I have an 8 foot brake.... :lol:

[Luvlegs]

what can I make?

I have a large brake in one of my buildings (manually operated machine for bending sheet metals). It's pretty heavy duty but not sure just how thick gauge of metal I can shape just yet.
What can I make for our trucks? About the only thing I can think of off the top of my head is perhaps inner rocker boxes????

I'm also considering trying an experiment with bending a shape and then hammer/dolley to finish the piece off.. for example, making a "bowled" out shape and then bending down the four sides... in effect, trying to make a heat collector for the tube that runs up to the air cleaners... any ideas?

Anything custom that people pay to have made or buy aftermarket?

[cdowns]

you can make a ratrod type of stepside bed a good start on front and rear rollpans airdams and wings stake pockets

[myoldchevytruck]

How about a patch panel for the front bed panels. Say 5" or 6 " from the bottom up with a 90 degree bend on the bottom (I have a wood bed). I believe that it is 16 gauge. Most brakes can handle 16 gauge. Man what a great piece of equipment. Be creative.

[Luvlegs]

Originally Posted by myoldchevytruck

How about a patch panel for the front bed panels. Say 5" or 6 " from the bottom up with a 90 degree bend on the bottom (I have a wood bed). I believe that it is 16 gauge. Most brakes can handle 16 gauge. Man what a great piece of equipment. Be creative.

BINGO! I can make patch pieces for the lower inner part of my bedsides where they rusted out before the corners! Yeeeeahhhhh....hmmmmm....

[lks dcvn]

You can make one piece inner rocker panel replacements - if you do a set - I will take one -

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=201540

[OhioDan]

What about fan shrouds for electric fans. I made mine, but had to pay to have it broke.

[Luvlegs]

GREAT! I guess I have some practicing to do.

If I ever get good at it and get BLUE again, I might have a way to generate funds... hmm - me likey....

As my wife would say, "When? In your [my] spare time?

Maybe I'll make myself a BB fan shroud.... I bet the first 6 or 8 tries might be interesting to watch.

[BarryB]

Hey luvlegs, what pat of NC you located? And do you have anymore details on your Dodge Ram? PM me

[Luvlegs]

Im about 40 minutes west of Raleigh (Burlington/Graham). PM sent.

[72highlander]

i used one to make a patch panel for the bedside toolbox that rusts out at bottom. you have to break the out piece in two spots, and it has an inner piece that has to be rolled, wasn't too bad. i'd thought about making another and seeing if there would be any interest in them.

[special-K]

Got a picture?I`d like to see and maybe we can know what ga. steel it will handle.Does it have a big counterweight?

[raggedjim]

Here's one I thought about but never had the equipment to do it... How about metal "planks" that span 3 or 4 of the ribs in a metal bed that could be put in to cover a beatup metal bed? You could put them in like bed wood with the metal wood strips in between and they could be painted truck color with stainless strips... Once they were installed you would have 7 or nine planks (I haven't figured out how many you would need or if they would all be the same size...) You would need 4 bends for each piece. I know I'm not that good at describing things, if you have questions just ask me.

It would look like this except the wood would be metal...

I feel like there could be a market for this...

Rg

[Luvlegs]

hmmmm Love'n it! I'll try to slip out tonight and get a pic posted....

[Boog]

What about a smooth cover plate for the top of the radiator. I know it has been done already. Also a filler panel in front of the core support to fill in the area between it and the grille. A smooth, louvered or logo stamped stepside tailgate cover. Could there be any copyright infringement issues with any of these? Maybe only if you sold these for profit?

[Luvlegs]

Here's some pics -

[Luvlegs]

...

[d10s69c10]

Fuel cells, custom battery trays, tubbed wheel wells ooh maybe even a solid glove box.. just a couple thoughts.

[kelsfine69]

I made a beer cooler with mine

[Luvlegs]

The glove box idea is what made me think to make stuff for the truck with it...

[special-K]

Oh yeah...that`s the one.It`ll definately do body gauge.I like the steel plank idea.

[Sport/Truck]

You can do 1/8 in aluminum with that brake- steel will be less (that depends on with you are dong too). A finger/box pan bake is more versatile as you can make a 4 sided box with it.
The one in the picture you can bend 3 sides.
Do you know how to adjust it? (It's not hard.)
LMK.
s/t

[Luvlegs]

I think I have it figured out with the adjustment thingees on the ends but haven't done anything with them - I've bent some aluminum for siding repair but have no experience actually setting it up to bend a certain gauge metal or what you have to do to prevent making tool marks on the material. Any coaching would be appreciated for sure!

[68shortstep]

For years I had what I called "the Cast Iron Monster" 8-ft brake, made in the late 1800's. Way-bigger, older, stouter & heavier than that one.

Mine weighed just under a ton & a half !!! Wish I still had it.

Bought it from a sign shop that was getting a new one, & paid $ 100 bucks for it. About half what scrap-value was at the time. Cost me $ 250 to get it moved, and the tool rental guy almost turned over a heavy-duty fork lift while he was moving it a few blocks for me.

While I had my siding business, I must have done about 1000 miles of custom-formed painted trim with it, at $ 1 to $ 1.50 per foot, installed, at that time. I always used painted aluminum gutter coilstock rather than siding trim coil, because it was .027 thick, as opposed to the .019 trim coil.

Thicker gauge is is better, usually. Though that brake you've got should bend body-thickness steel as easy as if it's wet paper.

OK: To keep from marking whatever you're bending, just put a layer of duck tape on the top & bottom lips of the brake, down the full length. Peel the old off & clean the stickum off with acetone & replace it with new tape when it finally wears-thru & starts leaving gooey on what you're bending.

By the way, those brakes can REALLY make the blood squirt out from the tip of your finger, really good, & amazingly quick. It made me just cringe to see that photo of you with your finger-tips right there at the pinch point.

We had a rule in my shop that if you were adjusting the brake, or doing any reverse-bends or multi-bends where you just had to reach into or right up near the throat of the brake, a second guy was always within shouting distance.

Why ???

If you're working out in the middle (4-ft away from the opening-levers), and the jaw decides to close down on your finger because you didn't have it opened all the way to the stop, or it had been greased, & now worked a lot smoother, then if it closes down on you ....... you're caught, & you can't get to the end to open it back up to get your finger(s) free.

Makes you jump, dance, & holler pretty "entertainingly."

Ask me how I know about that one ......... and why I later ALWAYS put a finger-thick block of wood into the brake jaws when I was working within the pinch-point ...........

So: Have a helper present when you're duck-taping the jaws.

[hotrod 80]

Yea , that thing can lock a finger up . My dad had an A/C shop with a 10' er and a 4' pan brake , pittsburg machine , roller , and foot stomp sheer .