Veghel | The Netherlands
The first modification involves increasing the clearance around the block at the level of the valve covers and the ignition; for work purposes, it is necessary that these can also be removed so that you have sufficient space around the engine.
I started by determining the shape on the car using a wireframe. This frame immediately gives me an idea of the shape and the space created around the block. This wireframe is covered with paper to indicate the shrinkage planes I need when shrinking the sheet metal, so that I can achieve the shape required by the wireframe. I made the large surface in two parts because the required shrinkage was too large in combination with the curved shape. Dividing the part into two makes the work easier and reduces the time involved, and with laser welding, I avoid distortion, the finish is minimal, and the result is better and neater; after all, I am aiming for almost no filler. I hammered out the valve cover cutouts on the planing hammer and traced them with a paper pattern to create a mirror-shaped copy for the other side; this results in an exact copy.
Next, the lengthwise shape was made, and I hammered out a base plate to fit over the gearbox and reinforced it with a beat roller.
The main shapes were joined together and welded using a laser welding machine; the result is excellent. The old firewall was removed, and the modification was assembled onto a new firewall and welded back into the bodywork.
