by Matt Joseph
as waxed cardboard. In the first case,
have occurred when it was applied. It
the same location.
the filler components can be selec-
should be left on the panel with a
tively absorbed into the cardboard,
smooth, continuous appearance.
range of proportions stated by the
unbalancing the chemistry of the
The curing of filler is a chemical
material’s manufacturer. This is
filler. In the second case, the wax
reaction that will vary in speed with
sometimes expressed as the color of
tends to mix with the filler and mess
several factors. Among these are the
the mixed components.
up its density and adhesion.
ratio at which the filler’s compo-
Unlike lead, polyester filler is
After the two components in
nents were mixed, the ambient tem-
inexpensive and comparatively fast
polyester filler have been combined,
perature, and the thickness of the
to work into desired shapes. Also,
they should be mixed thoroughly,
filler. Manufacturers of these materi-
unlike lead, polyester filler can easily
and I mean thoroughly. Basically,
als supply rough data on set times.
be added on top of itself to raise low
you should mix them with your
When plastic filler reaches a semi-
spots that may be revealed by filing.
choice of mixing tool as completely
hard state, which can be determined
Adding it in three or four stages is
as possible, and then mix them some
by checking a sample of what you
94
AUTOMOTIVE BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R
F I LLI NG
A shorter board sander was
The final step in this repair was
9
11
used to blend the detail from
Some hand sanding with 80-
to treat the bare metal in the
10
the hinge-mount relief into the
grit paper, backed by a hard-
repair area with metal conditioner.
adjoining panel filler. Note that the
rubber pad, was applied to the back
This is important because, without
abrasive paper has been purposely
edge of the panel to give it shape.
protection from airborne moisture, the
positioned over the side of the
This was followed by sanding the
bare metal could begin to rust in a
sander, to let it ride up the relief.
area with 180-grit paper.
few hours.
applied by impressing one of your
with lead, final shaping is done with
use an etching primer over it. The
fingernails or a tool into its surface,
abrasive papers backed with pads of
two are incompatible. Use one, or
it is time to grate it. This is done with
varying hardness.
the other. Over lead, it doesn’t really
a cheese-grater-type file. The purpose
The final step in using plastic
matter which you use. With plastic
of doing this is to save time later, by
fillers is to treat exposed metal, adja-
filler, the etching type of waterproof
removing what is obviously excess
cent to the filler, with a good metal
primer is the best choice because it
filler more quickly and easily than
conditioner. Unlike lead filler, plastic
deals with the lack of moisture resis-
would be possible with power or
filler does not present the problem of
tance and moisture-absorbing poten-
hand filing and sanding approaches.
flux and lubricant residues. There-
tial of the plastic filler.
Be careful not to go too far in remov-
fore, there is no need to kill or neu-
The photograph at the begin-
ing material at this stage, or you may
tralize these contaminants. However,
ning of this chapter shows the com-
have to add more filler later to make
it is still a good idea to apply metal
pleted
repair
of
the
decklid
up a deficit. While this would not
conditioner to exposed metal in
hinge-mount relief area. The area on
create any quality problems, it does
areas where all filler has been filed or
the left, in the photograph, was filled
waste time and effort.
sanded completely off a panel. The
and finished with body lead filler,
After the grated filler is fully
best way to protect this metal, as well
while the area on the right was
cured (roughly, after lunch), it can
as to protect the metal under the
repaired with plastic filler. The panel
be filed into exact contours, using
filler from attack by moisture is to
is destined to be fully stripped and
the filing techniques discussed ear-
prime the entire panel or vehicle
refinished for use on a car that is
lier. As noted, it also can be disc
with a waterproof, etching-type
now in restoration. In the future, if
sanded to remove material and to
primer, very soon after completion
this panel is ever again stripped for
bring it very close to final shape. The
of final shaping and sanding. This
refinishing, someone will probably
next adjustments and detailing of
provides the soundest possible sur-
notice that half of the left-hinge-
shapes should be performed with
face for later coating with sandable
mount repair was made with lead
body files, using similar approaches
primer and paint top coats.
filler, and that the other half was
to those used for this phase of this
Note: If you choose to use a
filled with polyester filler. I wonder
work for shaping lead. Again, as
metal conditioner, you should not
what that someone will think.
AUTOMOTIVE BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R
95
C H A P T E R 1 0
SPECIAL PROJECTS AND
PROCEDURES
As in most other endeavors, in
autobody metal work there are many
special projects and procedures that
are needed to move work along,
and/or to complete it. Some of these
are huge and daunting tasks like fab-
ricating a complex assembly. Others
are jobs that must be done repeat-
edly and routinely, like hanging and
aligning doors or decklids. This
chapter details some of these projects
and procedures, starting with a very
difficult and impressive example of
this kind of work.
The Project
At first, as I watched Matt, a
metal crafter at L’Cars in Cameron,
Wisconsin, fabricate a reproduction
Original and duplicated
new splash shields for a vintage Ford amphibian
splash shield for a vintage Ford mil-
vehicle are shown here. The reproduced item, in front, was formed and
itary amphibian vehicle, I was
outfitted in a little more than a day, using no significant specific tooling to
amazed that what he was doing
produce it.
could be done at all. Parts of the
job, like patterning and cutting,
As I continued to watch Matt
beyond anything that I had expected
were straightforward and familiar
work on this project, two more forms
to see, or even thought possible. At
to me, but other parts of it
of amazement joined my first sense
times, his dexterity with the metal
stretched my concept of what is
of awe. I found it incredible that he
was so great that I had to remind
possible to accomplish when cus-
could progress as quickly and cer-
myself that he was working with
tom forming sheetmetal, without
tainly as he did, and I found the qual-
21-gauge mild-steel sheet stock, and
using stamping dies.
ity and precision of his results quite
not a sheet of some kind of malleable
96
AUTOMOTIVE BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R
S P ECIAL P ROJ ECTS AN D P RO CE DU R E S
Fabricating a Splash Shield
This paper pattern has almost magical 3-D capabilities. Here it works flat, to
1
outline the shape of the new splash shield. Later in this project, the cuts in it
will allow it to indicate specific areas of the new part’s shape, in three dimensions.
At this point, it was not
2
necessary to cut out the metal
from which to make the new splash
shield very accurately. The part would
be trimmed to exact dimensions,
later. Still, Matt made his cuts
accurately because that is the
standard to which he works.
These Steck forming dies,
3
mounted in a Pullmax, form
very quickly. The dies’ back areas
impress V-shaped grooves into the
The Steck die operation left the
4
work piece. Then, as it is drawn
metal pretty uneven, but with
forward, through them, the dies’
shrink areas in the right places. Next,
crowned front surfaces flatten and
a large English wheel was used to
upset the V-shaped grooves,
smooth out the metal. Note the area
shrinking, and forming the metal.
below the forming wheels that was
These Eckold shrinking heads
5
made uneven by the Steck process.
were used to produce very
plastic. The metal seemed to will-
compact, local shrinks, and to smooth
ingly respond to his every action.
them, the paper took on the shape of
the metal. They work by mechanically
Matt began the job by selecting
the original, amounting to a three-
gathering the metal between them in
material similar to that in the origi-
dimension-capable template. This
a controlled upsetting pattern. The
nal splash shield that he was copy-
was not done so much for checking
result is the ability to create very
ing. He created an elaborate paper
his final result with the splash shield,
specific local shrink areas.
pattern of the original shield by out-
as it was to make it possible to check
lining it on paper, and then cutting
specific sections of it as he went
check his finished result against. The
reliefs, sideways into the paper, so
along. Of course, he always had the
paper template served when he had
that when it was deformed to close
original shield that he was copying to
questions about a particular bend or
AUTOMOTIVE BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R
97
CHAPTE R 1 0
At times, Matt stopped to compare his work piece to the original splash
7
shield. You can see that at this point, he still had a long way to go. He had
created the basic contour of the piece, and the beginnings of some of its crowns.
The early stages of this job
6
required plenty of human
intervention between machine
operations. As the piece evolved, Matt
used the Steck, Eckold, and English
wheel devices to make his bends
permanent. He did this by relaxing
the metal into the shapes that he
wanted it to take.
This paper pattern is being used
9
contour, as he was forming the new
to indicate one of the work
piece from rough. Essentially, it was
As work progressed, the piece’s
piece’s corner crowns. As the grooves
8
used to guide his progress.
crowns began to appear. Matt
in the paper are closed, it bends into
A rough outline of the fabricated
used the English wheel to smooth
three dimensions, indicating other
item was marked on the metal, leav-
areas disrupted by the Steck heads.
angles of the crown that are supposed
ing plenty of extra border material
Note one of these areas under and to
to be in the metal under it.
for later trimming and wire edging
the right edge of his left hand.
operations. The outline was cut out
were worked into the metal with
of the stock metal with an electric
some of the cuts in the paper tem-
Steck forming tools, mounted in a
hand shear, along its straights and
plate. Different distances from each
Pullmax device.
looser curves. Aircraft snips were
line to the next, and the lengths and
As the Pullmax cycled—closing,
used in its tight radius areas, its ends.
angles of the lines, indicated curva-
separating, and closing again—the
All of this was pretty routine. Then
ture in the panel crosswise and, at its
Steck shaping dies on the metal, the
the fun began.
corner bend radii, lengthwise. Start-
Steck dies’ front area impressed con-
The shape of the splash shield
ing with the corner bends, which
siderable V-shaped bends into the
had been indicated roughly on the
had curves in both directions
metal—bends that stopped short of
metal, with marked vertical lines at
(amounting to crown), these areas
stretching it. Then, as Matt pulled
98
AUTOMOTIVE BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R
S P ECIAL P ROJ ECTS AN D P RO CE DU R E S
tearing, stretching, or cracking—to
the metal that he was forming.
A
comparison
of
the
Pull
max/Steck combination to a less
advanced method of rough shaping
metal, like the good old plastic mal-
let and shot bag routine, might go
like this. It would be like the com-
parison of a sport utility vehicle to
an F1 racing car—they are both vehi-
cles designed for transportation, but
The paper template indicated
one of them gets you there much
10 excessive crown in the marked
The solution to upsetting and
faster if you know how to drive it.
11
area on the panel. Adjustment to the
shrinking the mild inboard
The Pullmax/Steck combination
required crown in this area was too
excess of crown was to push the
moves metal incredibly quickly but,
small for the Steck dies, while the
metal through this cycle press, with a
understandably, it does not leave a
crown radius was too tight for the
domed, steel-bottom die and a hard-
smooth surface. To smooth his work
Eckold heads. Another solution to
rubber, flat, upper-die receiver (a
and, to a lesser degree, to provide addi-
shrinking and forming it had to be
hockey puck). This action put small,
tional forming, Matt used an English
found.
domed impressions in the metal.
wheel to work the area that he had
shrunk and formed with the Steck dies.
He employed a diagonal approach,
from two directions, to smooth away
the roughness created by the Steck dies.
The above-described operations
were repeated several times, until the
basic shape of the finished splash
shield was pretty well established in
the new metal, including the crowns
that were inherent in its shape. As
work progressed, Matt added the use
of Eckold shrinking heads to his tool-
ing routine. The Eckold heads were
mounted in a press that cycled them
toward and away from each other,
pressing against the metal inserted
between them. The Eckold device
The domed impressions were then hammered flat from both sides, and
firmly grips sheetmetal, and then
12 wheeled flatter in an English wheel. The result was to slightly upset the
compresses it laterally. Think of this as
metal, causing local shrinks. This left it smooth, and in the correct crown.
a mechanical gathering action. The
surfaces of each head’s halves grip the
the metal back through the Steck
ence to use this device effectively, but
metal as they compress it, and then
dies, their slightly crowned front area
