Stainless trim modification ????

I have a couple of pieces of stainless trim that are 4 1/2 " too long for the bottom of my running board (1937 Ford).

What's the best way to shorten to my desired length? Cut & weld?? Reshape to get the "spear"? Thanks.. Stu

 

when I had to cut my trim I wrapped the spots that were going to be cut in tape and then used a chop saw and bandsaw, I never had to weld it back together but you would want a tig welder for that.

 

The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.
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The ones on my '53 Vicky used a Nascar 55 psi electric pump to push fuel thru the 3/8" hard lines I angled into my exhaust pipes. At RPM, I could shoot fire across El Camino Real! If yer gonna do it, DO IT!

 

I would go for the reshape first, if you screw it up you can always weld and repolish.

 

I think your in the wrong thread lol

 

I kind of agree. I think you and I discussed this a few weeks ago, at breakfast? I'm going to give it a try (shaping) this morning. As soon as I completely damage the moulding, I'll post a picture. Stu

 

probably,, I think our conversation was interupted by the discussion of knee replacements for dishwashers though.

 

Try a reshape on the excess as a test, and see how it goes. If it doesnt go your way, tig weld the end on, then lightly sand & polish the weld out.

Good luck

 

I actually cut the trim so that if I screw up the shaping of the tip, there's enough to cut again and then go to plan "B", if I need to. Stu

 

The back side of the trim does not "fold" where the spear is formed. A simple "snip" in the area to be shaped, and it's ready to be bent up and then decide how to recreate the "spear" portion. I marked the shape on the surface, but I'll need to allow for "bending" and "shaping" the tip.

Keep in mind, every step of this operation requires holding your breath and keeping your eyes wide open. Since this is a "first" for me, the outcome may or may not be desireable. Stu

 

On my chopped '41 Ford window stainless, I cut the desired amount off with a razor saw. Took it to a guy with a tig and he welded back together with a very fine tig weld. A little carefully grinding and sanding and it look great. The thing here is to go slow and be very careful.

CRUISER

 

this is the way ive always done it .... works out perfect.

 

Depending on how involved you want to get, here's an idea. Get a small amount of duragl*** and a chunk of hardwood. Rough-cut the wood to a close shape of the inside of the spear portion you want to copy, but smaller like 1/8 overall. Wax the inside of the spear and mix up the duragl*** nice and soft (a bit of fibergl*** resin in it will smooth it out nice). Take a "splash" of the inside with the duragl*** by filling it in and then set the wood in it and let it harden, like maybe 10-15min. Pull it outta there, clean off the excess, instant temporary hammerform. use a nice smooth-faced hammer and very gently tap it around your new "tool". Polish the hammer marks out, job done.

 

That sounds like a great idea. I've often wondered how a temporary hammer form like that would hold up to hammer blows. The trim is thin, so I suppose it wouldn't take a lot to "move" it to the shape you want. Thanks. Stu

 

Okay, I used some real small channel lock pliers to form the side lip. That went pretty good, for a "rough" form up. Then, because the trim takes a "dive" for an inch or so, I needed to slightly "bend" the tip to allow it to reach the same plane as the rest of the moulding. My english wheel (in the open position) seemed to work as a way to make the "bend". Once the piece was formed, I sanded the edges with 120 grit, then 220 grit, then 320 grit. So, it can be done without welding, if you just take a little time and m***age the piece to the shape you want. Now, I have to take the pieces to my buddies place, where he has a heavy duty wheel for polishing stainless steel. Hopefully, it won't be too big of a project doing that. Thanks to some input from the HAMB, I found there are a few different ways to get to the same end. This one worked for me. Thanks. Stu

 

This one hasnt been mentioned, but a friend who does custom work uses silver solder on the ends of stainless trim that he shortens.

 

Finally got to give the tips a good workout on the buff wheel. I'm happy with the results. Also, thanks for some other ideas for getting the job done. Stu

 

Nice job!

 

awesome

 

A friend used the spears of a VW beetle sedan running boards on a 36 Ford he built for a customer. You can't tell the difference once installed.