The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Beginner at body work

I'm new at all of this but I'd like to take a try at banging out some dents in my 52. Any thoughts on what the basic tools are that I should get? I have a compressor if that will help.
Thanks very much!

a hammer an dolly set would be the fist investment i would think, along with some videos or download some on the technique.
I stink at body work so I hire it out to a professional with patience I do not have ...lol

Try this site..lots of information on metal working and panel replacement.

>http://allshops.org/<

All good sites and replies. Eric(Sevtchevelle) and MARTINSR are a wealth of knowledge and experience. The is a ton of help here just ask. Another good site. Good luck and have fun
Dan

Thanks everyone! great stuff.

Along with a coupl of good hammers and dollys, a shrinking disc is an amazing tool for finish work. Pick up a video on how to use it, practice a little, and you'll be amazed.

As far as a shrinking disk goes I would highly recommend staying away from John Kelly's disk. I bought one because he is featured on the Metal Shapers web site and the edge is rippled as though it was formed with one of those shrinker/stretchers and then not finished. You only get about 10% contact if that. So it just doesn’t generate any heat. Also Eastwood used to sell one with a rippled edge that looked like it was made in a press. Same problem, not full contact and I've heard reports of the disc fatiguing at the folds and separating, and you don't want to be around when that happens.
The only disc that I have seen that gives you full contact is the one that Wray Schelin uses in his video looks to me well made and smooth giving you 100% contact.

If you have never done any metal bumping before than I would suggest you find an old scrap fender and spend a week or so pounding dents out of it before you attack your '52. You can make a real; mess out of a perfectly good piece of sheet metal in a few minutes if you haven't developed the feel for the hammer and dolly.

And, the links that were posted earlier are excellent ways to tutor a newbe. There are many other sites such as Utube where you can actually see how it's done. Also Martin Tool & Forge puts out a little red book that is a primer that all beginners should read.

You can buy beginners basic tool sets from TP or Eastwood that will get you started and then add to them as you gain more experience. One tool that you will find invaluable for smoothing a panel on dolly is a small spoon or slapper. Martin makes a nice little one, #1036 and their larger spoon, #1024 also works well for smoothing.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I got my disc from Wray Schelin, and yes it works very well. I would also reccomend his video. He is an excellent teacher.

I made a 4 or 5" disc out of a drain cover and ran it on my 4.5" angle grinder to try out. I need to play around with it more before I say if it works or not. It did save buying a big angle grinder and an expensive disc. I think the drain covers also come in 6" too.

Wahoo, is that disc smooth all around the outside surface, not wavy or rippled?? One of our members loaned me his video and the disc looks like it's very smooth and well made.

Don't know what a drain cover is Eric or what material it is made from, but you might not be able to generate enough heat with that small of a disc. The object is to generate heat on the high spots from friction and shrink them down to the level of the low spots by quenching them. The SS discs that we are talking about are 10" dia. That gives you almost 16,000 surface feet per minute. On a smaller grinder with it loaded you will only get about half the surface footage. Also if your using steel on steel it is going to have a tendancey to gaul the metal even with a lubricant. The SS seems to do OK in this department.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Yes the disc is smooth stainless with a "safety edge" on it. The edge is turned up 90 degrees. Aparantly some aren't and are quite dangerous if removed from the work surface before they stop spinning.
The disc will gall a little until you break it in. You can just clean the surface of the disc with fine sanpaper to keep it clean. Ordinary bar soap is used as a lubricant to prevent galling.
I'm really sold on the disc. The roof on my 37 was caved in and beaten back out with a ball peen. Now you would never know it, and I used very little filler. I'm not as good as Wray yet, ha,ha...As with anything it just takes time and patience.