anyone make a contour gauge ?

Hi

I would like to make a large contour gauge so that I can check the contour of one side of my car against the other.

This car has been hit and fixed many times,
first I wanted to measure the contour on an original car and then transfer it over to my car ,
next check the other side of my car,

If I do this every 6-8 inches I can get it even side-side

I do NOT want to make one of the needle contour gauge like eastwood sells,

Any other ideas ?

Thanks

Beaulieu

 

Take your time and cut a piece of cardboard until you have a perfect fit and then take it to the exact same place on the other side. You should be done in 15 minutes. Well I guess that is good for one spot but every 6-8 inches might take quite a wile. Good luck.

 

if you have access to a shear and shrinker/stretcher, shear 1 in. strips, use shrinker /stretcher to fit strip to contour.

works great.

gary

 

Cut a templet of stiff cardboard and get a woodworking buddy to teach you the ''scribing'' method. It works and is fast, easy, and cheap!

 

I've done this many times.
Wax the good side so t will release and make a plaster patch on the area you need to template. If it's lon like the whole verticle part of a fender, reinforce the plaster with a piece of rebar or similar os it won't warp.

If you want to make that permanent, split the plaster pattern straight up the middle and lay it on a piece of plastic or aluminum and scribe and cut the contour.

Here's one I made to check the contour of the belt line on my truck when I chopped the top through the middle of the belt.

 

While the other posts mention several methods to determine the contour and shape of a given panel , if this car has been hit many times and is way out of shape ,care must be taken to determine which panels are good templates and which are not. What is the concern that your trying to address. Major panel fit ? Sheetmetal contour? Different methods are necessary depending on what your trying to determine.

 

yes> eastwood sells two sizes

 

I have an "original" none hit car that I can compare it to ,

I cannot really do a plaster mold on the "original" but could put the templete up to the "original" to check mine,,,,

Beaulieu

 

a 2x4 and some wood screws

 

They have 5", 10" and 15"

Here's a link to the catalog page:
http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=16425&itemType=PRODUCT

 

Last page of new catalog #20475 for 48" for $200. Looks like a piece of 1" square tubing with 7 slotted aluminum plates.
Buy a ground rod and a bunch of grounding clamps and clamp some #9 wire in them.

 

I've used my 18" eastwood unit for 15 years sometime I wish I'd bought the 24" or both

 

You can make one easily. All you need is a lenth of flat aluminum like an inexpensive aluminum ruler/yardstick. Drilled ever 3-4 inches so you cancountersink a screw through it. these into lengths of tubing. Use a piece of square stock the same length as your flat stock, and drill it so the tubes run through it. Now, from the top side of the sqare stock, drill and tap over the holes the tubes run through and put set screws. Now you can loosen the whole deal up push it to the contour of the car, tighten the screws on the tubes and take it to the other side for checking.
I've seen this done in a few different configurations from cheap and easy to really trick.
good luck

 

Hi

thanks , any pictures of it ?

Beaulieu