"Stretching/shrinking is for pro's ONLY."
Bartamos,
I would like for coolwhip to know that shrinking body sheet metal requires only an oxy-acetylene torch with a very small tip, a dolly block that matches the desired metal contour, body hammers, a wet shop rag, someone to demonstrate the technique and some practice on scraps. It can definitely be learned and successfully done by an amateur.
When I started restoring my '36 Chevy pickup in the early 1970s bed parts were not being repopped like they are today. So my bed sides, that looked like a sack full of rocks from decades of shifting loads, were very stretched and had to be shrunk to make them flat again. Metal shrinking was needed on plenty of other body panels as well. I was able to do that without any bondo using the simple technique I learned in an evening adult education auto body repair class. In fact, on a single wall truck bed, where both sides are visible, any use of bondo would look really nasty. In any event, bondo application is not really body repair but is dent filling/hiding. The dents are still there.
You can do it coolwhip. I'd be glad to describe the technique in detail for you if you are interested.
