Automotive Bodywork and Rust Repair

by Matt Joseph

  knowledge and wisdom, gained from

  ing. Their teams do all of this work so

  files. Several of them appear in this

  his varied careers as a mechanic, body

  well, and on such an incredible vari-

  book, to the book’s great advantage.

  shop metal man, draftsman, aviator,

  ety of automobiles, that I once desig-

  To the individuals and organi-

  airplane builder, and farmer. Herb

  nated L’Cars as “the best restoration

  zations noted above, I offer my sin-

  brings to any work that he does the

  facility in the world.” Everything I

  cere and grateful thanks for kindly

  knowledge from his varied back-

  saw there, in two trips to talk to and

  contributing their access, time, and

  ground, a great sense of humor, and a

  photograph their metal men, has

  knowledge to this book. And spe-

  practical and genuine wisdom. I sim-

  only strengthened that opinion, even

  cial thanks for generously teaching

  ply could not have written this book

  though I have seen several other top-

  me a great deal that I did not know

  without his help.

  ranked restoration shops since I first

  about sheetmetal work, just when I

  Muscle Car Restorations, Inc., in

  wrote those words.

  was beginning to have the danger-

  Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, gener-

  The atmosphere in the L’Cars

  ous thought that I already knew

  ously opened its metal shop to me. I

  metal shop is so relaxed and amiable

  everything.

  4

  AUTOMOTIVE BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R

  INTRODUCTION

  It’s fun to daydream about own-

  This book is aimed at beginners

  beater in the early twentieth century.

  ing some of the great collectible

  in this field, and at those who have

  He was a robust man for his

  cars out there, and restoring their

  some sheetmetal skills but want to

  advanced age, and spoke in a boom-

  body metal. Or how about con-

  improve them. It is simply a source

  ing voice. He had worked in an itin-

  structing warm and hot rods from

  of the information that enables you

  erant crew of six metal men who had

  the remains of those cars, or from

  to begin in this work, or to advance

  traveled an annual circuit, from one

  scratch? With good metal working

  your skills in it for improved results.

  luxury-car-builder’s factory to the

  skills, some experience, and some

  This book covers basic processes

  next. Their job was to hand hammer

  equipment, those daydreams can

  and skills. It is not an advanced text

  sheet steel, or aluminum stock, into

  become realities that will swell your

  on this topic. Don’t expect to the rear body surround sections for

  chest with pride in what you have

  hammer perfect tulip petals out of

  the large luxury cars of that period.

  created.

  22-gauge metal stock when you fin-

  In those days, the factories

  With enough money, anyone

  ish it. The basic skills and procedures

  involved in the limited production

  can buy a great restored or modified

  covered here are the necessary back-

  of expensive cars did not have big

  car, or commission the restoration

  ground for advancing in this work.

  enough dies and presses to stamp out

  or modification of one. With

  Equipped with them, you should be

  the huge rear body sections for their

  enough skill, some people can do

  able to perform most of the tasks

  cars. They had to be formed by hand.

  the work that creates these trea-

  that you need to do autobody panel

  The elderly panel beater whom I

  sures, rather than pay someone.

  work, from removing simple dents to

  met in the mid 1950s described the

  The purpose of this book is to

  fabricating sections of panels and

  work that he and his crew had per-

  present known and sound practices

  even whole panels.

  formed. They had wooden “bucks”

  for working with automotive sheet

  For almost any autobody project

  on which they hammer-formed the

  steel—practices and skills that give

  or task, there are many different ways

  metal, and could produce one sur-

  consistently good results. This is a

  to achieve desired results. Some are

  round section in less than a day.

  huge topic, one that has consumed

  better, and/or more efficient, than

  He told me that when a section

  the lifeworks of many craftsmen.

  others. Some are substandard. My

  was finished, they would stop ham-

  That is because these craftsmen’s

  purpose in writing this book is to

  mering, look at each other, and nod

  skills, and the results that they have

  describe many of the main and

  assent to indicate that each crafts-

  achieved, have been, and are, prac-

  proven approaches to doing very

  man was satisfied with the work.

  ticed on lifelong learning curves.

  good automotive sheetmetal work. If

  Then they would move the com-

  This book is intended to communi-

  you master these, you are well placed

  pleted section off the last wooden

  cate many of the basic approaches

  on that learning curve that I men-

  buck, and place a new piece of flat

  and skills in the automotive steel

  tioned. You may advance on your

  stock onto the first buck.

  metal craft. Work with aluminum

  own or with the help of written works

  At that point in his description

  panels is not covered because, while

  by Ron Fournier, Fay Butler, and some

  of this work, he asked me, “Do you

  it is similar in many ways to steel

  of the other legendary practitioners in

  know why we shook our heads to

  panel work, it is still a specialty topic

  automotive metal work.

  agree that a panel was finished?”

  that is outside of the mainstream of

  When I was much younger, I met

  I answered, “Yes, because you

  automotive panel work.

  a gentleman who had been a panel

  were all pretty deaf.”

  AUTOMOTIVE BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R

  5

  I NTRODUCTION

  “Right,” he said, “But how did

  practiced skill to use them properly.

  This book may differ from other

  you know that? Most people never

  The basics of the sheetmetal craft

  books that cover, or include, this

  get it.”

  have remained pretty constant over

  topic in two major ways. First, I do


  “Well,” I replied, “You are less

  the years. Learn them, and you

  not try to communicate to you

  than 3 feet away from me and you

  should be able to accomplish great

  everything that I know, but mostly

  are yelling at me. I imagine that six

  things in this work.

  what you need to know to do this

  men hammering on a sheet of metal

  As you read this book you may

  work. Second, I always try to do

  would make you deaf in short order.”

  note that some of the material is

  more than just explain how to per-

  Fortunately, vehicle factories

  repeated in different contexts. That

  form a particular task or procedure. I

  now have easier and more humane

  is because many procedures are

  try to state the reasons for doing it

  ways to form large panels. However,

  used in different contexts, and it is

  that way. When you understand

  the proposition for repairing dam-

  easier to learn them and to realize

  those reasons, you will have the

  age and custom-forming new pan-

  their full potentials if you see them

  knowledge base that is necessary for

  els, and panel parts, is still much

  in those different settings. If, as you

  you to continue to improve and

  like the craft exercised by that

  read this book, you have the vague

  innovate, on your own, in this field.

  panel beater, so many years ago.

  feeling that you have read some-

  After you gain good grounding in

  There are some exotic tools and

  thing in it previously, you are prob-

  metal working basics, you may sur-

  devices that can do it faster but

  ably right. It is organized that way

  prise yourself with what you can

  they are expensive, and it takes a

  for a reason.

  accomplish.

  While various machines can speed

  autobody metal repair and forming

  operations, the good old hammer and

  dolly are still the basis for much of

  this work. Learn to use them properly,

  and you will have two great friends

  for life.

  6

  AUTOMOTIVE BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R

  C H A P T E R 1

  WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

  BEFORE YOU START

  Pounding and forcing thin metal

  sections into shapes that humans

  want and need has a long history.

  While there is disagreement about

  exactly when and where people

  began to work with metals, it was cer-

  tainly in prehistoric times and began

  with soft metals like gold and copper.

  The discovery of how to control

  fire made extracting metals from

  mined ores more efficient than had

  been finding nuggets of almost pure

  metal. It also led to the ability to cre-

  Styling can be unique and/or spectacular. This artist’s conception of the 1926

  ate alloys of various metals, by melt-

  Judkins Coaching Brougham body on a Lincoln chassis illustrates those

  ing them. In many civilizations

  potentials. While this body’s sheetmetal is relatively simple, it was all hand

  Copper Age developments were suc-

  hammered from flat stock. Note: The hood and fenders were supplied by Lincoln.

  ceeded by Bronze Age advances,

  bronze being an alloy of copper and

  welding, and many others. These were

  Think about that the next time

  tin. Longer-surviving civilizations

  the precursors of many modern metal

  that you are at a car show, and

  usually progressed from copper and

  working processes still in use today.

  admire some difficult-to-form body

  bronze to iron and steel.

  The earliest metal forming tech-

  feature of a hot rod or custom car.

  The qualities of metal, in particular

  niques involved beating pure metals

  The ability to produce it began thou-

  its plasticity and strength, made it ideal

  and alloys into small, flat formats.

  sands of years ago, with anonymous,

  for uses as varied as making ornaments,

  Then those sheet stocks were formed

  ancient metal workers, beating cop-

  cookware, and weapons. In these and

  into useful or ornamental items like

  per into crude and unlovely bracelets

  other uses, it had many great advan-

  knives and pendants. We know that

  or kitchen pots. The latest die stamp-

  tages over other materials like wood,

  such ancient civilizations as the Hit-

  ing and rolling processes that pro-

  bone, and ceramics. Various processes

  tites, Mesopotamians, and Babyloni-

  duce

  modern

  automobiles

  are

  were applied to early metals: annealing,

  ans were well along in using variants

  basically developments on those

  tempering, bending, stamping, rolling,

  of some of those processes, thou-

  ancient metal arts. It’s kind of hum-

  casting, forging, cutting, soldering,

  sands of years BCE.

  bling, isn’t it?

  AUTOMOTIVE BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R

  7

  CHAPTE R 1

  These late-nineteenth-century tools—a

  The rear quarter of this 2009

  tinner’s hammer and blacksmith’s

  Mercedes-Benz SLK350 exhibits

  mushroom anvil—are not very

  almost every type of crown that there

  different from some tools that we still

  is: high, medium, low, and reverse.

  The iconic 2005 Scion xB exhibits

  use today. While new power tools

  Only no-crown is missing. Each type

  very little crown in any of its panels,

  have come into use since then, we

  of crown in this panel works into

  all are very low-crown. It figures that

  continue to use some of the old tools

  another type. It is truly a showcase of

  this anti-car would employ anti-crown

  in sheetmetal repair and fabrication.

  the metal-stamping art.

  stampings.

  In the modern sheetmetal fabrica-

  concept to work with sheetmetal. All

  Reverse crown is simply crown

  tion and repair field, we use highly

  formed metal shapes have some char-

  that faces away from the outside of a

  evolved versions of much of the

  acteristic of crown—no or low crown,

  car. “Concave crown” would also

  knowledge, and many of the tools

  medium crown, high crown, reverse

  describe this configuration. Combi-

  and techniques, employed by those

  crown, or combination crown.

  nation-crown panels have different

  ancient metal formers. But we have

  Flat metal has no crown. It may be

  kinds of crown that work into each

  advanced greatly from where they left

  bent, or formed int
o a simple arc, but

  other, such as low into high crowns,

  off. Every tool, device, and process

  it has no crown. Metal acquires crown

  or high or low crowns that work into

  that we use today is better than what

  when it is shaped in ways that cause it

  reverse-crown areas.

  they had. Our raw material, the sheet-

  to fall away from a point, any point, in

  All of this is important because

  metal itself, is pure and consistent

  every direction. That is the essence of

  crown imparts strength to panels,

  beyond anything that they could

  crown. The significance of crown is

  and therefore is more resistant to

  imagine. Our knowledge is greater,

  that it stiffens panels, and areas of

  force applied to repair damaged areas

  and our results are often more daring

  panels, where it exists. This is because

  where it exists. It is also important

  and always more uniform and

  the stamping or rolling processes that

  because crown is forgiving, up to a

  durable than their best efforts. For all

  are used to create crown in panels

  point, when you repair areas that

  that, we still beat metal with ham-

  tend to harden them, and because an

  have it. This is because stretched

  mers, roll it through wheels, and weld

  arched, three-dimensional structure is

  metal can be hidden in crowned

  it with heat. Some general aspects and

  inherently stronger than a flat one.

  areas. Since these areas are, by their

  principles of metal work have

  The more crown a panel has, the

  nature, bulged shapes, a small addi-

  changed little over time.

  tougher it is likely to be in resisting

  tional bulge often fits undiscernibly

  the impact of a collision, or the ham-

  into them. Very-low-crown and no-

  Panel Types, Configurations

  mer blows that a metal worker strikes

  crown metal cannot hide stretches.

  and Reinforcements

  to repair it. High-crown panels have

  They show as unsightly bulges

  more crown than low-crown panels.

  and/or ripple distortions.

  Ancient metal workers may not

  You can often move the metal in no-

  I am not exactly advocating

  have had a word for “crown,” but they

  crown and low-crown areas of panels

  autobody dishonesty here. However,

  certainly understood its significance.

  with your fingertips. This is not possi-

  this work involves reaching goals

  You need to understand this basic

  ble in highly crowned areas of panels.