Well after a few years with my old beat up trunk. I decided I wanted to do a new skin for it with louvers. So I was telling my old metal working friend Fred about it. He said. Well if you want. Use my Pullmax and make the louvers as long as you want. He said don't do the same ol rows everyone else does. So I went home and started thinking. What the hell I am going to do to be different. I always wanted to take photos of what I'm doing but I never remember. This is my first stages of it. I will try to take photos when I graft the skin onto my inner stucture. So here goes. The first steps were drawing out what I wanted for the most part. Then setting up the machine. Took a while and some scratch pieces. I had never done this before. So the whole thing was learning
well these got a little out of order but you get the picture.. I will try to post removing my old skin and adding this one on.. I was really hoping to have it done for Paso. But Just ran out of time. I also didn't feel like staying up all night to try to hack it together
The end result of the job is radical. It's unique and will be really REALLY amazing to see at a show, for sure!
I've never seen a machine quite like that. Does HF or Northern or Eastwood sell something similar?? Or is it possible to use a bead roller??
Thats a Pullmax, a bead roller couldn't ever come close to doing the same things that a Pullmax can. It is the ultimate tool. Its one of those "you can't afford it" tools. They cost as much as a new car. What about the compound curve in the lid, did you account for that? My coupe is getting an aluminium decklid and I used an english wheel to form the curve. David
Damn, that looks good. I just talked to the guy fixing the Commander and the new hood got a handful of louvers. I hope I get to see it in person at B'Ville in August.
Right now the piece is cut a little bit. What I will do is fold the sides and shrink them to give it some radious. I will grind the corners of the old skin like when replacing a normal door or trunk skin.. Then Hopefully if I don't screw it up I can just plug weld or spot weld it. Without having to weld around the whole part. Just like a normal stamped part fits over. I will try to post pictures of that.. unless I do something stupid. Then I will redo it and post those photos.. Also I have the dies for a bead roller to do louvers. I could never make them work worth a damn. The Pullmax worked awsome. I can't wait to make more cool stuff. . Fred is a Master Metal shaper man and its great to have his guidance. Aaron Von Minden
Cool! How long did it take? Is the pullmax like a planishing hammer(BPM wise) or more slow like a press? Is there a female die underneath? How did you keep them straight with such a short die? Can you tell I've never seen one of these in action before? I have so many questions.....
ok its getting close.. I stilll have to shink it around the botton and get the inner structure welded on. I have learned ALOT on this project. Espcially ALWAYS have good referance line in the beginning.. Which I did have. Make sure Exactly how big it needs to be. I actually put 1 set too many louvers on this. But I can live with it.. Gotta have it ready by next weekend. LA roadster show
Nice layout and execution of the louvers. I'll have to look at building a louver die for my Nibbler (like a pullmax). They are certainly useful machines, and deals can be found. Just don't look on ebay for low prices. At the moment I use mine mainly for shearing (cutting up sheet) but I've made some beading dies. Trev.
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