Kirkham Motorsports University How To Fix An Aluminum Fender

Hey Guys,

We had a customer delaminate a tire and beat up his rear fender. In our latest Kirkham Motorsports University video I show how to completely fix a dent with no trace--all in the original metal. Here I go over the use of "pick and file."

Oh, the magic of aluminum

Thanks for watching. As always, I'm happy to answer any questions.

David

 

I de-laminated all four tires on my 29 pickup today. They caught the cowl, the doors and the back of the cab. Oh, and the hood and bed too. Can I send them to you for use on your next video? Nice work!

 

I love that you guys do these videos! Thank you!

 

wow fixed that caved in fender in only 14 min lol

brings back memories of my uncle who learned metal craft during wwII used to repair bullit holes in airplanes the same way
he then spent 35 years at chrysler as a metal finnisher on the line repairing them before paint
I watched him dolly out a fender once that was folded and kinked and only used a little lead when he was done a true craftsman
I was given his tools by his son because I was into cars and he wanted to see them used
too bad his skill didnt stay in the tools

 

Thanks for posting!

 

Excellent video!

A question for you, if you don't mind. How long did the repair take from start to finish?

Thanks!

 

YIKES bumping out damage with a BFH in aluminum can cause many hours of extra work in the repair of stretched metal. That must be 3003 you've heated up with the fire wrench, if it were 1100 series you'd have melted thru it! More time spent in the dinging portion of the repair prior to using the Bulleye pick will yield less time filing & preserve the thickness of the aluminum. Probably not a big issue on a new panel, but over a panel that has been worked before may result in thin spots or holes in the repair.

Great looking vidieo, and great looking shop-thanks again!

 

Thanks!

David

 

The repair was about 30 hours total. There was an enormous amount of time planishing all the little dings out before filing. Also, many hours were spent sanding all the little file marks and co****r sanding marks out of the body with successive grits to eliminate any hint of the co****r grits. The customer wanted a really nice job so we spent quite a bit of time blending the brushing into the original body to get everything to look right.

Finally, the damage wasn't confined to the area in the video (I just limited the video to the major damage so the video wouldn't get too long to upload). The trunk gaps were messed up because the fender had been pulled away from the trunk. There was also damage by the jack hooks where the metal tore and had to be welded up.

David

 

Great video ... really interesting to watch.

Couple of thoughts though, "hitting it with a file, then 80 D/A, etc" ... how much thinning of the original material is taking place? Does a shrinking disc work on aluminum?

Again, thoroughly enjoyed, thanks for posting.

 

Indeed big hammers can stretch the metal if you aren't careful! We were fortunate we didn't have that problem--but it can happen. On the bright side, aluminum is quite easy to shrink...maybe I should make a video on that some day.

The alloy is P7, an old Soviet alloy that we use at our factory in Poland.

The melting point of 1100 and 3003 is virtually identical. The annealing process is the same for 1100, 3003, 5052, and P7 (a**** other aluminum alloys).

You are absolute right about too much filing. I should have mentioned that a few more times in the video. It is quite easy to do. We actually don't file much aluminum away when we use the file. We mostly use the file to highlight the highs and lows in the panel. As you say, repairing holes is no fun (yes, I have done it too many times).

David

 

We may remove 0.010 when we file a panel--maybe less. We really don't remove much.

I have never been able to get a shrinking disc to work on aluminum. There is a really easy way to shrink aluminum with a torch. I was taught how to do it from an old gentleman in his twilight years who worked for Rolls Royce before WWII.

I talk about it a little bit in my book on page 219

Chapter on aluminum:

http://www.kirkhammotorsports.com/book_aoe/aoe_18.pdf

The whole book is here:

http://kirkhammotorsports.com/galleries/custom-cars/427-billet-ch***is/427-billet-ch***is-book

David

 

nice job on the repair , but 30 hrs .would you not have welded in a new section

 

GREAT question!

Certainly you could weld in a new section in maybe 8 - 10 hours. However, those long welds will still have to be straightened, planished, filed, and finally brushed to blend in. Most of the time was spent making a really fine brush job for the customer because he wanted his car to look "brand new" again.

Also, remember, there was quite a bit more damage than I showed in the video (due to video time constraints).

Finally, a new fender alone would have cost more than the repair.

David

 

Thanks for doing these. It's very informative.

 

Happy to help

Thanks so much for watching!

David

 

Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to getting the time to try out the info and improving my skills [which aren't that great].

Ed

 

Just keep trying We all make mistakes when we are learning--that's why pencils have erasers. Don't despair--fear really is the thief of dreams. Just do it. The key is to not give up.

David

 

David I have enjoyed watching all the information posted over the years about your projects & work. I have seen a couple of your Cobra's here at SIR now PIR & the workmanship is top notch. I am hand building a 36 Ford roadster from flat stock steel. Please keep the posts coming thank you for all the great information.

 

The repair turned out well but I noticed that you locked the damage into the wing (fender) when you started to hammer on the ally while the wire edge was still kinked. This caused a tuck shrink and locked the kink in the wire.
I would have done at least the initial straightening of the panel without annealing because the panel would have some retained 'memory' and would come out fairly well without to much difficulty. I would never dare to use a sledge hammer on an ally wing. You guys get very good results but you must have spent a lot of time on the sanding. Just to compare it takes me about 25 hours for me to make one on these SS100 radiator shells starting with flat sheet br*** to the finished piece you see here. This is done with hand tools and is hand planished.



David

 

Thanks so much for your kind words. Do you have any pics of your build? Post a link; I'd love to see them

David

 

Great suggestions! I think you are right about the memory of the panel. I'll have to try doing a bit of straightening before the anneal on the next dent.

I think each time we fix a dent we learn a little bit more. The internet is so great because there are so many people out there with so many wonderful ideas.

That radiator shell looks fabulous! You should post a video of you making it. I'd love to see it and learn something new.

David


ps. I just looked at your website. What beautiful work. You are a true artist.

 

Here is 1 of the 2 links to the build at the present time.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=549825&highlight=36+hand+formed
here is the 2nd link & where it is at now.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=577210&highlight=36+hand+formed
More will come as it progresses.

 

David Thank you for the complements. I am glad you like the shell. I have made lots of different br*** shells. Not as impressive as some of the stuff you guys have done.

David

 

That is fabulous workmanship! How did you learn? I am always very impressed with you guys who pound steel. That is way harder than aluminum. I'd love to see more pics. I love the 36.

David

 

Your work is incredible. I watched one of your videos on YouTube a couple of times and picked up a few tricks. You guys banging steel really have the patience. Shrinking, stretching, and forming is so much more difficult in steel. You br*** shells are really works of art.

Thanks so much for your comments. I was thinking about them all weekend. I can see where your suggestions of changing up the process could really improve the time and quality of the things we do.

David

 

Its very nice of you to say so! I work in Steel, Br*** and Aluminium, I don't find one easier than the other. I suppose its what you get used to. I am glad you like the youtube footage. The DVD is the result of almost five years of spare time work.


David

 

The more I look at your work the more I can see I am going to have to get your DVD. Your work is beautiful. Paypal?

David

 

David, you are the model for safety. I saw gloves, safety gl***es, ear muffs and a mask. My plant would love having you around! Wait, you have already been ***ociated with our plant!

Thanks for a fantastic video and thanks to all of you others who took time to share your incredible work and skills.

Tom Hand
KC, MO

 

Tom,

Thanks for the kind words.

I often think of our time in Russia together with your guys. Those experiences are part of the reason I organized the first Tea Party in Utah.

I am happy to video projects as we go along. We just had a customer order a car with a V-12 in it (a Chevy based 454). It will take some serious imagination to get everything fit together.

David