[ProMetalShop]

Hi Guys
A few comments have been made on my shop equipment and how cool it would be to have it at hand to tackle the jobs at hand.
I just want to say Thank you for the comps and I am forever blushing
But I have to say there are more times than many I don't always use the largest quickest newest coolest tool.................. So I thought ya might like to know how to do the same thing without all the hoopty lah
Be warned it may be lengthy...............................
This will help you make bends and curves in flat metal with common tools.
This is a 1 inch strip of 18 gauge cold roll 1008 series, notice the bottom that touches the bench is as flat and in full contact..
Now to create a smooth curve in this we will stretch the the bottom edge.

I'm holding the metal down on a hard metal surface this don't have to be an anvil it can be a the back of your vice a length of angle iron anything hard enough to stretch with.
I hit on the very outer edge of the metal which thins it out rapidly,as it thins it spreads out side ways and seeks the least resistance .
After several hits 20 or 30 or so here are the results.

They are obvious....

Now lets go the other way by hammering on the opposite edge.

 

[ProMetalShop]

Now this is by stretching the outer edge and easily done, but what happens when you want to shrink..........Next

 

[ProMetalShop]

OK so we know to stretch we have to thin out so to shrink we have to gather.
Gathering is a tiny bit trickier<--------is that a real word)) to gather you will be thickening the area which will draw the metal from the surounding areas.
Now to do this with out a shrinker we will have to make a ruffel in our metal.

I used my vice jaw slightly opened and taped the very edge with the chisel end of my hammer to make a sort of dent, I continued to make a few more.
Now that I have the ruffels I want to trap them, this was done simply by clamping it to a piece of angle iron so the outer edges can't move back out.

You can already see the two very outer edges near the clamps have moved closer to each other. Now we need to drive the ruffels back into themselves.
The important thing is that wwe don't hit them to hard restretching the area.
I like to do this with a home made slapper.

 

[ProMetalShop]

sorry for the poor photo but any way the arrows dictate the direction of blows by my slapper. I drive each ruffle which looks like half an icecream cone starting at th pointed end and with side to side slaps they thicken.
Here are the results.

 

[ProMetalShop]

Now we can step it up a knotch and lets do it with a 90 bend in the panel

Same as before we are concentrating on the outside edge of the panel.

 

[ProMetalShop]

You can see results very quickly..................

This is just one way of moving the metal to fit panels without having to cut and weld. It dose take practice and finding were you have to shrink or stretch is easy to find by using paper, which I will show in another post.....

 

[mt94ss]

Steve, great post. I need to get some scrap and practice, practice, practice. Now, if you can show us how to get rid of oil canning on a large panel (not scrap)...

Later,

Mike

 

[ProMetalShop]

Thanks Mike
Oil can on low crown panels are a challenge for even the most seasoned. I have some things you can do to help and sometimes make it go away but it takes time to chase the stressed area to get results. Post a picture of the damaged area so we have a better idea what were looking at.

 

[Marks63PontiacGasser]

Steve, shrinking is what I want to do. I'm building the curved over tire wall of the tubs to follow the curve at the top of the inner flat wall. The pic of the finished shrink was not very good, too much glare. How do you shrink the ruffle back down without the flange moving back to the original shape and or stretching it? Do you actually fold the ruffle over? I don't see it getting pounded back down without it just going back the to it's original shape. Unless you are saying the clamping of the flange to the angle will keep it from returning? Which I can see where that would work. Just thinking out loud, sorry. But you would need a large area to get that thing clamped down if it were a long piece. Mark L

 

[ProMetalShop]

Hi Mark
The ruffles or tucks need to be drove into them selves.
The numbers are blows with a hammer or slapper that indicate the direction you want to go to gather the tuck or ruffle.

The clamps keep them from moving outward or back to there original position. If you have a larger bench clamping them as in the photo would get the same results.
The inner wheel well cover or wall you made Has a flange already you formed over your wood buck. Can't you place a metal strip on the flange to join the tub and the original inner well ?

 

[406Rich]

This has come at a good time Steve, thanks as I have to repair the corners of my hood `64 chev pickup (rustout ) and want to build in a cowl hood with a another center section of a 64-66 chev hood to weld into place, I want it to look as close to a factory camaro cowl hood shape wise but want keep the original v rib in the center and gently slope down in the front.

 

[ProMetalShop]

When you do the cowl and raise the center you will need to remove the rear section back and fill in or make a complete new section. As you raise the center the rear of the hood moves forward some degree. I like to move it back towards the windshield so from the side view it has a nice flowing rear edge.

 

[Marks63PontiacGasser]

Hey Steve. Yes I've already cut the strips to span the inner wall to the original old wheelwell. I took the strip and made a 90 degree flange (to go over the inner tub wall so there would be a double flange there) . Then I cut slits in the flange to allow the flanged strip to bend ofer the inner wall top flange. The slits in the strip flange will double back over them selves during and allowing the bending of the strip over the curve of the inner tub. But this leaves me with a lot of welding to tack all those slits and doubled over metal. If I make another strip, flange it again and do the shrinking, it will be make a much nicer finished item. I'll have to try that on the second strip. If I can do it and it works better I'll do a new one for the first side again. Mark L

 

[ProMetalShop]

Hey don't forget to post some pictures of your progress...

 

[Marks63PontiacGasser]

But, but, I'm kinda shy ya know 8^). This is the drivers wheelwell so far. I have alot of back troubles so I would have a problem with managing a full length wheelwell tub over the top. So I'm making it in pieces and will weld the sections together. First I formed the curve by placing the wood buck back into the side wall and forming the curve to follow the top fit of the inner wall. Then I clamped it all in place as a unit and placed it into the car. You can see that I took the buck and placed it under the original cut line of the wheel well, since it is an exact match, and used it to force the over top curve to rest tight up against the original cut line. I traced the opening on the top of the curve to follow the original cut exactly and now I have to take the curve back out and cut it to the mark. I should be able to put it right back and it should follow exacty to the original cut. Once I feel comfortable with the fit I'll tack everything into place. Then form the end pieces, tack them in and then finish weld it all. When it is all done I will get some seal sealer and seal up all the seams. So far so good.

Mark L

 

[ProMetalShop]

Mark it looks as though it's coming along nicely. I will have to show you an easy tool to make to help aid in shrinking. You can make it for less then 20 bucks.

 

[406Rich]

Cowl hood

Ok so I finally picked up a hood for a measly 20 bucks, not a bad deal, so I`m still laying out my ground work in my head here, original plan was to build into my exsisting hood but decided to build into this hood so if it goes to crap I an always remove the front lower valance of the hood and install on mine. Anyways I`m going to build a buck from wood with the shape I need to get the middle section to gently rise up to about 2 maybe 3 inches, this will be about 18 inches wide, the buck will match with the ribs of the hood and the contour I want, I`ve got other 18 gauge cold rolled steel to build the sides to gently roll up from hood to cowl and to extend the cowl back to the windsheild, one question remains I`m thinking I should anneal this area before I hammer it to get the front to rise up...? Do I use a hard rubber hammer or soft.....? I havent made any cuts yet, I will run two cuts the lenght of the hood about 3/4 of the way forward

 

[ProMetalShop]

Hi Rich
While annealing a steel hood is OK but a bit trickier than aluminum. You don't seem to get as much mileage as you do with it's softer counterpart. I would rely on your buck to raise the area. Laying the hood upside down on the buck and chasing the area with a wooden mallet close to the shape of the intended shape of the cowl. Then use chisels made from wood to chase your reveals... You will have to take this a step at a time to stretch the area with out distorting the surrounding area's. It may prove to be easier to build the scoop and weld it to the hood. As you said you can practice on this hood with no great financial loss.... Keep us posted this is going to be a great build...

 

[406Rich]

Thanks for the tips Steve, I didn`t think of laying the hood upside down, I was going with it right side up, here is a better shot just resized, I think the biggest hurdle will be the revels, I`ve got a bunch of old birch stock to make the bucks out of...

 

[TexasRatTrap]

This is an Awesome thread.... Prostreet I think its great that you Old School dudes are passing down the craft because it a dying art ya know. This tread is gonna help me considerably cuz I am now tackling replacing my floor & a have a rust out spot where the rear fender well meets the quarter panel just in front of the wheel... its not too bad you cant even see it from the outside, but this thread has inspired me to do a mini tub since its rusted out anyways. Thanks,

-TRT-