What to buy for patch panels

I need to make some patch panels actually quite a few that are not available in the aftermarket. So I want to know what to buy as far as what sheet stock? I was thinking some cold rolled 18 gauge for my 36 Ford Fruck? Is that to thick to try and form?

 

Buy??
not me
I collect large pieces of sheetmetal to use to make patch panels
old chevy truck hoods, 1973,
sometimes a large roof
old refrigerators and washer, dryers have nice flat metal of the correct thickness

 

18 gauge is what i normally use on fenders and panels.

 

If you can find it, use 19 gage; it's about .007 thinner.

 

Which panels do you need to make?

 

I didn't see anything in your adds that I was looking for but this is what I am lookin to patch.

-Need a couple pieces for the roof above the a pilars on the roof or a whole new roof. Plus a strip across the middle to stretch it aft chopping.
-Need some for the rear fenders or a whole fenders in decent shape and then I am widening them
-Some pieces in the bed sides
-Need to replace some areas where someone repaired with huge globs welds
-Floors

 

The original metal is thickness is 19 Gage about .040 .041 it varies on which mill it is out of. I prefer using matching metal thickness on my panels when possible. If I don't have the correct stuff I go 1 gage thicker.

 

This has been posted before. The rule of thumb is 18 gauge for body panels and 16 gauge for floorboards. My '42 Chevy pickup is all 16 gauge from the factory...I had to patch areas on the bed walls, and used 16 gauge on it.

 

Sorry about that, I wasnt asking cause I had any, but my 36 also needs quite a few patch panels and was interested in knowing if we were in the same predicament.

 

If using used metal, use car stuff, like hoods and fenders. The problem with using dryers and fridges is most aren't painted, they are powder coated which can be harder to get off sometimes.

 

Yessir. I use a light 19 gauge mostly, but if I miss, I want to miss heavy.

 

I think 19 gauge was pretty much standard and easier to form that 18 ga. But 18 will be stronger,especially in areas like where your fenders attach to the running boards. There's a pictorial in the latest Street Rodder on this.

 

At the shop we always use 19 gauge, most of the forming we do involves shrinking and gathering the metal as opposed to stretching and beating it into shape so by the time were done the panel is usually around 18 gauge. I wouldn't waste your time using fridges or hoods, new sheet metal is cheap, clean, and what the hell do you do with the fridge after its had all the metal cut off? Haul it to the dump? that sounds like it would cost more to dispose of than just buying new sheet metal.

 

You can go buy one sheet or 20 sheets from Curtis Steel on Ave T in Grand Prairie. I use 18 for what you want to do.