SkinnyG's '61 Apache

[cwcarpenter98]

Dadgum, that's unfortunate

[SkinnyG]

So I finally taught myself the French Wheel and made this:

[Captainfab]

That looks good from here. How does a French wheel compare to an English wheel?

[SkinnyG]

It's not welded in yet, and I still have to make the flanges, but the bottom IS shaped into the correct curve all the way through. I'll try my hand at the flanges tomorrow. Or screw it up entirely.

A French Wheel looks just like an English Wheel, except you use a lot of French when you're working it.

[cwcarpenter98]

I must say that having the ability to create your own panel is pretty dang cool.

I know you have your door with you, but if there's any area of the flange that you need an extra reference for, I can snap a pic of my door

[SkinnyG]

Thanks, but I still have the unmolested other door, as well as the soon-to-be-not-used other patch.

What I need to figure out, is how to create the front and back flanges without destroying the panel shape. I can't put it in the brake, but I might be able to use the tipping wheel on the bead roller.

I picked up the English Wheel from the local classifieds a couple years ago - one of the last of the tools I wanted for my shop. Some guy was selling it and a solvent tank for $250. The Wheel is an $825 wheel today. Not stupendously high quality wheel, but it works.

I picked up a foot/shrinker/stretcher/stand a while back too - definitely worth its weight. I had been asking for a particular tool store's gift cards as gifts for years, and finally had enough to buy it. I think it was on sale at the time for about $325, it's now $530. You can do a simple vice or bench mount shrinker/stretcher and just change the jaws as needed, but I sure like having the two together operable by foot pedals - very convenient.

All these tools I've collected over years and years, always on sale, and usually with gift cards. Many I've purchased used, and I have made many tools too (hydraulic press, tubing bender, finger brake...).

[SCOTI]

Problem-Solver you are.

[Grizz1963]

Few of my tools are new.

But despite that, I maintain that, including myself, having all the gear and no idea, will still deliver zero.

Your work, I keep following, so much value in the learning here.

Thanks

[SkinnyG]

The flanges got formed with the tipping wheel on the bead roller, then tweaked with a..... um..... it's a piece of 1/2" round bar with a 5/8" deep slot cut into it - I use it to fold sheet metal over, like a hem sort of. I don't know what they're called.



Tipping the flange also took the curve out of the ends of the panel, but the Shrinker brought it back. I marked 1" increments on the edges of the skin so I could know where to shrink it more "7/8/9" is easy to remember.





I fiddled with the gap to make it as tight as possible so as to get a good weld in there. Zero gap = minimal distortion.



So, if my wee tap came in so I can fix my HVLP Touch-Up gun, I should have some epoxy primer on the inside, ready for welding next weekend. Which is where I was at the start of -this- weekend. Woo hoo.

- Cut the skin, plus about 1" extra for flanges
- English Wheel some curve into the panel
- Tipping Wheel on the Bead Roller to make the flanges
- Shrink the flanges to put the curve back in.

[Mack B]

Originally Posted by SkinnyG

A French Wheel looks just like an English Wheel, except you use a lot of French when you're working it.

Great job sir! I enjoy watching your progress and strive to be as polished as you are one day.

[SkinnyG]

New skin and new exposed inner frame is epoxy primered on the inside. Ready for welding on the weekend.

[SkinnyG]

I picked up another half-sheet of 18ga this morning as I didn't have enough to do the passenger door with what I had.

Also stripped the passenger door down to bare.

[SkinnyG]

The door is now skinned. It didn't go the way I had planned, but it's on and it looks decent.

I intended to oxy-acetylene weld the skin, and to practice, I cut a piece of scrap 12" long in half, tacked it, planished it, and welded it together. Then cut it in half again in another spot, did it again. And again. I felt confident.

But oxy-acetylene had other ideas.

I tried and tried to make it submit, and finally - I snapped (Lose it. Heater. Smoker. Flurry to the solar plexus. The torch tip goes for it. I gave him so many lefts he was begging for a right.Uppercut. Jab. Roundhouse kick to the face. He's lying there in a puddle of his own excrement. I says "How's that?"), and MIG welded the skin on. It worked out fine.

I do not have the metalworking skills to work the metal into perfection. And the more I try, the less patience I have for it. I -am- however, plenty good at filler.

At any rate, here's the skin, installed:

[Notch1988]

Good work Champ...

[SkinnyG]

Passenger door had a mild crease along its full width, which is going to be hard to hammer out (though not impossible). The bottom of the door seems much more solid than the driver's door, but it's ALWAYS a better idea to pull the skin off and just re-skin it. How else are you going to be able to deal with this rust? Rust between the frame and skin becomes bubbles after its painted.





Some dry days are in the forecast, so I should be able to get it all blasted. Then make another skin.

[SkinnyG]

Got the inside sandblasted today. Some rust holes in the door bottom showed up, no biggie. Next dry day is Saturday. Hope to get it all done then.

[SkinnyG]

Latest video:

'61 C10 Apache - Part 13: Fixing Cab Rust -...

[SkinnyG]

Spent some time at a local hot rod shop to see all their autobody stuff, and chat with the guys and the owner. Cool experience.

They had a late 40's Chevy truck that the truck owner had cut the cab to lengthen it a few inches, and then discovered he was in over his head, and brought it to them to fix. It wasn't properly braced, so it's a ton of work.

They had a sweet 510 - I asked if there was enough metal in it to weld to, and they said nope - they had close to $50,000 metal fabrication in it.



A neat 50's Apache that had the right corner of the cab stoved in 20 years ago, finally getting repaired. Damage was really extensive, and messed up everything up to the front clip as well. They showed me the super expensive aftermarket door that needed a port-a-power through the window to correct the shape enough for even the glass to fit.



A sweet '56 Nomad getting re-done, because the paint and bodywork done by another shop wasn't good enough for the car owner.



A gorgeous mall-rated 60's Blazer, lifted, huge rims, chrome everything, gorgeous interior, gorgeous paint, mural on the tailgate, not at ALL my style, but I can appreciate the work that went into it - you'd never drive it; it gets trailered everywhere.

A wack of other cool rides as well.

It inspired me to spend some time correcting the door gaps on my '61.

[SkinnyG]

Serviced the shop furnace today, it's supposed to be the coldest October day in 100 years here. La Nina or something. Also ran the lawnmower out of gas, and moved the Jerry Can over to the snow blower. Reminds me, I need to change the oil on that. Also fixed a leaky fitting on the air compressor lines.

Filled the West Coast Mirror holes on the passenger door:



Prepped the next door skin for wheeling:



And gathered a plan on where to cut the door bottom out:



Six inches of snow yesterday, so I'm not going to do any more blasting for a while.

[SkinnyG]

Passenger door skin formed and fitted. I felt good about my progress, so that was a good place to stop for the day.

[cwcarpenter98]

That looks really good!

[SkinnyG]

We had a big dump of snow, which had finally melted and dried up for a nice clear sunny weekend, so I got the door blasted. Elapsed time: 4 hours. New bottom will be welded in, so I didn't worry about wasting time blasting that.

[SkinnyG]

Brought this 52" jobbie home from Home Depot for $398 (about $300us) to better organize my autobody and metalwork tools. This should make my working environment better; everything actually has its place now.

Loaded it up tonight, and.............. it's full. Wow.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by SkinnyG

Brought this 52" jobbie home from Home Depot for $398 (about $300us) to better organize my autobody and metalwork tools. This should make my working environment better; everything actually has its place now.

Loaded it up tonight, and.............. it's full. Wow.

Funny.... Both big-box stores are running specials on these now. I was just @ my local Lowes Wed night & they had similar boxes on promotion:
Kobalt 52" 10 drawer ~$438
Sears Craftsmen 52" 10 drawer ~$398

The only difference I see is the box you pictured has a solid top drawer where the ones I looked @ had it split. I like the split drawers to help keep my SAE/Metrics apart as well as other items. They had top chests as well to compliment the lower half. Less than $800 for top/bottom 52" storage is decent & I might just bite.

[SkinnyG]

Working on the door bottom. In fitting the driver's door, I discovered just how badly the aftermarket door bottom was shaped, and had to slice and re-shape the door bottom in place. Today I'm re-shaping it before welding it in.