This post is just in refrence to the talk of how i did my louvers that i mentioned in my post on my track roadsters project. what i did was to carve out a die that was something like i thought i wanted the louvers to look like. its a bit deep so as to make sure it doesnt affect the metal at all. the cutting edge needs to be straight and square the female die is just a few pieces, one is a square with a straight machined edge to match the male half so as to cut the metal the back side is a C shape welded to it. the C shape needs to have a radiused edge so as to let the metal radius back into the base flat panel. i dont know what the clearances should be here as i just kept t******* untill it worked, but it has to be enough to let it move but not so much as to scuff up the louver the base of this half should be made at the depth of the louver when viewed from the back. the problem i realized was that between each one the thin strip thats beside the opening would want to curl up. so to fix this i just took a piece of aluminum the same thickness as the depth of the louver and i let the arm on the press force this down also so it flattens this area ..you can see me aligning it in the video the press here is just a basic arbor press that i tack welded all the pieces to, and i have a '40 ford wishbone sawed off at the casting that im using as the leverage. you can see in the video how it sort of cracks/cuts/splits the metal and then i make sure the aluminum "pressing" piece is aligned obviously i didnt take much time to align the louvers in a row i just wanted to show how quickly they can be put in there with very little effort the dies are all just mild steel and all i have punched is aluminum, i'd imagine you would need them heat treated to be able to have them cut steel the key i think is just getting your tolerances correct so it actually cuts and your edge squared so that each louvers backs against the base to align them correctly I'm intending to build a better frame work and maybe even entirely remake the dies as im not too sure i like the shape and they surely need a bit of cleaning up around the edges to get them dialed in and i think they're slightly lopsided too this was just a test to see if it would work how i thought. i hope this answers some questions Zach a different piece and i did my hood sides too on my other roadster
That is cool. Is the frame cast or fabricated? Just wondering if you could cut and adapt to a bigger frame. And do you really have to hang on the wishbone?
its just a cheaper cast frame arbor press i dont think you need it though a sort of overacting lever would do the same job not a ton of pressure on the wishbone one hand would do it, my bench i set it on here was flexing cause its just plywood and i had it C-clamped in the back if you have it on a sturdy surface its easier you dont really need much more travel then enough to get the louver out of the female die
Cool, drew out the shape I want on my bar stock last night. Going to my pals place this weekend and carve it out on the mill!
AWESOME tech Zach! Thanks for taking the time to do a separate thread......this may get my *** in gear......
Hey Zach,that's really neat. This and your other thread about the Hot Rod that you are building has proven to me that I really am lazy.... I cant wait to see it at the Showdown.
LOVE IT thanks great low buck idea and on a Arbor press to boot!! Now I got a project for the weekend
I've seen Arbor presses go for next to nothing at machinery auctions,usually a lot less than s**** value which is where most of that stuff ends up...now I have something else to shop for LOL!!
Dang. A really good one. Post it again during tech week, I'll vote for it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How wide are the louvers? Looks like a little over 4". My arbor press is a two tonner, what's the rating on yours? Have you tried it on 20 gage mild steel yet? Good shape to the louver as well.
thanks everyone i should mention to those of you now hunting arbor presses if you dont make the frame deeper you have to find a way to reverse all the dies in order to do the other side of the car, i just cut my tacks and redo it...but bolting it on would probably be a better solution? like i said...i was just in a rush to actually see if it worked
Zach, check the tech archives.. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5581 your a sissy for using a press.. I hit MINE... step up... PS.. LOOKS GOOD.. sawzall
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