I've decided to take the 507 project in a new and challenging direction that will be the ultimate test of my skills at fabrication, design, patience, pocket book, and thread posting skills!
My planification is to produce two body bucks and fabricate the body by hand.
With factory dimensions, old blueprints, and access to a real 507 should I need a few up close measurements or pictures, i think my plan will work. So how am I gonna do this?
What a great question!
Welp, last week I talked to a gentleman that runs a pretty large 3D scanning and design firm here in Ft. Worth about my project. I explained to him my overall idea, what body bucks are, how the whole project "should" work according to my feeble brain.
His reaction wasn't one of laughter, or a massive rolling of the eyes, or a "Ha! Not gonna happen Super Daydreamin' Dave." I was met with not only enthusiasm for my project, but examples of people who have done exactly what I've done with motorcycles and a couple vintage Ferraris. And coincidentally, he started in the auto industry so he knew exactly what I was talking about the whole time and knows what I'll need to make the body bucks!
I'll be meeting with him again this week to talk prices and schedule the start of my project. He'll 3D scan a 1/18th scale model I have of the 507 and incorporate the blue print dimensions to scale up the model to true size. I'll confirm with the real 507 to verify everything and then have the 3D CAD file made with stations (slices, if you will) every 8". They'll be a few stations longitudinally
too. That file will be taken to a printer and the individual stations printed out. I'll take those and glue them to plywood and cut each one out. I could take them to a CNC guy and have them laser zap them, but haven't looked into a cost on that. Once that buck is built I'll fill in the gaps with foam, sculpt, then fill with polyester fill primer. I'll sand and prime that one for a true scale body that I can see. Basically, like a clay model that the auto manufacturers still use. Another buck will be built to hammer the metal on. Once the panel is formed I'll place on the finished buck to verify fitment. After all panels are made I'll weld them up respectively. After chassis fabrication, those sections will be welded to it creating the unibody. 507s were painted body color all over as one piece.
Cheap? No. Easy? Ha! But I'm pretty sure I can make it happen and keep everyone entertained along the way!
More to come....
Cheers
Dave