9 Attachment(s)
The four corner panels were all bent and sunk in so I started straightening those this morning. This was the driver side rear panel.
Attachment 283628 Attachment 283629 Attachment 283630 I started with the flange, then used a socket and hammer to shrink the panel back flat. The socket "traps" the metal and lets the hammer push the metal into itself, shrinking the panel. The socket has to be bigger than the hammer head and you have to keep the hammer in the dead center of the socket or else you'll hit against the edge of the socket and stretch the metal. MP&C has info on the "donut dolly" technique in his '55 Wagon thread, post #973. 55 Wagon Progress - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network Attachment 283631 Attachment 283632 Attachment 283633 Attachment 283634 Attachment 283635 Attachment 283636 |
10 Attachment(s)
Driver side front panel.
Attachment 283618 Attachment 283619 Attachment 283620 After: Attachment 283621 Attachment 283622 Attachment 283623 Attachment 283624 I also made and fitted both front corners that were rusted. Attachment 283625 Attachment 283626 Blasted and shot SPI epoxy on the two floor braces. Attachment 283627 |
You do amazing work! Thanks for sharing and offering tips. I'm taking notes.
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Maybe I can Learn Soemthing
I will follow closely. I'm doing my 62 and am having great difficulty with the body work on the top of the cab and the hood. I can't figure out how to get the "fine" waviness out of the metal. Used dollies and body hammers, tried a thin coat of filler but nothing seems to work. My first body work and have done the rest of the truck so far but these two areas are killing me.
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Amazing for sure. I urge everyone interested in metalwork to see more amazing "metal bumping" in the '55 Wagon thread you added in post #16. Thanks for that.
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Originally Posted by 65navyf100
(Post 18597028)
You do amazing work! Thanks for sharing and offering tips. I'm taking notes.
Originally Posted by oldracerjones
(Post 18599870)
I will follow closely. I'm doing my 62 and am having great difficulty with the body work on the top of the cab and the hood. I can't figure out how to get the "fine" waviness out of the metal. Used dollies and body hammers, tried a thin coat of filler but nothing seems to work. My first body work and have done the rest of the truck so far but these two areas are killing me.
You need to start with rough paper to shape the filler or high build primer. Worry about the shape first (making the panel straight and ripple free) then go back and smooth the panel with finer paper once it's shaped. Smooth paper (around 120/150 and higher) doesn't cut aggresively enougth to shape a panel properly, you're mostly just smoothing at that point. The True Blox website has a lot of good info on block sanding and it'll help even if you're not using plexiglass blocks. https://www.trueblox.com/pages/true-tips Jeff Lilly's website has some info on blocks and techniques too, but I'm not a fan of how they add foam to the surface of the block. https://www.jefflilly.com/build-tips/block-sanding/
Originally Posted by 6t6merc
(Post 18600316)
Amazing for sure. I urge everyone interested in metalwork to see more amazing "metal bumping" in the '55 Wagon thread you added in post #16. Thanks for that.
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18 Attachment(s)
The inside of all the panels were shot with undercoating so I scraped all of it off to prep for blasting.
Attachment 283576 Attachment 283577 Attachment 283578 After: Attachment 283579 Attachment 283580 Attachment 283581 The two center floor braces were bent so I used our tubing roller to straighten them. Attachment 283582 Attachment 283583 They were also dented around the mounting bolt holes. Attachment 283584 The truck was stripped and repainted at some time. The paint strips easily and quickly with a razor blade leaving a thin coat of primer and some spots of filler. I'll strip the primer/filler with a DA sander to avoid blasting and warping the bed sides. Attachment 283585 Attachment 283586 I test fit the front header and cross brace, the filler panels I made, and the center braces. Attachment 283587 Attachment 283588 Attachment 283589 Attachment 283590 Attachment 283591 Attachment 283592 Also cut out the rust that was on the flange that the bed floor spot welds to and welded in new metal. Attachment 283593 |
:-X06
Lookin good |
I think you should change your user name to sheet-metal-magician
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I have straightened a lot of metal and had to shrink a lot of stretched metal over the years and I've never seen the socket and hammer technique. I am definitely going to have to give that a try!
Great work as always, I have adopted several of your techniques, thanks for sharing here! |
Been 6 days. Surely you must have done more. More please.
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11 Attachment(s)
Originally Posted by 78ShortBed-
(Post 18608393)
:-X06
Lookin good
Originally Posted by Becky_is_a_66
(Post 18610575)
I think you should change your user name to sheet-metal-magician
Originally Posted by cookster351
(Post 18618849)
I have straightened a lot of metal and had to shrink a lot of stretched metal over the years and I've never seen the socket and hammer technique. I am definitely going to have to give that a try!
Great work as always, I have adopted several of your techniques, thanks for sharing here!
Originally Posted by skidoorulz
(Post 18619443)
Been 6 days. Surely you must have done more. More please.
I've been working on blasting the bed, inside and out and underneath, that's about 95% done. I'll work on straightening and repairing as much as I can while it's in bare metal before going back over the areas I missed with the blaster and then shooting epoxy. The seam between the upper and lower passenger side bedsides was pretty rough so I spent extra time cleaning it out with the blaster. Attachment 283489 Attachment 283490 The new F250 bed floor has stamping for a fifth wheel ball, and the owner wants to add a fuel tank under the bed with the filler cap in the bed floor. I'll cut out two sections and swap them to make the center smooth and have a stamped area around the filler cap. Attachment 283491 The rear corners had back up lights added, so I straightened the area and welded up the holes. Attachment 283492 Attachment 283493 Attachment 283494 The bedside is wavy and sunk in over the front of the wheelwell so I've started stretching the area by hammer-on dolly plannishing the area to raise the low spots. Attachment 283495 The bottom driver side behind the wheel opening had a couple creases, dents, and a torn spot on the edge of the flange. Attachment 283496 Attachment 283497 Attachment 283498 Attachment 283499 |
Nice work. I have sent you a PM
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13 Attachment(s)
I've seen people use Bronco wheel tubs to widen the factory tubs, and to use for trucks with raised bed floors but not for stock tub replacement so I wasn't sure that they'd work. They were only $70 shipped each so we bought one to try out and the stamping ended up being identical with only a couple details that needed attention.
The stock tubs were pretty rough so I cut them out with the plasma to get to the inner flange. Attachment 283454 Attachment 283455 For Bronco applications they had a notch cut out for the shock mount. I welded that up since the bed floor will be welded to that area of the flange. Attachment 283456 Test fit. Attachment 283457 Attachment 283458 Trimming the bottom edge to match the original shape. Attachment 283459 Attachment 283460 Couple of pinholes welded up. Attachment 283461 Attachment 283462 Attachment 283463 Attachment 283464 There were dimples in the flange area from the original spot welds so I straightened those so the new tubs would fit flush. Attachment 283465 Attachment 283466 |
14 Attachment(s)
The driver side bed corner fit pretty well at the bottom but stuck out past the bedside towards the top.
Attachment 283440 Attachment 283441 I was able to reach the spot welds through the taillight opening with an extended nose grinder and carbide burr. You can see how much I moved the panel inward to make the two flanges flush. Attachment 283442 Attachment 283443 We decided to shave the stake pockets, so I cut out the flanged lip and made a filler panel that keeps and extends the seam so it looks like a factory panel. Attachment 283444 Attachment 283445 Attachment 283446 Attachment 283447 I drilled a couple holes to plug weld the filler panel's flange in place like the rest of the corner's flange. Attachment 283448 Coated the inside of the corner with epoxy before welding it shut. Attachment 283449 Finished. Attachment 283450 Attachment 283451 Attachment 283452 Attachment 283453 |
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