putting my thinking hat on, I came up with a solution for missing bows.
You have the metal frames, assemble them together.
Using the shape of the metal frames where they would attach to the wood bows, construct patterns of the wood shape needed using cardstock, first one side then the other. Cut this out and assemble the cardstock pattern with contact cement or tape.
Use this to produce a quality pattern you cut out & do in 2 pieces of 3/4" thick plywood, screwed together to make a 1 1/2" wide pattern.
This will be your base on which the bows will be formed. Suggest you create the bows out of ASH as it bends easier and tends to break less than oaks.
Have the ASH cut into 1/2" thick pieces X by width needed , that will bend easier than if you try to bend thicker wood.
Go to you tube and find videos on steam bending and watch them many times to fully understand whats going on. I made my soaking pipe out of 4" black ABS pipe. I also used another same size pipe to place the wood strip in and steam it.
I created my steamer from a wallpaper steamer , 2 of them.
Make sure you have lots of clamps to hold the wood to the pattern. I soaked for 4 days on 15/16" thick wood.
I left the clamped part in the jig for quite a while. Leave it in there and ADD the other strips on top until you have the thickness needed.
When your finally ready....2-3 weeks, use waterproof TITE BOND wood glue to glue all the strips together.
Now that's the back one, move ahead to the middle one and lastly to the front windshield header piece.
Now wasn't that fun ???????????????????
mike lynch
