Metal fabrication can look like magic, and for hot rodders it continues to be a source of interest and fascination. In 1966 Tom Hanna, who created many of the one-off aluminum bodies for Top Fuel dragsters in the 1960s and 1970s, built what is considered one of the most beautiful dragster tails: an enclosed chute pack and rollbar-long tail body for Tom Hoover’s Woody Gilmore–built car. Over the years the dragster was used and abused and somewhere lost that gorgeous tail. When Steve Andersen found the remnants of the car in 2004 and decided to restore/recreate it to its 1960s glory, he convinced Hanna to create a new tail. The dragster was known as the “Fishbowl” dragster from a tale Hanna fabricated when a journalist asked him why there were wedge-shaped holes in the body. Hanna said Hoover loved fish and wanted to put an aquarium in the body of his Top Fueler. The indents were really there for cosmetic wood inserts, but the story got passed along, and the Fishbowl moniker stuck. Follow along to see the closest thing to magic HOT ROD can present—flat aluminum sheets turned into what will appear to be a single-piece, stamped-aluminum dragster body at Tom Hanna’s shop in Wichita, Kansas.
2/29 Once the Woody Gilmore chassis was restored to the way it left his shop in 1966, the next step was the bodywork. This is how Hanna’s shop received the famous Top Fueler, sans even engine mounts and a motor plate.
3/29 The first step was to determine the exact engine location so a motor plate could be fabricated. Everything was worked forward or backward from this critical point. The bottom of the body was trimmed and attached.
4/29 A close-up shot of the bottom plate.
5/29 The back of the driver seat was formed to fit within the frame structure.
6/29 The butt portion of the seat was formed from flat aluminum sheet in this English wheel. Rolling the metal back and forth forms a crown in the metal in all directions.
7/29 Once the metal is trimmed and welded into the rolled back, it looks like it was stamped into this shape.
8/29 The simple flat side panels roll around the bottom chassis tubes and are Dzus-fastened to nest the adjoining panel.
9/29 The top of the nose was roughed into the panel at the front of the engine with a dolly and file to develop the transition into a smooth surface. As the metal is worked, it starts to harden, creating the possibility of cracking. Heating it to around 800 degrees Fahrenheit changes the aluminum structure to allow it to be worked further to be able to eliminate the bumps and heat shrink areas of excess metal.
10/29 A plywood form was created to work the tip of the nose. Foam was inserted into the voids of the form and sanded down to check the surface development before mimicking the part in aluminum sheet.
11/29 The form could be removed and worked off of the chassis on a workbench for easier access. Two halves were formed and then welded together. The weld was filed down and then welded to the rest of the nose.
12/29 With the outside surfaces completed, the reliefs were boxed for strength and appearance. Eliminating raw edges created a solid, quality part that is both attractive and functional.
13/29 The front of the body top was also boxed off for strength and appearance.
14/29 The finished nose looks like an elaborate, substantial stamping, but we know better.
15/29 A panel was welded into the back of the engine transition to add strength and eliminate the fragile raw edge.
16/29 The motor plate has been trimmed to the desired shape to be used as a form for the cowl panel. Note that more than a year has passed since the front portion of the body was completed.
17/29 Now it’s time to tackle the tail. A cardboard template was made to determine the overall profile. This was transferred to plywood to begin creating the buck, which was used to form the tail.
18/29 Once the profile was determined, a series of sections were created to form the outside surfaces the body sides were formed around. This stage also gave everyone a closer idea of what the finished body would look like. The builder could now stand back and eyeball the crowns and transitions and make necessary changes before forming the aluminum.
19/29 The bottom of the tail was roughed out.
20/29 The surface takes the shape of a lazy “S,” so the transitioning portion of the bottom was created and then welded to the previous panel, giving the appearance of a single stamped piece once it’s finished.
1/29 The back panel was relieved and worked to tie into the bottom. Obviously, all of the panels needed to be easily removed for access to different sections of the chassis.
2
22/29 Continuing with the tail sides, the bottom section of the sharp rib was formed.
23/29 The top section of the rib and tail were now welded and finished off.
24/29 The top of the tail was formed one side at a time around the plywood buck. The “fishbowl” windows were later cut into the fins and flared to add strength and a nice visual transition.
25/29 The chute structure was then added to the chassis, which allowed for the extreme rear of the body to be determined and completed.
26/29 Once the end of the body was trimmed an inner panel was welded into the tail to add strength and eliminate the raw edge.
27/29 The cloisonné Hanna badge was recessed into the cowl panel.
28/29 Finishing touches include this metal brace for the Plexiglas windscreen, the windscreen itself, and creating the teak inserts.
29/29 Tom Hoover checking out the view he so fondly remembers from the cockpit of his 1966–1968 ride. This dragster ran both Chrysler Hemi and Ford SOHC power. It’s being recreated in its Hemi version.
Got Pics?
If you’ve built or restored your car and have documented it in pictures every step of the way, we might be able to use your story in HOT ROD. Contact us to find out.
Mail: Hot Rod Start To Finish, 831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo, CA 90245.
Email: hotrod@hotrod.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment