Making parts on homemade "draw" dies

So I'm finding out, more then I care to make! Bad design from Henry, they would trap water under them and rot out.
I found out that besides 32 car and trucks and 33/34 trucks Ford used the same profile driprail on the 35 to ? trucks so I guess I can make them too. With a little modification to one of my drip rails I was able to make one to work on a 41 Mercury one of our local is restoring, he was missing about 18" of his and about gave up looking for one.

 

Have you signed up for the Baileigh tech week contest? Why not get rewarded for your hard work. From what i can see, a sure winner.

 

I would love to tweak a set of those for my A Tudor! Very nice work.

 

You might try some AK (aluminum killed) grade steel it's purposely made for forming. Some of the guys that do shot bag and wheeling say it forms much easier. It's draw quality to begin with so i think it might help.

Frank

 

Nice work, good write up. Thanks

 

I just happen to have some AK that is long enough to try that! Yes, it is a joy to form.

 

Great Tech!! Will help many Deuce fanatics!! Now for the important question!! What are you using for the top on your Vic? Since the orig steel channel for an orig style type top with fabric insert is not available anymore (to my knowledge), I am going to try to use the alum channel extrusion sold by Macs, pretty close but not exact, however will work. Have tried to form the corners but it folds/wrinkles as you try to make the bend. Have seen the tool Eric at Scandiavian Street Rods has made for the Brookville 3 window kits he buys and****embles that have a stock style channel, uses the same alum channel and looks great. The tool looks simular to a Imperial-Eastman tubing bender except it is made to fit and form the channel extrusion to the exact radius of the top. We have started to make one on the lathe and are about half way done. If you have made one or are thinking about it, would like to see it or your thoughts on it. Thanx, Dave

 

Fab 32, I'd like to try some AK grade but I've never played with the stuff. Not availible locally and I've never hassled with ordering it. I've always just used plain cold roll for my stuff.

Damn Daveyduece, a new challange! Our Vicky roof is filled but to be honest I wish I hadn't. I like the look of the insert, looks more "gennie" even thou the Vic is not an original. I never thought about the roof moulding but the could be an interesting project! Anyone have a pic of one off the car? A pic showing the profile (cross section) would be great.

 

Fantastic.
best thread I've looked at in a long time.
Mart.

 

Will get the digital out and try to shoot a couple of "Amateur" pics of the channel I got from Macs. My 50s survivior Deuce 5W (chopped 4 1/2 in) had the chicken wire and pearlescent vinyl in it when I bought it in 69. Wanted to keep the "50s" flavor but not the "blow up/lift up" fabric top so bought a Waldon steel insert and trimed it to fit and am trying to shape/form the channel to fit the radiuses of the coupe. The top and running boards will be covered with pearlescent white Nagahyde that will have 1/4 in foam and will be glued down like the Landau coverings of the 60s/70s cars but need the formed channel to help hold it down and look right. We have started the radius bender on the lathe and are about half way done. I know it can be done as I have seen Eric's tool that he uses. Like everything else, just takes time and some trial and error. LOL Will keep you posted with progress with the tool. I too am semi retired so dont work on the Deuce everyday,( have owned it 40 years and had never driven the car til the 27th of Jun, then just around the bock) sides it was 114 yesterday and 112 today, easy for an Alaskan boy to lose motivation when its this hot!! When did you say Winter starts??? Good luck on yours, Dave

 

Good stuff!! So many possibilities for pull dies. Thanks for posting such good tech!!!

 

Great tech post. I bet that your post has given some other hamb guys some ideas on how to make parts that are hard to find, Thanks.

 

Best tech I've seen in quite some time.

I'd be interested in purchasing a drivers side drip rail for a '32 Tudor if you deside to go into business. Please PM me. Thanks for the insperation.

 

I think there is. Daveyduece got me thinking about the roof trim and today while working on the Vicky I picked up a garnish molding. Hmmm...these could be made with a draw die, even though I have a full set seems I heard they were hard to find. Anyone need Duece garnish mouldings?

 

Nice job and great tech post. I've never done it, but I saw some pictures of Cass Narwaki pulling parts through dies like that. He uses boat winches and runs them with an air ratchet. Might save on the arm if you need to make more....

Thanks for sharing!! Posts like this are great.
Jeff

 

Metalman Thanks for the post. It's great to see someone make something like that with your common garage tools. Agreed it can be done easier and quicker with a lot of high dollar tools. but lets face it. A lot of people dont have access to the high dollar tools. You said something in my thread (Weesner Inspired hot rod) about changing your name to wannabe. Don't sell yourself short man. There aint no flies on you ! I've always got more time that money

 

I wasn't really going to change my name! Even though I feel I'm a pretty good metal man I amazed how much talent is out there. I love it, it inspires me to keep pushing myself to do more. It's like these drip rails, I needed a set. I had no idea if this would work, it was just a theary when I started. Made a good deal of scrap metal in the process but learned a lot at the same time, next project will be easier, faster I hope. Sure, I'd like to win the Bailigh contest with this but if someone out there uses this tech and makes something they need great, that's what it's all about. The amount of knowledge shared here on the HAMB is staggering, make ALL of us better builders!

 

Great post Metalman!
I supposeone could decrease the amount of dies required on a project such as this by prefolding the heam roll and running the bead with a beadroller...if one had a break and bead roller on hand.

I like the electric winch idea.
This metal drawing reminds me of watching aluminum 'seamless' roof gutters beimg run through and extruder.

 

I do have a brake and a beadroller. The problem with the heam is it's to small, only 1/16". Niether the brake or the heam roll dies on my roller will catch and fold that small and keep it consistant.

I do use a 1/8" edge bead die on my roller to put in the top bead. I also set up my draw die to do it also, just to prove it can be done without expensive power tools.

There is an electric winch in my future!

 

Great tech, thanks.
How did you attach it to the vehicle? Plug weld or weld all along the top, got any photos? Only asking because I'm going to have to do this myself and I would prefer to use The Hamb's knowledge rather than reinvent the wheel. Thanks

 

Sorry, no photos of the install. I did pretty much like Ford did it, spot welded. I drilled a 3/16 hole every 2" and then plug welded it with a tig. Kinda tough to get into the channel but did ok. If I had a choice (say my car was a stock body with the wood out) it would be easier to plug weld from the inside but my car has a steel substucture. You really wouldn't want to weld along the top, there is a small beadroll there, it would really screw that up to weld along it. I do plan on putting a little seam sealer along both the top and bottom to keep water out from behind the driprail, one of the reasons the stockers rotted out.

 

Cool, thanks for the info.

 

Add my vote to all the others.
You've broken new ground in DIY.

 

Wow, man! I think it's provisional patent time! Seriously.

 

Thanks to all for the support, Looks like I'm going to need all I can get!!! Looks like it's going to be a preety tight race for the prize!

 

This gentleman's got my vote!!! What he has accomplished may seem simple but there's a reason you don't see the market saturated with people reproducing drip rails.

Truly one of the best posts on making something extremely complicated out of home made tooling, and some elbow grease.

(Cant wait to put my new driprails on the pickup! Thanks)

 

hell i don't even have a car it applies to and the tech rocks! i'm trained to work on "can closing" machines and that is similar to their operation.

 

Don't have a car it applies too??? This just isn't about 32 Ford driprails, it's about making lots of different parts if you think about it. My next project with pull dies are garnish mouldings and 35/36 truck replacement grill bars(I have 2 freinds needing some bars to repair their decent but damaged grills).

 

very nice work i hope you show pics on the grill bars. I have a 35 truck that needs grill help. It looks like your driprail die is the same shape too.
Bill

 

This is a very interesting idea, something I've never thought about before; the possibilities are endless. Thanks for sharing!!