show some appreciation to your local louver guy

...it's not as easy as you'd think. not only do you have to remove the bracing from the piece but then there is the painstaking layout. if it's not layed out right (straight and even) the louvers will never look right. then you have to actually line up and punch every one of those louvers making sure to stay exactly on those lines you so carefuly laid out.
lets just say i got an education in louvers today. i punched 266 of em in the hood of my beater truck (83 Chev) just for kicks and grins. it actually turned out realy good too.
i don't think anyone will find fault in this one, without trying to. but boy were my nerves shot by the end of that last row.
i could'nt have done it without a TON of help from my buddy Jeff. and his louver press ofcourse. his buddy Doane lent a much needed hand for the second half too. thats alot of hood to handle and it went much quicker and smoother with 3 people. it would have been near impossible by yourself. at least with this machine.

point is. next time your tempted to scoff at the price your louver guy gets for louvers stop to think how much work is actually involved and the concentration it takes to get everything straight in every direction. i told Jeff that if anyone ever *****es about the cost, just let them lay out and punch a row. they'll be glad to pay you after that.

anyway. way to go louver guys. LOUVERS RULE!!!!

 

A friend of mine has one and let us punch louver in another guys decklid. We were fortunate there was only the skin but at a little over 100 punches, a guy really begins to understand the work and money involved.......slim

 

we did 8 rows of 30-somethin louvers per row and it ALLLL had to line up. in BOTH directions.

 

His press has a locating pin on each side of the punch. This made it a lot easier for alignment. We still managed to get a little off kilter but made sure to get the last row ( top and bottom) super straight to hide some of the sin.

 

Thank you Mike.

It's true, the best part of the work is in the layout, and the more visible the better, especially for old, half blind guys like me. My press indexes off the first louver in a row but I still do a visual on each louver just before I send the punch on through. I also lay a straight edge against the back of the punch and line up the cut line on the hood on every 3rd or 4th hit. The results are worth taking the time.

Although I have used a helper from time to time I actually prefer to work alone - I hear less whining, and, "Aren't we there yet?" from them and less, "Don't make me stop this press!" from me. I use a saw horse and boards to hold the off-side of the hood up...it never goes right when I wanted left.

Charlie

 

Anybody want to put up pictures of their,or their buddies presses? I'm planning on building one and would like to see some different designs.

Thanks Doc

 

There's a picture of Von Dutch's louver press in RJ #31, that's currently on the magazine stands. However, I'd also like to see some close-up pics of different designs.

Can a person still buy the dies? I've seen some of the recent magazine louver jobs where the louvers don't look as deep and rounded as they did in the day.

A guy who has a shop locally made his own dies, and they look old-school, but making my own dies is not in the cards for me or probably most would-be louver-men.

 

I'd love to thank him but Unkl Al moved to Arizona and took his press with him, sure do miss that guy....Who else does decent louvers in the Seattle area?

 

this machine Jeff has has 3 sets of dies. all custom made. the ones we used on mine are real trick. i'll post a pic when Jeff emails them to me. (my camera and computer are'nt talking to each other all of a sudden).

another buddy is building a press rightnow (he's all but done realy) and he plans to make his own dies. all they need is a surface harden... i'm not gonna give away all the secrets though. then everyone would be building louver presses.

 

If you think An 83 Chevy hood is tough try a 66 chevy truck hood that will separate the men from the boys! that is the only hood I have ever needed help, By the time you get to the last rows your about 6' from the press move it a hair and the louver is off an inch ! Been Punching for 18 years every hood still gets me by the nerves ! Thanks For the post not many people can ever real appreciate what we do !

 

here are a couple pics. check out the "peak" in each louver. it's a special die someone made a long time ago. i like it.

so, alright for a beater truck, huh???

 

Here's a picture of mine , Bill

 

impressive machine. thats quite the cylinder on top there.

 

Builder, i like the peak. thats nice. My first louvers were punched in 56 .15 a piece. couple of yrs ago i had some punched in a 55 pontiac hood. 1.00 a piece and cheap ,for the comments i have had.

 

i need some 12" louvers made...know anyone in the bay who can do em...?

 

I would say it's cheap! Let's see, the recent quote I got was "around $350 or $400 for 50 louvers...." It's been a while since I went to school, but the math seems to come out at about $7 or $8 per louver!

For that money I could almost make my own press. If only I could buy some dies somewhere... What's a source??? I'm serious, I think. Well, maybe...

 

That's crazy pricing. I charge 1.75 per hole and shop rate for any take apart and/or put together work.

 

Charlie you got one too? I use one of those cheap lazer line levels and line it up on the center of the die, it shoots a line down the hood that you can keep lined up with your scribe line. I like to work with another set of hands so I can blame any mistakes them.
Fred

 

we were discussing doing the same thing. it would make a big difference.

 

Jeff has the tools to make louvers that long but he has'nt actually done any yet. thats a process for the Pulmax. i might have to get him to do some just for fun.

 

A friend and I did some long ones with those louver dies in a bead roller. They took alot of hand work to finish them off,and look halfways decent. I made up some dies to shape the ends with a hammer. A Pullmax would be the way to go.

Doc

 

Here's some pics of louver jobs we've done. The deuce roadster was one of the most nerve racking (182 holes) what with the compound curves, etc. I agree truck hoods are tough to do you can see how we hang them from sliders built into the ceiling... oh yea don't put your finger in the press ha ha

 

i am going to need some rather large louvers cut for the hood on my speedster...atleast now i know the general direction in which to go. thanks -

 

those are some BEAUTIFUL louvers man. the panels look so cool in bare metal too.
i like the shape of your louvers too. did you have a one off die made or is it a bought item?? looks like about 3 inch???

 

Thanx... they are a 3 inch louver... we bought the plans and the dies 'bout 20 years back from a company called GOOD TIMES LOUVERS out of California... don't think they are in business anymore... if anyone knows I need to get 'a new set of knives for the machine.

 

Anyone know a louver shop here in the Seattle area?

 

over here in south east lower michigan, Al Bergler has a lover press thats almost older than dirt (earlt sixties?).anyway he gets from $200 to $250 per hood or deck lid. he does most by him self cause his has ajustable arms on each side, so most of the time it's "GET OVER HERE AND HELP ME GET THIS HOOD UP HERE THEN GO SIT DOWN" so i do .

 

The going rate here seems to be about $3.50 or so per louver.... and I have to drive an hour and a half to get to the guy... But he did a swell job on my Buick hood...

 

I think my press may be from the same company, just guessing by the frame design and some of the parts. Looks like the same louvers too.

 

The flowing louvers in the door
rear panels is a kinda refreshing change. Nice work. I'd
go nutz trying to keep things in line.