Chevy/Reo?

Neverdone said:

I like it!!!! I say run with it!

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Dirtyrat said:

I have to say I really really really like the door idea over louvers, louvers are overdone in my opinion, do keep the door idea

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DJ3100 said:

Louvers are checkbook items, sort of a solution by default -the doors are just cool. I got an "I never thought of doing that" reaction when I first saw them.

I am sure you'll get a ton of questions about what car the hood with doors came from. No one will even comment on louvers.

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Flipper_1938 said:

What about rotating the doors (turn 'em front to back)

........ maybe size the doors with the same swoop as your frame cover. smaller doors up high up front and they get bigger as they go back. ...maybe even curve the bottom edge of the doors.

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I'm with these guys Bob........no pressure ya understand, just do it! [

[P[P[P

I like the doors too. You need to find some small silver handles for each one. Try home depot in the cabinet section. Here is the ones I remember from my dads MG resto days. The SA and WA both had doors in the hoods.

jfg455 said:

I like the doors too. You need to find some small silver handles for each one. Try home depot in the cabinet section. Here is the ones I remember from my dads MG resto days. The SA and WA both had doors in the hoods.

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This is a MG?

I appreciate all the input on this. I'll no doubt try several additional aternatives. I guess I should make the side panels and get the steering blister fabbed and installed before settling on a door layout.

Here's an arrangement with a cute little half door.

Flipper_1938 said:

This is a MG?

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I am assuming the red X is a copy of my pic. Yes MG made 2 big touring cars The SA and the WA. Both had large inline 6 cylinders and comfortably sat four people. We had one of each growing up. The WA was one of 3 known to be in the USA and the SA was one of 114 in the USA.

Bob here is an idea for you (just to make your life difficult) make an actuating arm on the back side of each door. Then attach them all together with a rod. Run a cable from the rod inside the cab and then you can open / close each side row of doors from inside![cl

jfg455 said:

I am assuming the red X is a copy of my pic. Yes MG made 2 big touring cars The SA and the WA. Both had large inline 6 cylinders and comfortably sat four people. We had one of each growing up. The WA was one of 3 known to be in the USA and the SA was one of 114 in the USA.

Bob here is an idea for you (just to make your life difficult) make an actuating arm on the back side of each door. Then attach them all together with a rod. Run a cable from the rod inside the cab and then you can open / close each side row of doors from inside![cl

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I say you do it with the throttle cable [cl[cl[cl

Dirtyrat said:

I say you do it with the throttle cable [cl[cl[cl

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OOOO! I like how you think! I think maybe we are going to give Ole Bob a ton of new work to do![cl[ddd[[P

Ole Bob went to the iron store today and bought some 1/4" thick flat stock. From it I made durable hammer forms for the hood side doors and the openings.
Made a test "hole" and door to check the fit. It looks pretty good to me.
Thanks guys for the brilliant suggestions regarding door actuators. More ideas like that and this can turn into a 10 year project.

BTW, the hammer forms for the "holes" were made with a hole saw, an angle grinder with a cut off wheel and a hand file. It took a while.

bob w said:

.......Made a test "hole" and door to check the fit. It looks pretty good to me.

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[S Uh Bob, ya might wanna get your eyes checked. That doesn't look "pretty good" at all.................it looks great man! You're starting to make me want to try to make a new cowl vent lid to replace the 'hairlipped' one on my Willys.

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Bob you are a true craftsman, nice work.

Looks fine to me! And I coulda whacked out a set of hammer out of scrap forms for you in about 38 seconds on the plasma and mailed em to you!

Welcome to the House of Clamps. I laid out the holes for the doors in the passenger hood side. Cut the centers out leaving 1/4" of material to be tapped over the hammer form. Clamped a hammer form plate on each side of the hole and tapped the material with a 1" by 1" hardwood stick (a corking tool, pictured) until it was folded into a 90 degree flange to the inside of the panel

Thanks jfg455 for the offer the make the form the easy way. But, you know, anything I can possibly do myself, I must do.

Here's the passenger side panel with the doors setting in the holes. I haven't figured out a way to attach the doors. Be assured it will be a simple arrangement (and not adjustable from inside the car, haha).

I got the driver's side panel laid out. The area where the steering box is mounted interferes with the hood side panel. I made a test panel to determine how much to cut out for clearance. Also to figure out how the cut out will affect the doors. Here's the test panel in place. I'm thinking it would be okay to just let the steering junk hang out and not try to hide it with a blister.
One door will have to be modified to clear the cut out. Possibly just a bit shorter.

Man that looks so nice!
I think you are right on the assertion that the steering will have to stay uncovered to not upset the door height...

That looks killer. Definitely a design home run.

Excellent "hand work" there Bob! [cl[cl[cl

bob w said:

Thanks jfg455 for the offer the make the form the easy way. But, you know, anything I can possibly do myself, I must do.

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I have the same ailment! (Read how to make your own way to expensive free bead roller dies!)[cl

Hood sides are coming out awesome. Your rig is going to have all kinds of attitude and class all in one![P

Finished the door and door holes in the driver side panel. There is a shorter door over the steering box.
Started on the hood top. It will be 2 piece with a center hinge. I had a rusty chunk of driveshaft long enough to use as a stationery bending tool. I welded a chunk of 3/16" thick flat stock under both ends to allow a slit for the sheet metal to slip through. Also provides a way to clamp the driveshaft down so it won't roll. Then it's just a matter of slowly bending the panel by hand until it matches the contour of the cowl and the radiator shell.

It's getting closer. I left it oversize in every direction so it can be trimmed for a good fit.