Look I cant cut up the fenders for tail lights other thing's need to be handled first the woman owner is quite happy with them for now. The trim needs to be fixed, the seat needs to be fixed raised up & the gas pedal need's attention so she can drive it easer. That is what is on the priorty list first. Then open the louvers on the hood to help with the cooling. Then I have to see what can be done to get brighter head lights. This will be a work in progress over time as budgets allow.
"Silver doesn't tarnish" -what!?! I'd like to see what you come up with and how you do it. Please,keep us posted-thanks!
Can you have the existing plastic trim vacuum plated? I think they also call it vacuum metalizing? My grandfather used to have a machine shop back in the day that did a lot of that.
Cerberus the problem with the gas pedal & break pedal on the car is the type & the way they are mounted along with clerences under the dash. So I need to rework the gas pedal just putting in another wont fix the problem. I think the guy who build the car did not know how to fix or change things if it was not in the instruction build book & it was built in 1988 finished in 89. yes the car duze not appeal to most H.A.M.B. ers but that is not what this thread is about it is saposed to be about making custom stainless trim from flat stock and that is where I would like it to stay if not I will just quit posting on this subject. My intention was to learn & help others learn how to make from flat stock stainless trim. Over all this is a nice looking little car.
Saw cut it out of alum. bar stock. Use a router to soften the edges and tap and thread for studs. Buff out. At a later date she can have it chromed. Fritz
Have a machine shop build you a set of forming dies for a bead roller to shape the trim to the contour of the moulding.You might have to build several dies to form the profile in steps to get the shape you want. Curved pieces would form easily . I would try Woodward Fab Machine and see what they say about the dies . They may have something already made that would form the profile you are looking to make.
I have a bead roller & can make dies if nessary, spectra chrome is expensive to set up for one thing so it is not in the budget & we wont be repainting the plastic trim. I have some stainless on order so that is the start plan once it gets here.
Carbuilder, this thread reminds me of when i mistakenly asked a question about how to modify a front suspension on my brothers truck and it turned into everyone telling me why it should be left original config and that i was crazy for wanting to change it. no one read that it had been subframed and the original frame was not even there. I quit asking questions anymore, or posting much at all, most of their responses made me feel like an idiot, i can get that at work - Ha. I feel your frustration.
I'm a hack, and lazy, but I'd make it out of aluminum half round or bar stock, machine or just grind it to the profile you want/need, and buff it. That's what I'm doing the trim for my Diamond T truck with. It's (relatively) cheap, easy, and I for one love the look of polished aluminum. I made the hood trim from 1/2" square stock, and am making matching running board moldings from the same. I'll make rear fender trim (to echo the running board strips) with half round. Brian
i was under the impression that stainless was a bitch to work with and very unforgiving material, from when i used to work in fabrication... cutting a long piece from a sheet and keeping it straight was a motherfucker and caused us no end of trouble, even with the CNC laser. of course, we were doing masses of it, and every hiccup was a money waster. if we'd been doing short runs by hand maybe it'd have been easier? since i was the "do the short run" stuff guy, i'd have been tapped to do this as well..... whatever you come up with, post some pics of it. we love tech....
So carbuilder, whatcha gonna make after 3 pages of suggestions and outer nonsense??! LOL! Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Just an idea: Look for annealed thin-wall stainless tubing to start with, tubing not piping. Straighten it as best you can - that's where the annealed part helps. Use a dremmel tool to cut it open lengthwise; you would probably want to make a simple jig to keep it straight. Then form it into fairly flat stock, maybe over the point of a small anvil. Bend it to suit as you go. I was thinking about doing something like this for trim around a fiberglass grill, never got around to it. But all the working I'm talking about might make it brittle, or hardened and impossible to further form, so the whole idea might be a loser. It might be worth a try on a small scale though, not too much to lose.
I think you are probably thinking about "German Silver" which actually has no silver in it. It was made from copper, nickel, and zinc and works like brass. It is often a sheet product and would make good trim. But now costs too much for a project like this. Danny, I am anxious to see how you do with the stainless. Good luck. ~Alden
As I have stated in the past I have ordered some 24 gage 304 stainless sheet, and will give it a real shot if I am 75% sucsessfull after a try or 2 then I will go for the whole enchalada & order some more 24 gage. Guys I dont mind questions or good reasonable suggestions. But think about costs if you were paying some one to do this. Polished stainless looks closer to chrome in color than polished aluminum. I know stainless is a bitch but I enjoy a challange. I am working with the customer on the first phase because I want to do it in thin stainless not thick stuff the file & grind to shape let alone contour. One last time keep on making the stainless trim thread track or I will just drop it like a hot patato.
Dan, This maybe the cheap and easiest to do??? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=376591&highlight=draw+forming by Metalman since you found thin s/s/ Per's trim on the bad little scooter maybe good if you like working tube. also Cass's book has some good ideas throughout the book. Personally using beer cans, fun emptying them and they just about the right thickness for cheap mouldings! tt
Oldgoaly I have looked at every thread I could find & Cass's book. Draw forming wont work as it is for a continous shape this trim tapers thin to fat then to thin again. In Cass's book it was made out of solid stock then plated with lots of fileing, grinding, sanding & polishing before plating so it was not a low dollar in mind build. I do have a couple of ideas & after experimenting we will see what happens.
I have had quite a few emails on this due to health reasons the owner had to sell the car so I never had a chance to get the trim started.
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