reshaping metal

[hi_ryder]

shrinking is bloody impossible on the towers itll be easy enough but try and get a 1/4 to sit flat once youve over cooked it. lol, i gave up in the end and just used bog.


im really digging your X process dan355! that'd be the way id do it i reckon. the tower steel is thick as fk so welding it back up would be easy as, then grind flat and its done

one of the panel beaters i use to work with smoothed out the engine bay on his vn ss. he used the heat and beat method with a wet rag for shrinking. at the time he already had 30 years as a beater under his belt so i guess thats why it looked so easy...

he showed me a 1930 ford from his scrap book he did in the late 80's (in bare metal). metal finished as much as he could. it was a hot mess, had hundred's of shrinks on it... you wonder how much of the old knowledge is still getting passed on....

anyone catch that jessie james blacksmith program on the other night? pretty cool stuff...

 

[Dan355]

shrinking is bloody impossible on the towers itll be easy enough but try and get a 1/4 to sit flat once youve over cooked it. lol, i gave up in the end and just used bog.


im really digging your X process dan355! that'd be the way id do it i reckon. the tower steel is thick as fk so welding it back up would be easy as, then grind flat and its done

I think its the best way to use minimal bog. The welding can get tricky just need to use gas mig low amp setting and fine wire.

 

[Boonz]

he showed me a 1930 ford from his scrap book he did in the late 80's (in bare metal). metal finished as much as he could. it was a hot mess, had hundred's of shrinks on it... you wonder how much of the old knowledge is still getting passed on....

Unfortunately, not much of it gets passed on anymore because it isn't time effective in panelshops. Only the panelbeaters who practice in their own time really gain the knowledge of metal finishing.
At my families panelshop we are lucky enough to have a beater with over 25 years of experience in metal finishing, he does train the younger less experienced guys to a point.... because when done properly, the end result is much better.



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[ari666]

I think its the best way to use minimal bog. The welding can get tricky just need to use gas mig low amp setting and fine wire.

yeah mate. i know. problem is with the impala i was fighting with: 1. previous repairs which caused stretching 2. non existant replacement panels 3. 2 foot rust holes

it'd challenge even a good beater. ... nope, sadly bog was the only way to go. i might redo it one day if i really can be bothered, but i doubt i will.

 

[ncass11]

Thanks for the reply's, i think ill go with the shrinking, it will be cheaper and easier

 

[hi_ryder]

yeah mate. i know. problem is with the impala i was fighting with: 1. previous repairs which caused stretching 2. non existant replacement panels 3. 2 foot rust holes

it'd challenge even a good beater. ... nope, sadly bog was the only way to go. i might redo it one day if i really can be bothered, but i doubt i will.

just noticed that... what parts didnt they make? pretty sure you can get every panel for the 66...

 

[ari666]

2dr yeah. 1/4s are different plus find me a grille

 

[88-SERIES200]

You need to grind or wire wheel the paint off both sides of the dent then try to beat it into shape. Your problem is the metal has no where to go. You will most probably need to try to heat it to shrink it but you can only go so far with the shrink method.. Or cut x or T through it to get it perfect then weld it up, grind it then finish the shape with light hammer and dolly work. Heres mine

this is how i am doing mine at the moment on my vl. I'm glad i found this so i know that im not the only one cutting into my bay! can you give me some more info on how you are doing this and how you are using the hammer and dolly and also what shape dolly's are you using. Initially i overheated my panel and it has made it very hard to get back into shape again with the cross in it. its hard the get each corner of the x to sit at the same height while still being the right shape with a slight curve and minimal ripples.

 

[88-SERIES200]

Also I'll be welding mine up with a mig welder using argoshield light and 0.6 solid wire. I am wondering how to go about welding up the crosses as the cutting disc i used was in my opinion too wide so i'm worried the gap is slightly too wide to fill. should i place something under the area as i weld to keep the weld going in the gap and should i tack weld the x in a few places first to avoid any movement whilst welding? I was thinking if i tacked up the x to keep it in place i could then grind the weld flat and slightly heat the panel and shape it to further perfection with the hammer and dolly. then i could weld the rest of the x up and grind the welds flat. what are your thoughts? i also dont know if i should use a stop start method when completing the final welds once the tack welds are done or if i should just seam weld each quarter of the x allowing time to cool inbetween each cut.

 

[Dan355]

This is what i used. The smaller dolly was good to get a tighter curve in the metal with hard to reach places. Some tighter curves with the curved edge of the larger dolly. Flatter curves i used the larger dolly.
I used a combination of dolly on and dolly off methods. Search youtube for help with the dolly techniques.
I used a 2mm cutting disk to make the cuts. Most of the time i had to removed more metal from the cuts to get them to meet evenly where i wanted them. As the recesses etc are pressed in your just moving/shaping the metal so to speak. You can use a a piece of brass or copper to place behind the panel to help keep the panel where you want or when welding larger gaps (another pair of hands helps a lot) I had to hold some of the "flaps" of the x down with a screw driver to get them even when i welded them. Tacking is a good idea to keep it even as possible. You want to try and keep the areas you are welding a little lower than the rest of the panel and make sure you dont get it too hot. Work on one area then move to another back and forth to avoid getting the panel too hot. Once welded you can grind down the welds. Make sure you only grind down the welds and not the actual panel. A 2" air grinder is handy for that. Once all welded up check for pinholes in the welds and fix where needed with more welding lol. Once thats done you can get the hammer and dolly out and do the final shaping.
If i where to do it again i would definatly try the heat a shrink in combination with the cut and shut because its a #### of a job but the results are worth it.