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 BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R
INTRODUCTION
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 BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R
5
I NTRODUCTION
“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 BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R
C H A P T E R 1
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
BEFORE YOU START
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 BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R
7
CHAPTE R 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
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 int
o 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.