Automotive Bodywork and Rust Repair

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

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  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

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  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