MTFCA Forum

Restoring a depot hack and the PO just cobbled this thing together, so how it was does not mean the way it should be. I've got the front end sheet metal pieces:
radiator
front apron
two hood shelf/engine pan triangles
front fenders

Starting with the frame , going up, up, what would be the correct order of assembly?

Thanks in advance.

Fenders first, then hood shelf, then lower radiator apron, then radiator.

And, if the correct hood hold down springs and washers are used, the hold downs may be installed in the hood shelves and blocks before installing the shelves on the car, which is somewhat simpler than compressing the springs after the shelves are installed. jb

Our Resident Artist has that covered too

I just completed this assembly on my 1927 Roadster using the VowellArt diagram. It helped to precompress the bottom springs on the radiator studs by placing washers underneath the lower end of the mounting stud. 3 or 4 washers did the trick for me, though it takes some effort to get them in there. Those springs are awfully stiff.

To compress those radiator springs, I just took a wood wedge and tapped it in to to the trick. Once the installation was complete, they were easy to remove.

To the workshop!

One other quick question. The hood shelves color. If the body of the car were a different color than black, I presume the radiator apron with the nickle strip trim would be the body color as well as the fenders. The radiator is black and the shell is nickle. What would be suggested for the hood shelves? I could paint the shelf area a different color than the flat sheet metal area. I don't know if this part is considered more of a frame part or a body sheet metal part. My frame is black the body will be dark green.

Not enough contrast between the two to really make much of a statement, but I'm thinking the pan area green as it blends into the fenders and the shelf area and hold down clips are black and the hood will be green.

Should my hood clips be nickle or something other than black?

Thanks to all.

The fenders, splash shields, radiator splash apron, and hood shelves are all black even on colored body cars.
Norm