armed with these attributes, it is
move toward each other a small dis-
flattened the bends that had been V-
incredible what Matt accomplished,
tance. This creates a small, compact
bent by their rear area, creating an
in a relatively short time, with the
upset—a defined and local shrink. The
upset in the metal, and shrinking it.
Pullmax and Steck dies. It was equally
operator can control the amount of
This also shaped it. It took a combi-
amazing that there was almost no
the shrink in several ways, in particu-
nation of skill, judgment, and experi-
collateral damage—surface abrading,
lar by adjusting head pressure—the
AUTOMOTIVE BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R
99
CHAPTE R 1 0
The next step in
14 fabricating the
splash shield was to
roll the first of three
lengthwise beads into
it. A tape line was
pulled in the position of
the first bead, and
marked on the metal.
The bead was rolled
slowly and accurately
with a hand-operated
bead roller.
Behold the rare and lovely
13 Magee Wire Edger. It uniformly
wraps sheetmetal edges around wire
cores. It can handle mild curves in
three dimensions. That amazing feat
qualifies it for my list of the Seven
that it cannot function as it is sup-
paper template indicated excessive
Sheetmetal Wonders of the World
posed to, without springing out of
bulge in the crown at the new
shape, or even cracking. By compari-
shield’s corner bends.
distance between the heads in their
son, the metal in Matt’s panel
To correct this, Matt performed
repeated strokes—and how many
remained
supple
and
resilient
some radical cold shrinks and re-
cycles he or she allows the metal to be
throughout the process.
shapings where the metal was
compacted in a given area.
Of course, Matt checked his
bulged. This was done with a cycling
Do not think that all of this
evolving fabrication often against
press that impressed the metal
sophisticated tool work was occurring
the original piece, as his work pro-
between a domed steel tool, and a
untouched by human hands. As Matt
gressed. As the crowns and curves in
hard rubber surface, basically a
alternated use of the Pullmax/Steck
the new piece became more and
hockey puck. The result was then
operation with wheeling on the Eng-
more regular and authentic, its sur-
upset with a body hammer over a
lish Wheel, and Eckold head shrink-
face became smoother. It began to
shot bag, and smoothed out on an
ing, he also did some good,
look finished.
English wheel. This corrected the last
old-fashioned hand bending, to make
No matter how good the piece
major dimensional deviation in the
the piece go into the correct curva-
looked, however, it was critical to its
basic shape of the fabricated part.
tures. Once he had the right contour
dimensional correctness to keep
More work with the Eckold heads
in his work piece, he used the
checking it against the paper tem-
and English wheel fine-tuned minor
machines to refine it and to make it
plate. Those comparisons provided
areas of the piece, until it very closely
permanent. Because Matt’s shaping
better and more useful indications
approximated the original item when
approach involved sequential force
than could be derived from compar-
compared to the paper template.
and stress relieving operations, the
isons to the original splash shield. To
The original splash shield had
panel acquired impressively little stress
verify specific areas of the new piece,
most of the length of its edges
and hardness as he worked it. He also
checking against the paper template
wrapped around a wire core, the
avoided producing any thin spots.
informed exactly where the new fab-
exception being the attachment areas
I have seen metal worked with
rication might be off, because it was
at its ends. To duplicate this configu-
conventional hand tools in dimen-
possible to position the paper tem-
ration, Matt used a Magee Wire
sionally smaller amounts than this,
plate exactly over any particular area
Edger. This was a common produc-
and become so brittle and stressed
in the work piece. At one point, the
tion tool, from Model T days into the
100
AUTOMOTIVE BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R
S P ECIAL P ROJ ECTS AN D P RO CE DU R E S
With the first wire edge
At this point, the Eckold heads
15
17
installed, and the first bead
The second and third beads
were used to shrink and
16
rolled into the metal, it took on a new
were now rolled into the splash
smooth a small buckle in the edge of
firmness. Matt now did some manual
shield. A little re-rolling touchup in a
the metal. This was in preparation for
shaping. Note the contour outline
tightly curved and crowned section of
installing the second wire edge in the
marked on the floor for checking the
the third bead is shown here.
work piece.
piece’s shape. The first rolled bead is
clearly visible.
The second wire edge was
With the second wire edge
18
19
rolled into the metal, using the
completed, the piece was in its
The Magee Wire Edger couldn’t
20
miraculous Magee Wire Edger. While
final form. It remained only to refine
follow the sharp bends. After
this machine makes this look simple, it
some of its details. Here, Matt is fine
shaping and welding in wire, Matt
takes skill, judgment, and experience
tuning one of the beads. Later, he
bent the edge of the metal over the
to achieve good results with it. The
uses a body hammer and a die that
wire with locking pliers. He had to
hardest part of using the Magee is
he had fabricated to make the beads’
anneal the metal once to finish this
setting it up correctly for a job.
ends uniform.
bending job.
1940s. Somehow, Bob Lorkowski, the
&nbs
p; With the first of the two wire
bead added to that strength. Now,
amiable proprietor of L’Cars, has res-
edges on the work piece formed, Matt
Matt manually bent the piece into
urrected one of these extremely rare
and some helpers used a bead roller to
final shape. Up to this point, it still
machines for use in his shop’s
roll the bead nearest to the wire-cored
had been too floppy to hold its final
restoration work. A sheetmetal edge,
edge into the work piece. This
shape. Now it did.
not necessarily a straight edge, is fed
required the use of a deep-throat bead
The other two beads were rolled
into the machine along with a piece
roller with a manual drive. The bead
into the piece, with dimensional
of core wire. The Magee bends the
was rolled slowly enough to precisely
checks and small corrections made to
edge of the sheetmetal uniformly
follow a tape line that Matt had
it along the way. The Eckold shrinking
around the core wire, with absolutely
marked on the metal for guidance.
dies were particularly useful at this
no fuss or visible distortion. It is an
The rolled wire edge gave the
point for stabilizing the metal in its
amazing process to behold.
piece strength, and the first rolled
correct and final shape.
AUTOMOTIVE BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R
101
CHAPTE R 1 0
What If You Don’t Have a Magee Wire Edger?
Over the years, in production, many know of are particularly pretty for long automotive items, like fenders,
runs, but at least some of them can be
hoods, and running boards, had their
made to work.
edges wrapped around wire cores by a
My first step in wire edge wrapping is
Magee Wire Edger. If you have to
to roll the narrowest half-round bead that I
duplicate this format in a fabrication, it is
can, about 1/4 inch in from the edge of the
possible to do so without using the
piece that I am wire edging. I use the
original Magee machine and tooling.
smallest-bead-diameter bead rolling dies
However, this is difficult and it is doubtful
that I have, about 3⁄16 inch. This procedure
that any manual process for wire edging
produces a rounded bead with a little flat
will achieve the perfection of the Magee
metal beyond it.
results. Hint: If you talk to Bob Lorkowski
Next, I use a brake to gently rol the bead
After flattening the metal beyond
at L’Cars nicely, he might perform this
over on itself. I do this incremental y, pul ing
the edge radius with a square-
process for you with their Magee, on a fee
the rol ed bead through the brake, and brak-
faced body hammer, I tamped the
basis. That would definitely be my first
ing it slightly in several positions to tighten the
remaining metal flat to the panel
choice for accurate wire edging.
bend’s radius. It takes some experimentation
with a hammer and a piece of
For years, restorers and fabricators
to make this work—preferably on scrap
bracket steel.
have had to do their best at approximating
metal—because dimensions vary with the
Magee results. There are several ways to
thickness of what you are wire edging, the
If the edge that you are creating is not
approach this job, depending on your
diameter of the wire that you use to core your
straight—it rarely is—you have to form it in
equipment and imagination. None that I
edge, and the tooling that you have available.
sections, using cuts between short,
straight runs to accommodate curvature,
and then beading the sections individually,
before closing them with a finger brake or
pliers. I warned you that this procedure
wouldn’t be pretty!
The third step in this procedure is to
hammer the wrapped edge down, flat, over
the wire core with a square-faced body
hammer. This closes the edge around the
wire. Final y, I hammer the edge flush with
the back of the panel with a tamping tool. A
flat piece of thick strap iron works wel for
this last operation. A wire-cored edge that is
The first step in my home-style
The second step in my home-brew
made this way obviously lacks the perfec-
attempt to wire edge this piece of
wire-edging process is to radius
tion of a machine-rol ed edge, but it can be
22-gauge steel is to roll the
the edge metal, beyond the rolled
made to work acceptably. If you are dealing
narrowest bead that I could, about
bead, into a 3/4-round shape. I did
with a curved edge, it is necessary to weld
1/4 inch in from its edge. Wire
this in a brake, in several small
shut the cuts that you made, and to use dis-
edging a curved edge presents
actions against the open edge,
creet amounts of lead or plastic fil er to fin-
another set of problems, and is
until it remained open only wide
ish the welded lateral cuts that you used to
much more difficult to accomplish.
enough to insert my wire core.
create curvature in your wire-cored edge.
AUTOMOTIVE BODY WOR K AN D R UST R E PAI R
S P ECIAL P ROJ ECTS AN D P RO CE DU R E S
the Magee Wire Edger to follow. This
ments of the dimensions and posi-
was done manually, by welding in a
tions of parts, to make them to work
shaped piece of wire that followed
together properly. This is a continuous
the contour of the indent, and
battle in this work, with no simple, or
rolling the splash shield metal
general, attack plan available. Some-
around it. Annealing heat was used
times early-on minor mistakes, or
to soften the metal in this area to
botched details, can cause big prob-
allow completion of its severe defor-
lems in fitting things together later.
mation around the wire. Top brack-
Other times, what may appear to be
ets were fabricated to duplicate the
big problems are surprisingly easy to
originals, and then spot welded into
solve. The following photos of a range
place. Finally, mounting and rein-
of fitting operations were taken at
forcing plates for the splash shield’s Muscle Car Restorations, Inc., in ends were formed to duplicate the
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
originals, and spot welded to the
The only general advice that
Matt fabricated these shield
splash shield.
applies to these things is: You mini-
21 mou
nting brackets from flat
The authenticity of Matt’s fabri-
mize the potential for big problems
stock, and spot welded them onto the
cated duplicate piece was superb. This
when you attend to dimensional
splash shield. Talk about detail! Even
was one of the most difficult metal
accuracy as you go along.
the brackets that he fabricated were
forming jobs in steel material that I
faithful replicas of the originals.
have ever witnessed, and it was done
Quarter-Panel Replacement
with an exactness of shape and detail
With the third bead rolled into
that is at the far limit of what can be
When it is done correctly,
place, and the metal checked and
accomplished in fabricating sheet-
quarter-panel replacement can be a
rechecked for fidelity to the original
metal. Note that when the finished
long job. This is work that can be
piece, the second wire edge was added.
fabrication is put into service, it will be
done very well or very badly. Doing it
At this point, the piece became quite
visible from both sides. It will be sub-
well involves making everything fit
strong, while showing no tendency to
jected to severe service, in terms of
nicely, while avoiding forcing fits in
want to spring or oil can into and out
impact,
vibration,
exposure
to
any major way. Such forced fits can
of shape. The metal contained little
weather, and possibly to corrosive sea
cause distortion in the finished job.
stress. Metaphorically, it seemed
water. Surviving these factors made it
The first step is to plan exactly
happy and at peace with itself. Maybe
impossible to take the easier route of
what metal you want to remove and
you just had to be there to sense this.
fabricating it from welded-together
replace. In large part, this is dictated
The second wire edge was added
sub-sections.
by the damage that is the cause for
to the new splash shield, and minor
It also is impressive that the
having to graft in the new metal. It is
corrections were made to the rolled
whole process of making this piece
tempting to replace all of the old
beads, and to the metal around
took less than a day and a half, and
metal that is included in the new
them. The ends of the beads were
that included considerable time that
panel that you are installing—after