Automotive bodywork and rust repair

161 Pages·2009·31.76 MB·English

by  Joseph, Matt

A
u
t
o
There comes a time when just about every m
car on the road needs some form of rust or
o
body repair. Quite often, if the car is a daily
t
driver for running errands, repairs are never i
v
made, and the car eventually ends up in e
junkyard heaven. For our beloved collector
B
cars, hot rods, and muscle cars, dents, dings,
O
and rust are not an option, and neither is the
D
scrap heap. And for just about any restoration
Y
project, the bodywork is by far the most
W
expensive part of the process.
In Automotive Bodywork and Rust Repair, O
veteran restorer Matt Joseph shows you the ins R
and outs of tackling both simple and difficult K
rust and metalwork projects. This book teaches
A
you how to select the proper tools for the job,
N
common-sense approaches to the task ahead of
D
you, preparing and cleaning sheetmetal, section

fabrications and repair patches, welding options R
such as gas and electric, forming, fitting and U
smoothing, cutting metal, final metal finishing S
including filling and sanding, the secrets of lead T
filling, making panels fit properly, and more.
R
Also included is a comprehensive resource
E
guide. Whether you decide you want to tackle a
P
full restoration project, or just want to save
A
money by doing minor repairs yourself,
I
Automotive Bodywork and Rust Repair is the R
book to get you through it.
Matt Joseph has published
more than 1,800 feature
articles on a wide variety of
automotive topics, in many
automotive trade, consumer,
travel, financial, and general
periodicals and newspapers. He
J
has hosted two automotive- o
s
themed radio talk programs, e
p
and presently works in TV. His h
previous books include The Standard Guide to
Automotive Restoration and Collector Car
Restoration Bible. He continues to work as an
industry consultant, providing services to
corporate, financial, and government clients on S
A
various aspects of automotive design, marketing, 1
advertising, publications, and policy. 66
U.S. $26.95
For a free catalog of all our books, write, call or visit our website:
39966 Grand Avenue ISBN 978-1-932494-97-6
North Branch, MN 55056 Item SA166
[phone] or [phone] Written, edited, and designed in the U.S.A.
www.cartechbooks.com Printed in China
Matt Joseph
Dedication
CarTech®, Inc.
39966 Grand Avenue To the legions of craftsmen who, over
North Branch, MN 55056 the centuries, managed to forget about
Phone: [phone] or 800-551-4754
the rigidity of sheet steel and treated it
Fax: [phone]
as if it were plastic in order to form it
www.cartechbooks.com
into a myriad of useful and beautiful
shapes and structures.
© 2009 by Matt Joseph
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be repro- Front Cover:
duced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or Being adept at bodywork not only helps in restora-
tion, but modification as well. Here, a transmission
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any infor-
tunnel is being altered to accommodate an aftermar-
mation storage and retrieval system, without prior permission
ket transmission. (Robert Genet photo)
from the Publisher. All text, photographs, and artwork are the
property of the Author unless otherwise noted or credited. Title Page:
One of the more common areas of rust is the lower
The information in this work is true and complete to the best of corner of doors. Material is being removed to
facilitate a repair.
our knowledge. However, all information is presented without
any guarantee on the part of the Author or Publisher, who also
Back Cover Photos
disclaim any liability incurred in connection with the use of the
information and any implied warranties of merchantability or fit- Top Left:
ness for a particular purpose. Readers are responsible for taking The sound that you hear when you hit metal on an
anvil brims with useful information. A good anvil
suitable and appropriate safety measures when performing any of
rings on impact. An inferior anvil thuds.
the operations or activities described in this work.
Top Right:
All trademarks, trade names, model names and numbers, and Plastic filler is filed in much the same way as lead
other product designations referred to herein are the property of filler. The same body files used for lead can be used
their respective owners and are used solely for identification pur- with plastic fillers.
poses. This work is a publication of CarTech, Inc., and has not
Middle Left:
been licensed, approved, sponsored, or endorsed by any other
High-speed abrasive disks are great for cutting into
person or entity. The Publisher is not associated with any prod- contoured panels, but are pretty much limited to
uct, service, or vendor mentioned in this book, and does not cutting straight lines.
endorse the products or services of any vendor mentioned in this
Middle Right:
book.
It is best to cut a temporary line into either the old
or the new panel, for a trial fitting.
Edit by Bob Wilson and Scott Parkhurst
Layout by Chris Fayers Bottom Left:
Hammering off-dolly is a precision operation that is
ISBN 978-1-61325-252-9 used to shape metal without stretching it.
Item No. SA354
Bottom Right:
Fabricating a splash shield involves rolling the first
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data of three lengthwise beads into it with a hand-
operated bead roller.
Joseph, Matt
Automotive bodywork and rust repair / by Matt Joseph. PGUK
p. cm. 63 Hatton Garden
ISBN 978-1-932494-97-6
London EC1N 8LE, England
1. Automobiles—Bodies—Maintenance and repair. 2. Auto-
Phone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
mobiles—Conservation and restoration. I. Title.
www.pguk.co.uk
TL255.J67 2009
Renniks Publications Ltd.
629.2’60288—dc22
2009016169 3/37-39 Green Street
Banksmeadow, NSW 2109, Australia
Written, edited, and designed in the U.S.A. Phone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
Printed in China www.renniks.com
10 9 8 7 6
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments...............................................4 Chapter 9: Filling..............................................84
Introduction........................................................5 The Secrets of Lead Work ........................................85
The Project: Decklid Panel Repair............................85
Chapter 1: What You Should Know Applying Lead Filler Material...................................87
Before You Start............................................7
Applying Plastic Fillers.............................................92
Panel Types, Configurations and Reinforcements.....8
Autobody Steel............................................................9
Chapter 10: Special Projects
Plasticity and Elasticity.............................................10
and Procedures...........................................96
Work Hardening: The Metal Remembers.................11
The Project: Fabricating a Splash Shield..................96
At the Factory and Afterward...................................14
Making Panels and Trim Fit...................................103
Necessary Tools and Equipment..............................15
Quarter-Panel Replacement....................................103
General Considerations............................................18
Door Re-Skinning...................................................105
Chapter 2: Limits of Materials, Equipment Hanging Doors........................................................107
and Skills........................................................20 Mounting and Adjusting Trim...............................109
Inherent Advantages.................................................23
Divide and Conquer ................................................24 Chapter 11: Before You Paint.........................110
The Danger from Behind........................................111
Chapter 3: Types of Jobs...................................26
Damage Repair..........................................................26 Chapter 12: Minor Rust Repair to a
Small Rust Repairs.....................................................31 Fender Edge..............................................115
Small Patch Piece Welding Methods........................34 The Approach.........................................................115
The First Step: Evaluation.......................................116
Chapter 4: Cleaning, Modeling and Cutting ..37
Removing the Bad Metal........................................116
Preparing and Cleaning Sheetmetal.........................37
Planning and Modeling the Repair........................117
Cutting Panel Materials............................................39
Cutting and Forming the Metal Patches................118
Getting Shapes and Contours Right........................42
Final Fitting.............................................................121
Welding Considerations.........................................121
Chapter 5: Forming, Fitting and Smoothing...44
Cleaning, Positioning, Fixturing and Welding......122
Simple Tools and Equipment...................................44
Grinding the Weld Beads and Shrinking the
Applying Plasticity/Elasticity, Work Hardening
and Annealing.......................................................45 Bulged Area.........................................................124
Hammering Techniques that Work..........................47 Final Steps before Filling........................................126
Bending, Beading and Prying...................................49 Tinning...................................................................127
Power Forming..........................................................50 Applying the Lead Filler ........................................128
Pulling Approaches to Moving Metal......................51 Shaping the Lead and Finishing the Job................130
Smoothing, Stretching, Shrinking and
Forming Operations..............................................52 Chapter 13: Repairing Collision Damage
in a Decklid..............................................133
Chapter 6: Bumping to Move the Metal
The Approach.........................................................136
the Right Way.............................................55
The Early Steps........................................................137
Metal Finishing.......................................................148
Chapter 7: Metal Finishing...............................60
Filling......................................................................153
Indicating, Feeling and Other Human Tools to
Determine Panel Surfaces.....................................60
Chapter 14: Sources and Resources................157
Filing Done Right.....................................................63
Local Sources...........................................................157
The Art of Pick Hammering.....................................66
Non-Local Sources .................................................158
The Disc Sanding Alternative...................................67
Knowledge and Problem-Solving Resources..........158
Chapter 8: Welding Body Metal.......................70
Types of Joints..........................................................71 Appendix
Welding Smaller Pieces into Large Constructions...72 Soldering Data........................................................160
Fixturing...................................................................73 Colors of Steel at Different Temperatures..............160
Electric Welding........................................................73
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
As the author, one of the greatest spent several days there studying and that you sometimes have to pinch
rewards for writing this book has been photographing many projects in yourself to remember how incredibly
all I have learned while doing it. Part progress. It was a great and enlighten- challenging and difficult some of the
of this is because an author has to ing experience. I learned much about work being done there is, and how
clarify his or her own thinking about how quality work can be done on a superb the results of that work are.
the specific subjects of the work. production-like basis. Watching the L’Cars has some of the best equipment
When you are explaining something, skilled metal men at MCR, Inc., com- that I have ever seen. More important,
there is no room for cobwebs and plete complex and difficult projects— it has workers like Blaine, Wayne, and
ambiguities in your own mind. certainly and quickly—inspired me Matt, who know how to use that
A larger benefit is that doing with some of the confidence needed equipment to full advantage. These
research for and writing this book to do my own sheetmetal work in a men also know how to use the sim-
has given me the wonderful oppor- more planned and efficient manner. I ple, traditional tools of body work—
tunity to meet some incredible peo- doubt if any other shop surpasses hammers, dollies, and the like—as
ple—people who are among the best MCR’s ability to produce consistently well as I have ever seen it done. And
practitioners of metal crafts in the great restoration results, on time and they do it with good humor, learning
world. You will meet many of them on budget, with the muscle cars on and sharing knowledge with each
as you read these pages. which they work. other as they go along. The results
Herb Statz, from Waunakee, Wis- L’Cars, in Cameron, Wisconsin, are spectacular, embodying the high-
consin, has worked tirelessly with me. and its genial proprietor, Bob est quality that I have ever seen in
He modeled the skills, techniques, Lorkowski, embody the essence of a this work. These men make the most
and processes shown in many of the craft guild approach to automotive difficult tasks almost seem like rou-
photographs in this book. You can’t restoration. This is a full service tine chores, and bring what seems
miss him. He and his skilled hands are restoration shop that can perform impossible to within reach.
in more than half of the photos. almost every restoration task, from Sam Fiorani of the Eastwood
Beyond providing hands, Herb pro- engine machine work to autobody Company helped me out with some
vided the enormous benefit of his metal work, upholstery, and refinish- great photographs from Eastwood’s
knowledge and wisdom, gained from ing. Their teams do all of this work so files. Several of them appear in this
his varied careers as a mechanic, body well, and on such an incredible vari- book, to the book’s great advantage.
shop metal man, draftsman, aviator, ety of automobiles, that I once desig- To the individuals and organi-
airplane builder, and farmer. Herb nated L’Cars as “the best restoration zations noted above, I offer my sin-
brings to any work that he does the facility in the world.” Everything I cere and grateful thanks for kindly
knowledge from his varied back- saw there, in two trips to talk to and contributing their access, time, and
ground, a great sense of humor, and a photograph their metal men, has knowledge to this book. And spe-
practical and genuine wisdom. I sim- only strengthened that opinion, even cial thanks for generously teaching
ply could not have written this book though I have seen several other top- me a great deal that I did not know
without his help. ranked restoration shops since I first about sheetmetal work, just when I
Muscle Car Restorations, Inc., in wrote those words. was beginning to have the danger-
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, gener- The atmosphere in the L’Cars ous thought that I already knew
ously opened its metal shop to me. I metal shop is so relaxed and amiable everything.
4 AUTOMOTIVE BODYWORK AND RUST REPAIR
I
NTRODUCTION
It’s fun to daydream about own- This book is aimed at beginners beater in the early twentieth century.
ing some of the great collectible in this field, and at those who have He was a robust man for his
cars out there, and restoring their some sheetmetal skills but want to advanced age, and spoke in a boom-
body metal. Or how about con- improve them. It is simply a source ing voice. He had worked in an itin-
structing warm and hot rods from of the information that enables you erant crew of six metal men who had
the remains of those cars, or from to begin in this work, or to advance traveled an annual circuit, from one
scratch? With good metal working your skills in it for improved results. luxury-car-builder’s factory to the
skills, some experience, and some This book covers basic processes next. Their job was to hand hammer
equipment, those daydreams can and skills. It is not an advanced text sheet steel, or aluminum stock, into
become realities that will swell your on this topic. Don’t expect to the rear body surround sections for
chest with pride in what you have hammer perfect tulip petals out of the large luxury cars of that period.
created. 22-gauge metal stock when you fin- In those days, the factories
With enough money, anyone ish it. The basic skills and procedures involved in the limited production
can buy a great restored or modified covered here are the necessary back- of expensive cars did not have big
car, or commission the restoration ground for advancing in this work. enough dies and presses to stamp out
or modification of one. With Equipped with them, you should be the huge rear body sections for their
enough skill, some people can do able to perform most of the tasks cars. They had to be formed by hand.
the work that creates these trea- that you need to do autobody panel The elderly panel beater whom I
sures, rather than pay someone. work, from removing simple dents to met in the mid 1950s described the
The purpose of this book is to fabricating sections of panels and work that he and his crew had per-
present known and sound practices even whole panels. formed. They had wooden “bucks”
for working with automotive sheet For almost any autobody project on which they hammer-formed the
steel—practices and skills that give or task, there are many different ways metal, and could produce one sur-
consistently good results. This is a to achieve desired results. Some are round section in less than a day.
huge topic, one that has consumed better, and/or more efficient, than He told me that when a section
the lifeworks of many craftsmen. others. Some are substandard. My was finished, they would stop ham-
That is because these craftsmen’s purpose in writing this book is to mering, look at each other, and nod
skills, and the results that they have describe many of the main and assent to indicate that each crafts-
achieved, have been, and are, prac- proven approaches to doing very man was satisfied with the work.
ticed on lifelong learning curves. good automotive sheetmetal work. If Then they would move the com-
This book is intended to communi- you master these, you are well placed pleted section off the last wooden
cate many of the basic approaches on that learning curve that I men- buck, and place a new piece of flat
and skills in the automotive steel tioned. You may advance on your stock onto the first buck.
metal craft. Work with aluminum own or with the help of written works At that point in his description
panels is not covered because, while by Ron Fournier, Fay Butler, and some of this work, he asked me, “Do you
it is similar in many ways to steel of the other legendary practitioners in know why we shook our heads to
panel work, it is still a specialty topic automotive metal work. agree that a panel was finished?”
that is outside of the mainstream of When I was much younger, I met I answered, “Yes, because you
automotive panel work. a gentleman who had been a panel were all pretty deaf.”
AUTOMOTIVE BODYWORK AND RUST REPAIR 5
INTRODUCTION
“Right,” he said, “But how did practiced skill to use them properly. This book may differ from other
you know that? Most people never The basics of the sheetmetal craft books that cover, or include, this
get it.” have remained pretty constant over topic in two major ways. First, I do
“Well,” I replied, “You are less the years. Learn them, and you not try to communicate to you
than 3 feet away from me and you should be able to accomplish great everything that I know, but mostly
are yelling at me. I imagine that six things in this work. what you need to know to do this
men hammering on a sheet of metal As you read this book you may work. Second, I always try to do
would make you deaf in short order.” note that some of the material is more than just explain how to per-
Fortunately, vehicle factories repeated in different contexts. That form a particular task or procedure. I
now have easier and more humane is because many procedures are try to state the reasons for doing it
ways to form large panels. However, used in different contexts, and it is that way. When you understand
the proposition for repairing dam- easier to learn them and to realize those reasons, you will have the
age and custom-forming new pan- their full potentials if you see them knowledge base that is necessary for
els, and panel parts, is still much in those different settings. If, as you you to continue to improve and
like the craft exercised by that read this book, you have the vague innovate, on your own, in this field.
panel beater, so many years ago. feeling that you have read some- After you gain good grounding in
There are some exotic tools and thing in it previously, you are prob- metal working basics, you may sur-
devices that can do it faster but ably right. It is organized that way prise yourself with what you can
they are expensive, and it takes a for a reason. accomplish.
While various machines can speed
autobody metal repair and forming
operations, the good old hammer and
dolly are still the basis for much of
this work. Learn to use them properly,
and you will have two great friends
for life.
6 AUTOMOTIVE BODYWORK AND RUST REPAIR
CHAPTER 1
W Y S K
HAT OU HOULD NOW
B Y S
EFORE OU TART
Pounding and forcing thin metal
sections into shapes that humans
want and need has a long history.
While there is disagreement about
exactly when and where people
began to work with metals, it was cer-
tainly in prehistoric times and began
with soft metals like gold and copper.
The discovery of how to control
fire made extracting metals from
mined ores more efficient than had
been finding nuggets of almost pure
metal. It also led to the ability to cre- Styling can be unique and/or spectacular. This artist’s conception of the 1926
ate alloys of various metals, by melt- Judkins Coaching Brougham body on a Lincoln chassis illustrates those
ing them. In many civilizations potentials. While this body’s sheetmetal is relatively simple, it was all hand
Copper Age developments were suc- hammered from flat stock. Note: The hood and fenders were supplied by Lincoln.
ceeded by Bronze Age advances,
bronze being an alloy of copper and welding, and many others. These were Think about that the next time
tin. Longer-surviving civilizations the precursors of many modern metal that you are at a car show, and
usually progressed from copper and working processes still in use today. admire some difficult-to-form body
bronze to iron and steel. The earliest metal forming tech- feature of a hot rod or custom car.
The qualities of metal, in particular niques involved beating pure metals The ability to produce it began thou-
its plasticity and strength, made it ideal and alloys into small, flat formats. sands of years ago, with anonymous,
for uses as varied as making ornaments, Then those sheet stocks were formed ancient metal workers, beating cop-
cookware, and weapons. In these and into useful or ornamental items like per into crude and unlovely bracelets
other uses, it had many great advan- knives and pendants. We know that or kitchen pots. The latest die stamp-
tages over other materials like wood, such ancient civilizations as the Hit- ing and rolling processes that pro-
bone, and ceramics. Various processes tites, Mesopotamians, and Babyloni- duce modern automobiles are
were applied to early metals: annealing, ans were well along in using variants basically developments on those
tempering, bending, stamping, rolling, of some of those processes, thou- ancient metal arts. It’s kind of hum-
casting, forging, cutting, soldering, sands of years BCE. bling, isn’t it?
AUTOMOTIVE BODYWORK AND RUST REPAIR 7
CHAPTER 1
These late-nineteenth-century tools—a The rear quarter of this 2009
tinner’s hammer and blacksmith’s Mercedes-Benz SLK350 exhibits
mushroom anvil—are not very almost every type of crown that there
different from some tools that we still is: high, medium, low, and reverse. The iconic 2005 Scion xB exhibits
use today. While new power tools Only no-crown is missing. Each type very little crown in any of its panels,
have come into use since then, we of crown in this panel works into all are very low-crown. It figures that
continue to use some of the old tools another type. It is truly a showcase of this anti-car would employ anti-crown
in sheetmetal repair and fabrication. the metal-stamping art. stampings.
In the modern sheetmetal fabrica- concept to work with sheetmetal. All Reverse crown is simply crown
tion and repair field, we use highly formed metal shapes have some char- that faces away from the outside of a
evolved versions of much of the acteristic of crown—no or low crown, car. “Concave crown” would also
knowledge, and many of the tools medium crown, high crown, reverse describe this configuration. Combi-
and techniques, employed by those crown, or combination crown. nation-crown panels have different
ancient metal formers. But we have Flat metal has no crown. It may be kinds of crown that work into each
advanced greatly from where they left bent, or formed into a simple arc, but other, such as low into high crowns,
off. Every tool, device, and process it has no crown. Metal acquires crown or high or low crowns that work into
that we use today is better than what when it is shaped in ways that cause it reverse-crown areas.
they had. Our raw material, the sheet- to fall away from a point, any point, in All of this is important because
metal itself, is pure and consistent every direction. That is the essence of crown imparts strength to panels,
beyond anything that they could crown. The significance of crown is and therefore is more resistant to
imagine. Our knowledge is greater, that it stiffens panels, and areas of force applied to repair damaged areas
and our results are often more daring panels, where it exists. This is because where it exists. It is also important
and always more uniform and the stamping or rolling processes that because crown is forgiving, up to a
durable than their best efforts. For all are used to create crown in panels point, when you repair areas that
that, we still beat metal with ham- tend to harden them, and because an have it. This is because stretched
mers, roll it through wheels, and weld arched, three-dimensional structure is metal can be hidden in crowned
it with heat. Some general aspects and inherently stronger than a flat one. areas. Since these areas are, by their
principles of metal work have The more crown a panel has, the nature, bulged shapes, a small addi-
changed little over time. tougher it is likely to be in resisting tional bulge often fits undiscernibly
the impact of a collision, or the ham- into them. Very-low-crown and no-
Panel Types, Configurations mer blows that a metal worker strikes crown metal cannot hide stretches.
and Reinforcements to repair it. High-crown panels have They show as unsightly bulges
more crown than low-crown panels. and/or ripple distortions.
Ancient metal workers may not You can often move the metal in no- I am not exactly advocating
have had a word for “crown,” but they crown and low-crown areas of panels autobody dishonesty here. However,
certainly understood its significance. with your fingertips. This is not possi- this work involves reaching goals
You need to understand this basic ble in highly crowned areas of panels. that are mostly judged on their
8 AUTOMOTIVE BODYWORK AND RUST REPAIR
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU START
content than iron, the even dispersal
of what carbon it does have makes it
strong and somewhat plastic, or
deformable, unlike various irons.
Mild sheet steel, the stuff of auto-
bodies, is roughly .25-percent car-
bon. Above that concentration of
carbon, steels begin to fit into the
medium steel classification. Between
.6-percent and 1-percent carbon,
steels are considered hard or high-
carbon. Ultra hard steels, like tool
steels, may contain between 1-per-
cent and 2-percent carbon.
How panels are supported makes a tremendous difference in how you The softness of panel steel allows
approach their repair. This 2008 Mitsubishi Galant’s upper fender attachments it to undergo the highly organized
are very unusual. Short strut pieces attach the fender tops to the car’s inner brutality of stamping it into complex
fenders. Anyone who repairs these fenders has to take this into account. three-dimensional shapes like doors,
hoods, roofs, and fenders. Using heat
visual merits. At times, and in some truly amazing material. It is a com- and enormous pressure, automotive
situations, a good practitioner uses plex alloy of iron, carbon, and other body steel is stamped into final sheet
characteristics of panel configuration elements. It has been heat treated in format. While it is primarily an alloy
to slightly trick the eye. (There will its manufacture to disperse the car- of iron and carbon, several other ele-
be more on this topic, later.) bon evenly into the steel’s granular ments—which, in some cases, have
Along with crown, how a panel structure. While steel has less carbon names that are hard to remember and
is supported and attached to a vehi-
cle is critical in understanding how it
performs under impact, and how
best to remove impact damage from
it. Many panels have strengthening
structures welded or bolted under
them. Panels that are attached to
vehicles by welding them to sub-
structure perform differently from
those that are bolted to substructure.
Unless you deal with them, bent or
damaged substructure reinforce-
ments and fastening points that
impart strength to panels, cause pan-
els to resist restoration to their origi-
nal formats. Always consider this
factor when you plan panel repair or
restoration work.
Autobody Steel Throughout most of automotive history, all panels were stamped out in
presses, like the ones shown here in a General Motors stamping room in the
The steel sheet stock that is mid 1970s. More recently, some very large stampings are rolled into panels by
formed into automobile panels is a dies that move in two dimensions. (Photo supplied by General Motors Corp.)
AUTOMOTIVE BODYWORK AND RUST REPAIR 9