In our case, it was a very large stamping press. We could do it, but it
really took an expert to set it up and keep the hood steady so each
louvre was square to each other. As I recall, the operator laid them
out like we wanted and then did it free hand, moving the hood after
each strike.
Some custom shops had a smaller version that would hold a smaller piece
of sheet metal and then they would graft it into the hood. There were
also mechanical single presses. This required you to lay out the
louvres, and drill a small hole at each corner. The top die had pins
which went thru these holes into the bottom die and then it was pressed
on a shop press. Of course, this limited how big a piece it could be. I
can't be sure that some form of this die wasn't used on the press where
I worked, which had at least a 6 foot throat.
What with the Chrome shop and the Louvre press and some other machining
we could do, it was a dream job, for while it lasted. My main job was
to machine those treads you stand on when you get on an escalator. This
was 49 years ago!
Ray
On Nov 4, 2006, at 1:08 PM, a57fury@xxxxxxx wrote:
Ray
I wonder if a good restoration shop can make hood louvres? I'll have
to ask at the shop where I took my cars. I'll bet they can. Did they
actually have a machice that made the louvres? One side at a time or
the whole hood at once? I never gave it much thought.
John
-----Original Message-----
From: hurst300@xxxxxxxxxxxx
To: a57fury@xxxxxxx
Cc: hurst300@xxxxxxxxxxxx; L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sat, 4 Nov 2006 12:55 PM
Subject: Re: [FWDLK] Stuck in the 50's
Actually, my buddy and I worked for a while at the Westinghouse Plant
in Baltimore. We worked the night shift, and I worked alone in one
side of the plant. My buddy worked on the other side in the Chrome
shop, chroming parts like door handles( for Radio cabinets) and
suchlike. So, everything we could take off under the hood of his new
'57 Fury was chrome!
They also had a louver press there. When things were a little slow,
the press operator would do your hood or whatever for you, a bottle
helped a lot. I guess those presses are all junked out by now. Must be
hard to find someone who can do it is why you don't see them anymore.
We also had a guy working there who had a '51 Merc coupe which had
tanks in those big 1/4's and ran Moonshine up from the Carolina's.
Potent stuff!
We all have stories od those great old days, but, it's a wonder we
survived!
Ray
On Nov 4, 2006, at 9:33 AM, a57fury@xxxxxxx wrote:
> Ray
>
> Talking about customs, do youremember the "louvered hoods" on '49,
'50 > and '51 Mercs and Fords? There were a bunch of them here in
Northern > New Jersey in the 50's and early 60's. Those were the only
cars that > had them around here. I don't see that anymore on the
customs at > shows.
> John=
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