theastronaut

Honda Wagovan's are pretty cool, and they even made a 4wd model with a super low first gear.

Started the fold using the makeshift tipping die. Had to alternate between stretching the flange and making passes in the bead roller. Once the edge was bent about 45* I finished folding it over with a hammer/dolly. Finished piece.

Another round of stretching/plannishing. Getting closer. Once the bowl shape was where I wanted it I blacked out the area to fold and scribed an line.

I started on the filler neck cover while I'm waiting on new bead roller dies to dimple the trunk floor. They should be here tomorrow. To start, I made "tucks" in the edge using a set of modified Vice-Grips that MP&C posted about in the Garage/Tool section on 67-72chevytrucks.com awhile back. Hammering these out will cause the edge to shrink. The middle was stretched with a mallet and sand bag. First quick pass through the planishing hammer to see the rough shape. Needs more stretching to raise the top still. Made a pattern to check the shape from the original piece.

Made patterns for the trunk pans yesterday.

Thanks Roger!! I am still in awe of your model making skills, and I frequently check in on your progress.

Forgot about posting this one. Mid 80's Toyota Corolla GTS. I'm currently on the lookout for a clean hatchback.

Seems to be working now... will this be permanent?

Testing the "IMG" link again. Edit, seems to be working now.

I have a build thread ('40 Packard Convertible Coupe Resto) that I update on multiple forums. Most of these allow me to use the "IMG" link from Photobucket to post pictures. Since the posting format is the same between the different forums, all I've had to do was to copy and paste my update between the separate forums. This made posting updates quick and easy. With the recent changes here, I now have to use the "direct" link from Photobucket to upload pictures. Each update I make I have to manually add the pictures back in using the "direct" link since the "IMG" link won't work. If I were only posting a few pictures then it wouldn't be a big problem, but I try to add plenty of pictures to help describe the restoration process. Is there any way to be able to use the "IMG" link again? Appreciate any help. Here is an example of using the IMG link that used to work.

I made a quick and ugly t-post dolly to fit inside the c-channel. Passenger side c-channel straightened:

With the tail panel out I had to work on saving the inner C-channel structure. This piece is made from 16 gauge with a folded lip on one side so it's pretty stiff. The passenger side is in fairly good shape but the driver side is bent pretty badly. I had to dig through all of the bondo and sheet metal that had been brazed in place to get the the spot welds that held the c-channel in place. Firsts test fit of the tail panel.

Started cutting out the tail panel and trunk floor. The tail panel had been hit on the left side and poorly patched. They never even straightened the trunk floor, just left it crumpled.

Thanks Gary.

Dad just towed this one home. '66 C10 short/fleet, big window, with a 283, 3 speed, both Custom Group option packages, and gauges instead of warning lights. It's pretty straight and original but has some rust.

Finished panel washed with PPG cleaner/conditioner.

To start the tail panel I started shaping it in the english wheel. I pulled the trunk lid out of storage so I could check the shape with a profile gague and compare it to the tail panel. The bottom half of the tail panel I used as a template had a tighter bend starting halfway down so I only made the top half match the decklid. The bottom half was also shaped on the english wheel but I used a inner tube over the top wheel so it only rolled the metal in one direction instead of stretching the metal in two directions. I already had enough shape from side to side; the soft inner tube kept the e-wheel from stretching the metal and only added a tighter bend top to bottom. With the overall shape finished, I tipped the top edge on the bead roller, starting with the lower edge first. I fine-tuned the edge with a hammer and t-post dolly in the vice, then stretched/shrunk the edge to match the shape of the trunk lid edge. With that edge shaped I tipped the second edge and finished folding it over with a hammer and dolly. Added the offsets for the overlappng flanges on the bead roller. The bottom edge was the same process as the top, tip/hammer/shrink/stretch to match the original shape. The second edge folded the opposite direction as the top, so I taped a shim to a heel dolly to make it the correct height, then folded the metal over against the dolly.

The paper template was pretty simple; there isn't much of a compound curve so the paper pretty much laid flat over the panel. I start by using magnets and tape to hold the paper in place tightly. You can see the cut out for the bumper bracket marked, along with the edges. The upper/outer corners had enough shape that I had to fold over a section so the paper would lay flat. Pie cut corners to let the paper bend into the weatherstrip channel. Some of the details are easier to add with the paper laying flat on the workbench. I measured the flange in the weatherstrip and added that line to the template with fine line tape. The tail panel was flipped so the inner details could be added. Tape was added where there wasn't enough paper. Blank cut out after the template was finished.

Figured out that I can use the "direct link" from photobucket and it'll automaticlly embed the pic. I liked the old way better since I could just copy and paste an update from the other couple of forums that used the same posting format, that saved a good bit of time. Gotta love "upgrades"... Back to the Packard, I finished up the rear inner fender section. Decided to start making the tail panel next. I had a spare tail panel to use as a pattern but the bottom edge was caved in. I roughly straightened it and skimmed/blocked it to get the edge shaped up so the paper template will be accurate.

I tried posting an update but pictures from Photobucket aren't showing up?

Thanks!

The finished brace, and I made a new section for the rear inner fender.

The rear inner body mount brace was in bad shape along the bottom so I made a new section to repair it. I had added a couple temporary braces to hold the back of the car in place as the brace had become weak and sagged with the weight of the body on it. . I mentioned flexible shape patterns earlier so I'll show how I made it and how to read it once it's made. Start by adding a layer of painters tape, its not as ridged as other tapes and the weaker adhesive makes it easy to remove. Then add a layer of reinforced shipping tape. I also added a second layer with the strands turned 90* to the first layer so that the tape can't stretch later when it's removed. Peel it off and sprinkle the adhesive side with baby powder to reduce the adhesive's grip. You can see that it retains the shape of the part. Now the pattern can be laid flat on a countertop to see exactly what areas will need stretching or shrinking. One thing to note- areas that only need bending will lay flat as well, such as the side of the pattern with the raised bead pressed in. That side lays flat because that shape is only bent in one direction (the same way you'd fold a piece of paper). Only the areas needing shrinking or stretching (compound curves) will show up in the pattern. There are two spots sticking up right in the middle of the bend. This show how much and where the metal needs to be stretched to attain the correct shape on the new panel. Knowing exactly where and how much to stretch/shrink saves time and guesswork when you start to make the new piece.

Thanks guys. I have started on the rear half of the inner fenderwell. There is a dip in the upper part of the fenderwell lip and I want both the front and rear to be solid before I go about straightening that out. I used the "dirty thumb" method of making a template for the shape of the lower edge. New piece welded in.

To finish up the quarter panel edge I made a set of templates off the driver side to match up the shape. Before and after fine tuning the shape. The templates were spaced every two inches. Fit to the quarter panel: Shape matches the original panel: Started repairing the inner fenderwell so I'll have a clean flange for the quarter to weld to.