metalwork question

Need to ask someone who's done this before for advice.

I'm looking to fab the door skins, cab corners and front quarters for my 34 ford pickup. I know people make these, but I'm cheap and think I can make them. I picked up a bead roller a while back, but haven't used it much--one of the eastwood units with the full set of mandrels.

I'm considering having a local machine shop make a set of mandrels to allow me to make the lower body line/bead.

Question 1: at 1 inch plus is this bead too wide for a single p*** mandrel or is it ok?

Question 2: do you break the fold over edge at the bottom of the door skin/body line before running the bead or do you need a separate mandrel to roll that break afterwards?

Questin 3: do you break/roll the door skin fold overs before or after the body line bead.

thanks for your thoughts

 

What about the compound curve on the door skin?dDo you have a wheel or planishing hamer?A brake can do your seam.

 

have planishing hammer and wheel too FWIW. also considered templating the door contour and walking the yards to find a roof panel with that countour to save myself of ton of wheeling work.

 

This is a bead right at the bottom of a door, correct?
1.You could go a lot wider than 1 inch, but you will generally always put a bead in with multiple p***es increasing pressure incrementally.
2. You could do either - the folded edge is easier to index off, but if the shaft protrudes past the die you may have issues (depending how wide that flange must be). Also pay attention to where the "extra" metal will come from to form the bead - skin will end up a little shorter.

To me it would be easier and quicker to wheel a new skin than trying to clean coatings off a roof skin that may or may not still need some tweaking of the shape.....

Barry

 

yeah. this is the line at the bottom of the door and cab corners.

thanks for the comments--still stewing on how to approach this.

 

These door skins are failrly simple to make , you can do the lower bead with a bead roller or a brake. I turn the edges with a tipping wheel on the bead roller, there"snot as much shape as you think in these doors you can use the english wheel, or shrink the edges to get all most the shape in them. Practice on some s****s first to see what works for you.

 

I would create all of the other panel features first (raised beads, bodylines, etc) before commiting yourself to the perimeter edges. Any raised beads or other horizontal features you make are going to gather material as they are formed, which will shorten the height of the panel as you work. Definitely save the perimeter edges for last.

Ken

 

thanks again everyone.

matt