Posted by Paul (in NY) on Monday, December 23, 2002 at 7:25PM :
In Reply to: Did you hand form the body panel repair sections...ctxt... posted by heavymg on Monday, December 23, 2002 at 5:36PM :
Last fall, I had the promise of a guy who custom builds street rods, that he would help me with the panels. He has a large English Wheel, and some other large power machines for forming sheet metal (dont know the names), he is a real artist in forming. He kept putting me off, week after week would never show up. And never would say how much it would cost to make the panels, only "I will help you".
Finally time ran out messing with him, and at the same time, I pinned him down on cost.
He said without blinking an eye $2500.00 per side.........yeah right.
I decided I had to do it for both quick turn around and cost. I made plywood forms from the old panels while still on the truck. I bought a Video Tape that the "Tin Man" sell's thru Eastwood. The tape shows how to form sheet by hand with forms etc. I watched the tape a bunch of times and decided if it was going to get done I had to start NOW. Hammer/dolly/hands bending/forming to the templates very slowly and I won. The second side went real fast as I learned thru "On the Job Training" ha ha.
I will be the first to tell you, I was lucky, it worked and worked well. I sure would not do this on someone else's truck.
There is a young guy in town that makes some of the nicest boat covers you will ever find. He is busy year round. How did he learn to do it .....he bought a video tape on making boat covers. Eastwood sells the Tin Man's series of video tapes. The Tin Man's web site is www.tinmantech.com
Paul
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