Calling sheet metal Guru Barry Churcher...

[Bob Carriere]

Good day Barry

On seperate threads you talked about skinning the early cab11/12 doors.....
.....and making end caps for the fuel tanks.

Need to pick your brains as we are in the same area and wayyyy over our heads.

I will be posting pictures of the doors we took apart meanwhile sit down a while..

It seems that the skin on the door is only held in place by the crimped.... no just bent over edges..... with of course a total absence od any kind of paint or preservatives. I have measured the skin at 19 guage and will probably compromise by using a .040 thou sheet, which seems to be a popular size, and which falls between 18 and 20 gauge. [B]What gauge did you use on the doors you worked on.Did you use a pan box brake to form the top edge and prebend the side overlap to 90 degrees before inserting the frame...?

I was going to spot weld the skin but that seems overkill and may leave pit marks. What are your thoughts on using the new 3M sheet metal panel glue to skin the doors?

How did you guys fold over the edges...... light hammer blows....any heat..?

How about the bottom curved section... whcih must first be shrunk to bend the first 90 degrees then stretched to fold over completely... was any heat applied.

Any secrets to keeping the skin tight during the edging process.....

Needless to say I am practicing on a couple of rusted out spare door first.

We have often considered stripping out the fixtures from an old CMP gas tank and bucking a repro on a wooden form...... I have done enough solid wood molds for Joyce's basketry that doing one for the tank woudl not be a problem. The end caps have alwasy been intimidating.

Bob Johnson in Ottawa (famous hot rod shop in little Italy) wants $400 to accurately repro ONE tank.....

Did you have to use a stretching/shrinking tool to form the edge of the end cap..... or just mucho heat and a flame resistant bucking pattern...?

What gauge did you use for the tanks..... mine seem to be 20 or even 22 gauge..... filler is soldered....... How did you reproduce the external dimple for the drain plug and the top side sender.... or did youuse the large brass sender plate of the early tank design....??

I was thinking of doing the bucking on a wooden form and tackweld the end cap as the folding takes place.... take the form out after 3 sides are done... cutout and insert the baffles, spot weld baffles... then close the fourth (back side) and finish with the flat seam clamped and mig weld.....

How did you go about it...?

May have to visit your shop for a consultation or treatment in the future.

Grant as also carefully dismantle a cab 13 door.... what a simple construction after working on a cab 11/12. Mind you the spot welds are a pain.

Have you reskinned a cab 13 door..... and if so how do you reproduce the indented section at the external top of the door...... that ofset is for reinforcement but a bitch to do with our means.

Is your shop equipped with a pan box brake or do you get your sheet metal formed / done at a local fabricator...



So little time so many questions...... that's enough for tonite.

Anybody else which has experience in this domain please share the wealth......

Eager to learn.......Boob