Please share you BODY SHEET METAL working tips. Model A coupe if it matters.

Send me your address and I'll send you out one of my Sheet metal repair books. Every little bit helps.

The Old Tinbasher

[email protected]

 

Eastwood sells a good how-to book published orinally by Martin in the 50's. great theory and mechanics for those new to metal work. I want to say the title is something like metal bumping--I loaned my copy to a high school kid I mentored last year and haven't gotten it back yet.

 

Wow, that would be awesome. I'll send you a e-mail tonight. thank you.

cool. I'll look it up. thanks.

while we're on the subject any other good books people recommend?

 

OK, First of all find the thread on HELLONWHEELS '36 Ford build, he'd doing the best body salvage work on the HAMB right now IMO. Go to a sheetmetal shop and get a four to six foot lenth of sheet metal cut in a sheer about 3 inches thick. Use this as a straight edge guide to true up both top and bottom pieces. Clamp or tack weld it in place, scribe the cut marks and make clean cuts. Measure from the top and bottom of the windows. Once you have trued up the top and bottom you can weld things back together. Get the body done first, then fit the doors.

 

Hi Hitchhiker,

The best way to learn hammer and dolly work is first pick the right tools, then the right practice project. In my opinion most people are way too timid when approaching the work. This is reinforced by those who say "be careful, you will over-stretch it" I never worry about overstretching, because to me, metal-finishing is like riding a bicycle, I don't lean all to one side. I balance back and forth over the center. The same with metal-finishing. Stretching and shrinking are the two sides of the center. The center is your perfect panel. Bump, stretch, smooth, shrink, repeat. It is all easy to do once you lose the fear.

The metal is forgiving if your tools are smooth. I show some practice work in my videos below. You can skip the metal shaping and go straight to the metal-finishing by viewing Custom Metal Bodywork parts 1, and 9-12. You can work the same area multiple times until you get it right. No better way to learn in my opinion. I'm not Gene Winfield, but if you are interested, I put on small classes about 2-1/2 hours from you on the coast in the months of November, December and January only: [email protected] But really you can learn this on your own with practice, and few tips here and there.

John www.ghiaspecialties.com

 

I say cut another 4" and live some
hahaha

Really!!! 1/2" isnt going to be missed and Ebay has a lot of pieces that people have cut out.
Check that out, relax and ALL will be well

Grommet

 

You mention you don't want to take the easy way out and then say you'll turn it into a coupster if you screw it up?

And thats NOT the easy way out??

NOT the easy way out is fixing it the way you originally intended.

You'll have your hands full even if you take out the 1/2 inch of nasty metal anyway.

 

it's called sarcasm.....maybe they don't have that in canada.....

 

I can almost visualize this.....but I'm not sure I get it. should I use that across the back?

I would totally be interested in those classes. An suggestions on basic tools to pick up?

7 inchs is low......but I'm short

 

Hi Hitchhiker,

I show the tools that I think are basic in part 1 of the videos I suggested to you. A couple of good dollies with curve in one direction and nearly flat in the other, a good wide faced low crown body hammer, a ball peen hammer and a shrinking disc are a great start. Hearing protection, eye protection. Then a slapper, some more dollies with different shapes etc. If you want to be on my list to call when I schedule my next class, or want more information, just let me know:

[email protected]

John www.ghiaspecialties.com

 

You say you're an experienced welder...... great! But I've gotta tell ya, I know lots of tradesmen welders who attempt sheetmetal and make a mess of it. Your admission of being inexperienced with hammers and dollies is honest and totally the key to this whole equation. The trick to welding light gauge stuff is never allowing warpage to become a problem. So you tack everything up with perfect gaps. Realign panels with delicate hammer and dolly work. Then weld a very little bit (I usually don't try to run a bead with Mig, just a series of overlapping tacks) or a short bead with Tig or gas (maybe an inch), and then pick up the hammer and dolly and stretch the bead slight ly while it's still red hot. Watch closely to see where the profile goes and make sure it stays where you want it. Skip over and few inches and go again. Patience young Jedi warrior, patience.

And the advice about the flanged joints....... don't...... just don't.

 

I wouldn't call myself a professional welder, I learned in high school but I'm fairly confident. Most of what I have welded on is boat trailers, go cart frames, or artistic fabrication stuff. I've messed around a bit with sheet metal. but I never finished that project. I have a miller 140 mig, but I am a little worried that the welds will be brittle when I hammer them. I'm wondering if I should pick up gas welding.

thanks

oh and don't worry I have no plans to flange it.

 

Yes! A 6 foot length of sheared sheetmetal will bend around the back, use lots of clamps. The window tops and bottoms are the only areasthat you can use as a base to measure from. You haven't mentioned how the rest of the body looks, so I hope the cowl, quarters are properlt attached to the subframe. If not you need to get that taken care of first. You have to have a solid square base to start with and work from. QUOTE I can almost visualize this.....but I'm not sure I get it. should I use that across the back? QUOTE

 

That's the thing. If you fit things up well, profile on the money, good gaps, etc. You're not really using the hammer and dolly to "move" metal. All you're doing is flattening the bead so it doesn't distort when it cools (shrinks). People will tell you, you can't hammer weld with a Mig. Hmmm, interesting, but total bullshit. I've done miles of it. It's totally controllable. Yes, it's harder (brittle) than a Tig or gas weld, but it only becomes a concern if you let warpage get away from you. Don't let that happen. And if you decide that a shrinking disc is a worthy tool for your arsenol, then you can truly perfect your welded area. The plus to the shrinking disc is..... and I have no scientific proof other than experience.... is that the low heat from the disc seems to anneal the hard Mig weld and makes it more workable. Call me crazy. Dive in, make some mistakes and learn how to fix them....... and above all ..... it's supposed to be fun, have some!!!

 

I like your style +