32 Ford Pickup Sheetmetal Work !

[Flop]

Well got this solid but pretty well used 32 truck in last week .



old welds





new patches in



welds smoothed out










well and it took some pretty good hits in its day!



its getting there but still rough

[FlatheadTed]

Nice work flop

[flat-v8]

Very nice metal work! I wish I could do that.

[Dave72dt]

Originally Posted by flat-v8

Very nice metal work! I wish I could do that.

To be honest, you can. It's a matter of good equipment and developing you skill levels. A lot of us don't do enough of it to get to the level Flop is operating on. I'm sure he'll tell you he didn't start out welding that good. I critique each and every weld I make and they keep getting better. I'm not on his level either but that doesn't mean I can't work toward it.

And I will agree with you on the quality. Very nice!!

[42panel]

Excellent work! Post your future progress with pictures.

[Ken Crans]

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Nice metal work,don't know if you use lead but i learned from my old man. It really helps on recountouring hard spots like the embossed area on the cowl or the visor if it was badly damaged. More pics.

[Flop]

thanks guys!

dave hit the nail on the head . its all about the prep and tight fitting patches . Also doing it everyday for the last 3 years has helped greatly ! Thanks Dave!


I work in lead Ken and if the customer wants that part finished off thats what I will do it in !

more pics to come ! juggling a ton of projects right now !

[Flop]

well this truck took a hell of a hit from the back . if i run a straight edge on the back the middle was in about 3 inches .

get that wood out!!! i think this is orig wood !





i got the top above the body line not oil canning any more ... the bottom.. a different story !

a bunch of heat shrinks !





old fire extinguisher holder?

[jim1932]

Makes me want to buy a hunk of junk just to watch you fix it.....

[rollingsculpture]

hey flop check out the reveal area on the rear window for cracks that run along the lines of the reveal , found a number of them in my 31 truck and they can been pretty hard to notice if you dont look for them as they stay tightly pinched together

[Lucky Mike]

Excellent work!

[Flop]

sounds like a plan to me Jim!!

rolling i had to fix a ton up in a late 31 i am doing ! this truck doesn't have any visible at the moment but im sure they will pop up after its sand blasted!


thanks Lucky


doesnt look like much but man that bottom panel took some doin!!

its back out and no oil cans ! now to fix up some bad work

[Flop]

and the doors ..all in all pretty beat up but these things are hard to come by .

hmmm i think it may need a top

[Flop]

this panel took alot of work to get back into the proper shape!!!

cut out the old stick welds used to patch up some old tears and holes



patches



after a whole lot of shrinking and hammer work . the file really keeps ya honest and lets you know where you stand

[jim1932]

Makes me want to buy a piece of crap car just to watch you fix it....LOL

[Flop]

bring one by JIM !!!

Ken dropped off a 33 firewall for the truck today to give his wife a little more leg room!!

[dumb person]

Originally Posted by jim1932

Makes me want to buy a hunk of junk just to watch you fix it.....

Indeed! Still not looking for an apprentice i guess...

[Flop]

top of the back of the cab is done ! alot of stretched metal here ! and alot of work to not have the whole back of the cab oil canning!!

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Nice work, Flop!

[Flop]

thanks TomT!!!

well this area was a mess . so whats a man to do ? cut it out



no real secrets or crazy techniques to find the right radius here





and my end result!

[jimz31]

OH! You used the North Dakota radius......great choice!!

On a more serious note.....great work Tom!!!

[Flop]

thanks Jim!!

Story of my life as of late...drill out rivets!!!



it seems the cab corners were bashed in on purpose .. kinda weird !




drill spots welds out of the 33 firewall



these brackets are going to need to be removed and put back in for the new /old firewall

[Flop]

33 firewalls in !



messy pillar after years of use and abuse



nothing is coming easy on this truck



old and ugly tacks





ended up replacing the whole edge









door is hanging



also made a corner up for the truck

[JRHASZARD]

Beautiful Work. Can't wait to see the next pickup you work on !

[Flop]

your truck is coming soon John!!

well i have been fighting this truck for a while with measurements . thanks hotrodprimer for some measurements and Carter for stopping by today to take a look!


door is hitting the subrail not allowing it to close




what i now believe to be the root of all evil for the door not fitting

hard to see the more serious damage but the center of the area is sunk in a bunch

[Robert Dip]

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I always love to see photos and 'work in progress' on sheet metal. Every time I spend hours doing it, I wonder if I an nuts...but no, that what we do in our passion. Only one question...I always, always media blast a body before I start, or at least, the part that needs working on. Is there a reason you have not 'de-rusted' the cab before the welding / patching ? Just curious....& great work Robert

[dumb person]

How did you join the new piece in the pillar without making those tack welds that you removed? No visible means of spot welding which is all i know.

[Flop]

robert i like to blast after to test my work . blasting is gonna blow through any weak spots that i do not want to show their heads later on down the line !

there are tiny spot welds there dumb


the problem in the b pilar! that should be a circle you can see how much it was bashed in



and the crappy door gap



hard to see but a short video of the whole pillar moving



and after the removal of the smashed subframe and bracing

[Robert Dip]

I see your logic....and after my own welding, I blast it again.....epoxy primer holds forever on the freshly blasted metal. Robert

[Rusty]

Very nice work Flop!

[Flop]

finally back in to it after a broken arm

well i made a new subframe corner






had t make 12 inches of the B pillar the new corner and a new triangle brace due to some one bashing the hell out of this truck



same with the passenger side





now the cab is finally untweaked and the door fits as they are supposed to

[PeteVS]

Welcome back!!

[jerseyboy]

Flop,

Nice work! Missed you at the ROG.

[bart78]

Just saw this over on the hamb. Man you do good work.

[Wensum Valley Rods]

Awesome work as always Flop.
Followed several of your threads both here and on the HAMB and you never disappoint.

Paul.

[Ken Crans]

The doors look alot better..nice job.

[hotrodA]

Glad that you're healed up and back at workin' the magic.

[32phil]

Fabulous work Flop Thanks for sharing.

[Karl Wescott]

Great work "flop"!

Originally Posted by flat-v8

Very nice metal work! I wish I could do that.

If you can find them Tex Smith had some great articles on learning the basics of "shade tree" bodywork in Rod Action Magazine during the late 1970's and early 1980's.