Hey all,

I've been welding in the last of the panels on the cooper and have been finishing up in the boot.

Can anyone enlighten me on the art of beating a complex curve into metal sheet? I've got a half decent set of metal dollies and hammers but not a lot of metal forming experience. Generally I've been beating panels to get them straight but no metal forming.

I've got the rear edge of the wheel well to replace and the rest of the boot floor (with the exception of the battery box) is generally ok. So the curve is a little more complex than a simple bend being in two dimensions.

cheers

Mick

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

small bag of sand, clothe or leather mallet and object of similar radius and a lot of time.

easiest way is with an english wheel which you probably dont have...
Apart from that you need a sperical dolly and a lot of patience i suspect!

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Noli Illegitimi Carborundum

Mick,

There are a couple of different ways. They are:
1. Hammerforming
2. Planishing
3. Rolling.

With number 2 you will need a planishing hammer and with number 3 you will need and English wheel. If you can make up a wooden former, you the can use it shape the metal in complex, mulitple compounding curves - hence the hammerform.

You can shrink and stretch by beating and folding edges and centres. Heat is often used to do this.

I got an immense amount of info from this site: http://www.metalmeet.com

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"Not Speeding Officer..........Qualifying"

why not just cut it out and weld a new bit in there from your donor shell?

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That is the floor from the donor shell! It's nearly at the stage where I could run around with the mig and fill in the holes, but the rest of the back edge is a little too pitted. I would like to replace it, but the pitting carries up the back edge. I 'spose I could get a wheel well repair section and cut it out, these are available right??

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

oh i understand now.

Yeah i think you can buy just the rear section of the boot from about the wheel arch backwards.

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there's a clubman shell in my dad's back yard in Ballarat that should have that part of the boot floor intact - pm me for his number if you want to go and chop it out

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

Check out these videos on custom body work
http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=GullWingInn&p=r
I would love to have these skills

Slight Hijack - has anyone a pretty well hacked up floor pan that would have a piece left big enough to cover the hole left by a remote gear lever?
Needs to be sort of figure '2' shaped to go over the tunnel, down the side and flat on the floor. Don't want to hack a good floor and it would be easier than trying to bend up a bit.

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!

Thanks for the help all, I decided I am not much of a sheet metal fabricator and picked up a repair panel today from one of the local mini guys down over my way. Thanks for the tip on Youtube, I've been enjoying the vids, although I could never be a custom fabricator's arsehole, I reckon I could fool someone I was if I keep picking this stuff up

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Mick, if I can make half a Harley fuel tank using just a file, a hammer & an old log with one day's tuition (remember this), I'm sure you could pick it up.

Have a bash at it!

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Too many cars, and too little time.