Another view of the aluminum shaping buck--fully assembled and ready to rock. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Rodney shaping an inner fender on the English Wheel. Check out some of his more finished panels against the wall. Gorgeous! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Good things are happening on Project Caden. With metalcraftsmen Rodney Roeder and filmmaker Damien Campbell, documenting the journey. Feeling blessed to be working with great people. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Taking a moment to reflect. I'm grateful to be doing what I love, and I appreciate all of you who are following the journey on this thread! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Rodney hand crafting an aluminum fender panel for ‎ProjectCaden‬, and checking fit over its buck. Image Unavailable, Please Login
A shot over the rear haunches of the buck. The center-rear tapered area will house the drivetrain, and long, polished stainless wishbones will be visible coming out from there. The tires will be left uncovered at the rear-- similar to a 917 Porsche--save for some wing elements and provisions for stone throwing. You can see all of the twist and flow in the rear deck/fender sections. It will take skill to drape aluminum over top. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Rodney tracing a pattern onto a fresh sheet of aluminum. He pulled this pattern--a thin sheet of plastic--off of the front driver's side fender top. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Front fender pattern making with plastic film and cardboard sheet. The pattern is then laid flat on a sheet of aluminum and trimmed out. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Project Caden flexing for the camera From this view you can see the roughly outlined(with tape) grill/mouth which is inspired by the nozzle-noses of 60's F1. The inner front fenders are being shaped on a separate buck. More on that shortly! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Rodney proudly looks over a Project Caden body panel with the desired brushed finish. We will be leaving most of the surfaces unpainted, which demands a higher degree of care and patience. Image Unavailable, Please Login
On long projects like these I find it important to take time to reconnect with my sources of inspiration. Yesterday Pete, myself, and Rodney went to the vintage races at Mid-Ohio raceway. We really enjoyed the timeless metal on display. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Craftsmen Rodney Roeder looking over two freshly-formed inner fender pieces for Project Caden. Classic artistry! Image Unavailable, Please Login
I am really enjoying watching this project come together, can't wait to see the final product, very cool. Good luck !
A look into the aluminum body making craft. Wooden "buck" with plastic pattern on the left., nearly finished fender on the right. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Cool your thinking about the 917 in regards to the project. I love the back of the 917. Your open rear idea has me really curious on what its going to look like when its done. I just keep picturing a mixture of Mclaren F1 and 917 and maybe some 959/935 in there as well..... On a side note I always liked the rear wheel/tire size on the Mclaren F1. Just seems to fit the car perfect. What size wheels/tires will you be going with? Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hey Ryan! The tire/wheel sizes: Front 245/35 ZR19 Rear 295/30 ZR20 I will may also try a smaller wheel package on the track. Caden will be very similar in size to the Mclaren F1. I did not want a ridiculously wide car that takes up the entire road. I always liked the idea of compact and nimble. The Rear end will be very open and exposed Suspension arms and tires will be in full view. You will be able to see through the air tunnel between rear wheels and center section. I'll post some computer shots of that area soon. Yes the 917 was a big inspiration back there.
Preparation for metal shaping: freshly trimmed aluminum for fender top on right, and its template on left fender. Image Unavailable, Please Login