Time to start on the tilt front clip. First job is to...

spread out a bit since the Spridget Project now occupies the entire old garage.

I'll primer the top of the hood and let it dry while I'm doing other things.

Strips are cut that will fill the gap between the hood and fenders. The hood, fenders, and cowl will soon be one big piece.

The strips of 16 gauge steel are clamped into place...

and the profile of the hood marked on them.

The front lip is the trickiest part.

Then the hood is flipped over and the other side marked.

The strips must be cut wide enough to cover the front lip completely.

Since I'm working with 24" square stock, small filler pieces were needed between the front and rear strips.

Here's a look at the strips after they have been cut to rough shape, leaving about 1/4" top and bottom to grind down.

The left and right sides are the same, so a total of 6 pieces are needed. The two large pieces will later strengthen the hood/cowl joint.

The strips were clamped in place...

and then spot welded.

The small splice also had the joints welded.

The welds were then ground smooth.

Before welding the fender and hood together it's a good time to do some final cleaning of the inside of the fender...

the front, around the headlight is difficult to work in.

The fender was then welded to the hood; I welded the top edge, the bottom edge, and drilled for spot welds along the flange.

The new work was ground flat and then primed.

May not be real pretty, but seems strong enough. A little filler will eventually clean up the seam.

Here's the inside of the first fender and hood...

the cowl will mount to the wider flange...

and here's the final appearance of the inside flange after being welded, ground, and primed.

Time to clean the other fender.

Again, the grinder with the flap sanding disc is the tool of choice.

The result is bare metal.

After priming, the fender is clamped and then spot welded to the hood.

The bottom seam is then welded, then the top seam...

then both are ground flat.

Finally, a somewhat symetrical front clip. The cowl is now bolted into position, it will be welded together later.

The clip is light enough for one person to move around and pin into place on the tilt brackets.

For the first time, the front clip in place, closed...

and open.

A board under the cowl keeps it from going too far forward, that will be fixed soon...

with the addition of limiting straps.

Before installing the straps a 1/4" piece of the rear bolt hole has to be removed. The one on this side has been torn and is of no use anyway.

The other side is in better shape but has to be cut off anyway so the strap will not hit it.

Here;s one strap installed and the clip closed...

here the clip is half open...

and here the clip is fully open.

Works good.

When tilting, the fender lips hang on the inner fender so some trimming is required...

more will come off later when the clip is fully adjusted. I also rounded and smoothed that pesky front corner...after losing blood too many times.

The clip now raises and lowers without hanging.

The trailing edge of the hood is brought back to 90 degrees. The tool goes by a couple names, hand brake or seam pliers.

You can see in this photo that the lower sections of the fenders splay outward, that needs fixing...

on both sides.

Several angles are tacked into place to support the clip when it is lowered.

The seam on top is not bad...

but the sides are way off...

overhanging the sills by an inch...

or more.

The gap on the drivers side is also bad; this is the side that had considerable prior repair. It will take the most work.

The next step begins with a 24"x24" piece of 16 gauge steel cut to fit...

right here. I suppose a single larger piece of steel could be used, but this is what I had access to.

Another just like it is cut and held in place with welding magnets. The center section is now measured...

and the firewall side of each large piece scribed to match the firewall.

Back on the bench we get to cut arcs with the griner and cut off wheel...

then smoothe the edges and spot weld the three pieces together.

Trial fit, again using magnets. This piece will be attached to the rear edge of the front clip.

Satisfied with the fit, the seams will then be welded and the welds hammered, which will mess up the fit. Oh well.

Next, a second arc is is measure and scribed inside the first. I settled on a 2" width for the support piece.

Another trial fit.

I used a ratcheting tie down to put some pressure on the sides of the fender while I did a little tweaking.

I also added another 4 1/2" grinder to my arsenal. Having one set up with a cut off disc and one with the flap sanding disc will save a LOT of time.

Here's the support piece spot welded in place...

the profile of the front clip is now much better.

I've removed the front clip and it's back on the bench. I'm now welding the cowl to the clip where it was previously bolted together.

Both front seams are welded inside and outside.

While it's easily accessible I'm also going to repair a break in the arch of one fender. A ratcheting tie down brings it into proper alignment.

This is the area that needs repair...

and here it is after welding and grinding smooth.

Additional welding is done on the piece of 16 gauge steel welded to the rear of the fender.

It is left proud and will be ground down to match the firewall.

The pieces of 16 gauge steel previously cut and welded together to form the front valance between the cowl and hood...

clamped and welded into place.

This piece adds considerable strength. It has been smoothed and is ready to prime.

The front clip is then reattached to be sure the fit is still good.

It has been primed to prevent rust. This photo gives a good idea of how it will look with the small turn indicators.

The gaps are about like they were before...

but the fender does not protrude out from the sill as much since the repair was made.

This is much better than before the repair.

The same is true on the driver's side...

the gap is still just as bad...

but the overhang beyond the sill is not as bad.

The tilt and limiting mechanism...

continues to work as it should.

A little primer will keep the rust to a minimum while I'm doing other work on the front end.

Time to work on those gaps. On this one, some metal will be added to the firewall, and some to the fender.

The bottom gap is not too large...a couple thicknesses of 16 gauge will be about right.

The vertical gap on the driver's side is about the same as the other side, but the gap at the bottom is considerably worse.

I'm starting out with four pieces of 16 gauge steel for the bottom of fender to sill gaps.

For the passenger side, two pieces welded together...

should be about right.

The pieces are shaped just enough as to allow them to open past the inner fender.

The gap is now much better.

Attachment of the bottom piece has not really affected the fender to firewall gap.

The front of the fender has to spring out slightly to clear the inner fender...

there will be a fastener installed on each fender to close this gap, as the clamp is doing here.

A plate is welded to the front of the A pillar.

A corresponding one is welded to the back edge of the front clip.

Both are ground smooth.

Next a small plate is welded in the curved area...

where the gap is most pronounced.

Finally, a plate is welded on to tie it all together.

So, in fact, there's a three thickness sandwich of 16 gauge in the curved part of the firewall.

The welds are smoothed and when the clip closes...

the gap is now acceptable.

Here I'm starting the piece that will go on the lower portion of the driver's side fender.

The gap is considerably worse on one end, requiring four thicknesses of metal...two on the other end.

I could have started with a thicker piece of metal...

and done less welding...

and a lot more grinding.

Here the patch has been welded into place.

Still a little wide, but good enough.

Next will be the vertical gap...

it ranges all the way from a single thickness of 16 gauge to about 3/8".