What is the strangest piece of metal you used?

I like a lot of other hambers pick up strange stuff when I find it cheap. I needed spacers for smaller gauges I was putting in my roadster. I looked around and found these old shell casings I had picked up who knows when. They were almost the perfect size and had a lip. I drilled them out filed the lip down a little, cut it off, painted it black, the paint wrinkled some, don't know why but I kind of liked it and perfect. Almost looks like part of the gauge.

 

This one is for you scooter guys. When I was customizing my 69 Rupp Goat I needed something for a chain guard. Made mine out of a metal line shroud that came off of an old weed whacker.

 

Lid of a Weber grill for the bell housing cover in a cab. Oil pan cut up and shaped for a trans cover.

 

I used part of a cherry Bomb muffler and some water pipe to build a steering column in a 53 F100.

 

needed a piece of 3 inch outside diameter pipe to repair pivot on a dump hoist. my drill press is now 4 inches shorter. got it done!!!!

 

Old computers as a source of sheet metal .

 

my uncle has salvaged alot of food grade stainless tubing from where he worked needless to say alot of my cars now have stanless exhaust systems he he. have a porsche 928 here that someone put a ford escort sunroof into side ass crooked the porsche bone yard wanted 4 bones for a used roofpiece screw that a walk in my local boneyard found me a removable sunroof out of a toyata supra that fit perfect didn't even have to cut it off the car it was bolted with 4 bolts zipcutted the frame off and welded it over the hole worked awsome. now to go the other way my father came into my shop one day and stole my camshaft outa of my old VW bunny and came back a few days later with a lamp made out of it still have it in my livingroom today

 

I made a trolley for my Go Kart out of an old bunk bed.

The firewall recess on my modified is a combination of the top of my old hot water service and a lawn mower chute







My steering column is made from a torque tube and the cowl bulge for the steering is a headlight bucket.

Lot's of recycling. Small carbon footprint.

 

Made my Stainless steel radiator shroud out of 2 steam table pans. I liked the rounded corners.
Fab pics on link below:

http://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gallery/displayalbum.php?userid=268206&albumid=27774

 

I extended the cones on my headers with steel table legs from a d.i.y. store.

 

i used industrial metal 2x3 shelving for my frame rails, old furnace surround for my hood scoop. most of my metal is salvaged.

2 pieces of angle iron drilled and clamped together for a metal brake, hammer and block of wood to get my bend.

 

Any scrap I can find I will use. When I redid my truck I used some sheet metal for the floor that had been doors used in a pig barn, I used old computer cases made in the late 90s for the sides of my inside cab. One time when I was a teen I cut up a pice of a washer I think and made floorboards for one of my friends mother. The bed in my truck is a 1/4 sleel place I got from my uncle. It was put in a old trucks bed he bought. It had been used in that truck for years until he found a parts truck with a great bed. I saw a radio console one time made for a old ford 352 oil pan one time. They put it in a 66 ford truck. The pain was flipped upside down and the radio was put in the side where it curves towards the back. It looked like it was made specifically for that. Although these are other stuff besides steel I have found uses for other stuff. I got a huge election sign around 04 and used it for the headliner in my truck. It was a good base to put the suade leather on. I rewired my truck with new wires from the spools that were end pieces I found at a salvage yard. They came from a factory and most pieces were 20 feet or longer. I made side rails from scrap wood of a old house I tore down for a widow. She wanted it torn down to take away any liability. It had been lived in by Dottie West the singer as a kid. It was sold oak boards. I used plastic I cut out of laundry bottles to make small light bulb covers in my dash one time.

 

A great source for sheet metal is from commercial door & frame vendors. they have pieces of 16-18ga from door lite cut outs as well as scrap. If I didn't work for one I'd only have half a coupe.

 

I build industrial control panels for a living. Most enclosures we use are built out of 14 and 12 gauge steel. Some times I have to cut out large openings to install removable panels or install air condition units. Some holes are rather large, 18-24" wide and 2-3 feet high. Great source for heavy sheet metal and it's free, my customers pay for the entire enclosure. I rebuilt most of my trunk floor with this free metal. Many of the enclosures are food grade stainless steel, I have some decent sized pieces of 12 gauge stainless I got for free also.

 

I just cut the small end off an old metal funnel to make a cover for a locar shifter in my son's Model A

 

I made a trans cover out of a pontiac oil pan, used it all but that little piece.

 

I used most of a wheel barrow tub as an engine set back in a 41 willys pickup. I didnt tell anybody and no one could figure it out. It was very clean looking when done. There were no signs of welding, grinding or hammer marks.

 

I saved the outer sheet metal from the old furnaces in my houses. Made rear rolled pans for the 30 sedan & my 48 pickup. The louvers became defrost vents in the Willy wagon, also a vent/stone shield for a tranny cooler. It also became good patch material.

 

I built my truck frame out of 2 X 5 pallet rack crossmembers I got from a military surplus store. $5 each for about 9' long sticks.