1938 2.9 Alfa Romeo Spider by Touring.

 
 

The screen is quite a simple assembly, made up of two side frames machined as a single piece then filed up to fit the sides of the body so that it sits at the correct angle and the glass grooves are square to the centre.  To achieve this a simple jig/plate is all that is needed, which also can be used as the pattern for cutting out the acetate sheet that is used in place of glass for the screen.  A second one, also cut from aluminium, is used at right angle to this, clipped over the first at the top, and used to correctly locate the screen centrally and with respect to the side doors.  A brass ‘U’ channel is used for the bottom segment of the screen, and is dovetailed into the bottom of the uprights.  When all is a perfect fit copper sheet is cut and fitted to form a holding jig for the three parts of the screen to be silver soldered together.  Note that this is trimmed well clear of the bottom area to be silver soldered.  When complete and cleaned up the bottom of the screen uprights is drilled and tapped to take a short length of thread that is then soft soldered in place.  These will be at an angle and will pass through the body to secure that screen on the inside with nuts and washers under the cowl.  A short length of ‘L’ section brass is soft soldered to the inside of the uprights to take the quarter side windows of the doors.  These are fabricated from ‘U’ section brass and pinned to the tops of the doors. The final detail on this particular car is the engraving pattern on the side of the screen uprights.  This is cut and worked from a .005” thick sheet of nickel silver that has first had the pattern etched on it.  A small piece us cut and bent to fit the shape, then worked (hard rubbing/burnishing) with a steel tool until it conforms to the shaping at the bottom, after which is all the parts are lightly tinned then soft soldered together.