1935 Miller-Ford Indy 500 Race Car

The english wheel only goes so far, and my inexperience using one is part of the problem, but the hammer works too. Like the saying "death by a thousand paper cuts", this little flare on the cowl was bent by a thousand hammer blows. Probably more than that, but who's counting.
Anyway, the cowl is coming along. There's still a long way to go. The real car has an asymmetrical flare, because it's a two passenger car and the riding mechanic liked having debris hit him in the face. Also the cockpit sides were radically different, the left side being much lower. I'm making mine symmetrical, which is why it looks a little different.
The bottom end and the angled portion on the side of the cockpit will have tabs that will be inserted into the slots in the body support skeleton, and be bent over on the inside. All just to avoid using rivets.
It's a lot of screwing around, but the hope is the finished product will look as cool as the real deal.

I got the other cockpit side panel done and started on the tail on that side.
It's taking way longer than I was hoping, but there's no hurry, so I'll keep plugging away at it. The cowl is still waiting to be finished too. So much to do.

I'm not sure about this, but here's the deal. I ran out of the .040 white aluminum that I made most of the body out of, and I still needed a hood. There actually was enough to start with, but due to a slight miscalculation, the hood I cut out had to be scrapped (measure twice, cut once, dummy).
So I was left with a choice - buy another 4 x 8 sheet from the local supplier, or just get a 3" x 3" sheet from Home Depot.
I almost didn't buy the Home Depot aluminum because it's thin, .019 to be exact. Then I decided to give it a shot.
What I didn't realize in the store was not only is it thin, it's REALLY soft. I think a good pair of scissors would cut it.
But I persevered. I went ahead and made the hood. Once it's bent, it becomes pretty stiff because of the curve. I had to put aluminum angle "stiffeners" in the sides to keep them straight and flat, and have a place to attach the latches. Otherwise I think it'll be OK. The slightest bump will dent it, however.
The positive about it is, it weighs mere ounces. Go fast and all that.
So while I was waiting for the glue to dry on the second side of the hood, I decided to do something fun.
I put the instrument panel in, put the steering column and wheel on, and took some pics.

Now is that cool looking or what?

The hood is done. I used some stainless steel tool box type latches to hold it down. They're not quite the right look for the Miller, but It's the closest thing I could find.
Next will be final fitment of all the panels and attachment to the skeleton, after the frame and skeleton are painted.
Then it's on to fiberglass for the nose and tail. Oh fun.
I'm so looking forward to finishing the body work and paint so I can assemble everything that I have made. Just a few more months.

I had to put the suspension and wheels back on to move it around, just so I could clean and organize my work space. So it was another picture opportunity.
I gotta say, I'm liking how this is turning out. I can almost hear the roar of engines when I look at it.
The cowl is still not completely finished. Hopefully, today I can get it trimmed up and glued on. Everything else is attached and the glue seems to be doing it's job. Soon it'll be fiberglass work and then paint! Oh wow!
Just out of curiosity, I measured the body height at the highest point. 26 inches. That's pretty low.

I know this probably isn't the most accurate way to weigh a vehicle, but I did it out of curiosity,
I put a bathroom scale under the rear end with a wood block to hold up the car on the scale. Then I did the same under the front end. I subtracted the weight of the wood block and I came up with 120 pounds in the rear and 66 in the front. Not bad considering all that's left is some lightweight fiberglass parts and seat upholstery. With a little work, I might be able to keep it under 200, which was my goal.