl providing better weight distribution.

The welded brackets and pin in place...cowl rotated forward.

Here you get a good view of the welded bracket, pin, and inner plate (tack welded for now).

The safety pin will provide for easy pulling of the pin and front clip removal.

Time to get rid of those ugly bumper bracket holes.

I did a little rough shaping of the sheeet metal patch, it's a compound curve...

then cut and rounded the plugs, set them in place with a magnet, and welded in.

A little hammer and dolly work and final grinding...

and it will be ready for primer.

The passenger side fender needs a patch since the lower edge is rusted away...

first job is to remove the fender to sill attachment bracket...

and cut off the lap flange; I'll be doing a butt seam instead. Also, I changed to a finer wire (.025) in the MIG welder so as not to burn through.

Using the trimmed patch I laid out the cut line on the fender...

and made the cut.

Aligning the firewall end perfectly...

shows that the patch is about 3/16" short.

I decided that the patch would blend in better by increasing the arc on the fender; first job is to mark the cut...

then remove the metal.

The patch has been tacked into place and the fit checked...good enough!

Then the seam is welded between the tacks, hammered flat...

and ground inside and out.

The recurved fender now joins the patch nicely.

The fender will now have some of the flange removed where it will join with the hood for the tilt front clip.

I do this in two steps, a vertical face, then the horizontal face...makes access for cutting easier.

Here the unneeded flange is removed and the remaining flange ground smooth.

This fender had a pretty nasty dent to be removed...

and the headlight ring needed straightening.

This was done from the inside with a piece of hard maple and a hammer.

A patch was fabricated for the antennae hole...

it will be curved to fit the inside top of the fender.

Fit is good.

It can now be marked...

and set aside for cutting out and welding in later.

The other fender gets the same treatment, straightening the headlight ring...

and hammering out dents and

A little hammer and dolly work to true the radius of the ring and it will be done.

I didn't like the looks of the rectangular turn indicator lights...not in keeping the "smooth and round" concept I had for the car; so, I ordered...

some round indicators that fit a TR2 and big Healey and will cut and smooth the fenders and fabricate a patch to hold the new lights.

The first step was to mark the patch and trim it a bit oversized.

Next, lacking a metal cutting hole saw of the proper size, I drilled a number of holes to form the circle...

then drilled again with a larger bit, connecting the holes, and finally knocked out the center.

The hole was shaped with a stone.

Sockets work well as templates for the circles.

The hole, when of the correct size, was smoothed so that it would not...

chafe the rubber boot of the turn signal.

This gives an idea as to how it will look...just what I wanted.

The next step involves working the fender, so it was clamped to the workbench.

Six cut lines were marked and...

the angle grinder and cut off disk used to make the cuts.

The raised metal was then worked with the hammer and dolly until the cut marks closed...

they were then cut out again.

The inside relief has been flattened somewhat and...

I now turn my attention to the outer side.

Same procedure, cut...

hammer and dolly, recut.

Moving to the patch I began shaping the contour using leather gloves as a hammer surface...

then moving to the dolly.

Not a lot of curvature is needed.

Trial fit.

Using the welding magnets to hold the patch in place for tacking.

I did the second patch similarly except I drilled it for the lamp fixture before welding it to the fender.

Here it is welded in place and ready for more hammering and eventually a little filler.