1913 International Autowagon Hood

A customer obtained a 1913 International Autowagon. It had been sitting in a barn with a number of other cars and parts for many years. After extracting it from beneath a pile of junk it was found to be in excellent condition. The hood which was on the truck was a home made piece and was in poor condition. We were asked to fabricate a new hood for it.
The hood is a fairly simple design. It is a strip of sheet metal with three large radius bends to conform to the shape of the radiator. The bottom of each side has a 1/4 inch diameter wire edge which the hood latches clip onto.

The customer provided us with a paper tracing of the hood former on the firewall. From this a buck was constructed of 1/2 inch plywood. From the buck a poster board template of the hood was made.

A sample of the wire edge was constructed. A strip of sheet metal 3 inches wide was cut. A bending fixture was made for the sheet metal brake which consisted of a piece of 1/8 x 2 inch flat stock with a length of 1/4 inch rod welded along one edge. By clamping the sheet metal under this fixture, the brake was used to put in a 90 degree bend with a 1/4 inch radius.
With the sheet metal still clamped in the brake, a hammer was used to continue to form the 1/4 inch radius around the fixture forming a 180 degree bend.

A length of 1/4 inch rod was then inserted into the U bend and a hammer and dolly was used to continue forming the metal around the rod.

A die was made for the Pullmax machine to form the wire edge. The work piece was run through the Pullmax which set the edge tight against the rod and closed up the gap between the edge and the face of the sheet metal.

With the sample piece made, it was now possible to measure the width of the finished piece which turned out to be 2-1/4 inches. That means that a 3/4 inch allowace is required to accomodate the length of metal which is rolled around the rod.

A trip was made to visit the vehicle in person. The poster board template was positioned on the vehicle and adjustments made to the fit. The wire edge sample was placed in position and the hood clasps latched in place. A line was marked at the top of the sample on each side. This defined the overall length of the sheet metal. It was decided to allow a 1/4 inch gap along the bottom of the hood on each side so that the hood latches would have some tension on the springs and the hood would not hit the hood shelves so a second line was scribed 1/4 inch above the first one.

With the template done, the overall length determined, and the buck finished it was a simple procedure of cutting out a strip of sheet metal to the correct length and width. Each end was clamped in the brake and the end rolled around the fixture. The rods were inserted, the roll was hammered closed, and each side was run through the Pullmax to set the edge. The sheet metal was then centered on the buck and clammed in place. It was then bent by hand over the buck and clamped in place after each bend was made. Once all the bends were made the clamps were removed and it was adjusted by hand until it would slip over the buck with no gaps.

The hood was delivered to the customer and installed on the vehicle. It fit perfectly and no adjustments were necessary to the hood (although some adjustments were needed as one side of the radiator was 1/4 inch closer to the firewall than the other side). The hood claps latched onto the hood and held it securly with a 1/4 inch gap on each side.