Shaping Metal Help

[hcmini1989 16]

Right my 205 had a spot of rust on the drivers side rear quarter at the bottom where the quarter meets the sill .So im going to be cutting it out and welding a new peice in but its the bottom of the wheel arch aswell .So any pointers would be a help on how to get the shape of the wheel arch would be helpfull.Ill do my nest to get some pics up.

 

I was thinking of doing in two peices one inside the wheel arch and the other on the quarter that way i could get them to meet up shape them with the grinder and weld them together

 

 

or would i be better welding to the quarter and folding it round into the wheel arch

 

any help much apreicated

[Cameron 16]

It's a bit difficult to know exactly what you mean, but I think you mean where you have a curved panel with a small 90deg lip into the arch. Is that right? You need a special tool called a shrinker, but It'd be uneconomical to buy one for just one job.

 

In the absence of special tools, I would make the two panels the right shape and weld them together!

Edited June 21, 2010 by Cameron

[swordfish210 20]

Heres a thread that should give you some help:

 

http://www.retrorides.proboards.com/index....mp;thread=70135

[hcmini1989 16]

Heres a thread that should give you some help:

 

http://www.retrorides.proboards.com/index....mp;thread=70135

fook me theres some good fabrication work there.

 

yes cameron its the bottom of the wheel arch where it meers the sill so im going to have to make it line up with th rest of the wheel arch and get it to look like inside the arch as it sort of curves round .Ive made a few templates from cardboard so will give them ago.Its in two peices to try and get the shape better

 

cheers for the help ill through some pics up when ive done it soon as ive found the usb for the camera .

 

Allso ive never realy paid much attention but how thin is the steel on the panels its crap have to keep the wlder turned right down

Edited June 21, 2010 by hcmini1989

[Beastie 1]

Shaping metal is a trade unto itself and it takes years to learn properly. Since you need it now it's going to pay to take a few shortcuts for expedience. Fabrication is the easiest route: Try to make the panel out of smaller sections butt welded together - it's best to avoid overlapping or joggled joints because the panel won't be of uniform strength which will make it progressively harder to work. Flanges can be welded on instead of thrown from the main panel. Alternatively if you have the time it's possible to make woodern bucks with the correct curvature in order to clamp your panel and throw the panel over the edge of the curved wood in order to make a curved flange without a shrinker.

Contrary to popular belief, it's quite rare that you will need to hit anything with a hammer! Hammering tends to produce marks on the panel and it thins the metal guage resulting in too much metal in the panel after you've finished hammering. It's well worth investing in a curved forming bat and a bumping spoon from someone like Frost. You'll also need a sandbag to go with these which you can make yourself if you can use a sewing machine and can find a sheet of leather and some silica sand. Also highly recommended is the book "a key to metal bumping" - Frost used to do these but I'm not sure if they still do.

You're never going to be able to make professional looking panels unless you have the years to learn the experience and can afford the neccesary equipment. Pro's use wheeling and raising machines to get smooth looking double radius panels and these cost over a grand secondhand. Nevertheless with a little patience and practise you should be able to make a very serviceable and respectable looking job which will need only a light skim of bodyfiller over the top.

Best of luck!

[hcmini1989 16]

Cheers mate im just going to take my time with it ,see how it goes ,I usually tend to rush things but i reckon if i try and rush this ill make a right balls of it .

 

Im hopefully going to start a college course on panel beating and bodywork ,but its finding one local most places by me have jacked it in for some reason.

[Cameron 16]

A dead blow hammer is great for forming small panels without leaving marks.