Bead rolling is one of those sheet metal fabrication tools that looks easy to use, but there are countless tricks to get good looking, consistent beads. On Project Pile House I have over a hundred feet handmade panels rolled in bead roller (Easily!) and I’ve picked up a handful of tips along the way that make life a LOT easier!
Tag: tech
How to Use a Propane Torch
Propane torches are fantastic tools that are widely used in the automotive industry. These torches have stainless steel flame tubes made for rugged use and long-lasting ability, providing a soft, dispersed flame that is ideal for body solder and plastic forming jobs. Below, you will learn how to properly use a propane torch for your automotive needs.
How to Repair and Shorten Longbed Chevy C10 Bedsides
When it comes to classic trucks short beds rule the coop for desirability and resale value. Most enthusiasts turn their nose up to a long bed truck. What’s slowly happening though is that nice, clean examples of short beds are becoming few and far between and when they do pop up you’re going to pay a premium. Recently some guys have started shortening the bed and chassis of long bed trucks to get the same look but without the price gouge of a short bed truck. Our friend Sean Ramáge of Empire Fabrication recently took on the big job of taking an original-paint set of long bedsides and repairing the damage and shortening them, all while keeping as much original paint and patina as possible. He shared the process with us and gave us an insight into what it takes to tackle a job like this.
How to Use a Vibratory Tumbler
Vibratory tumblers serve a number of great purposes in the automotive industry. This tool helps remove rust, debris or burrs from pieces of hardware without damaging their edges or mechanical integrity. They can also help polish hard-to-reach surfaces to an optimum metal shine, which is very useful when working on […]
How Do I Prepare a Chassis for Painting?
When you decide to paint your vehicle’s chassis, you must know how to properly prepare the area for painting. To prepare your chassis, the first thing to do is gather your materials, which include: a PRE paint solution, electric sander, stripper or blaster, lint-free hand towels, and some epoxy primer. Using an epoxy primer will yield the best results when painting your chassis. Once you acquire all the tools you need, the preparation process is straightforward.
Eastwood Tech Tip: Cutting straight lines with your Shear.
Whenever you find yourself doing metal fabrication you’ll come to a time when you need to make a razor straight cut. Unfortunately most of us don’t have a big ‘ol “stomp shear”, so we need to use a power or hand tool. It seems no matter how many times I measured, set my tools up, got comfortable, did practice runs, etc. I could never get a perfectly straight line when cutting longer cuts on sheet metal. Recently it clicked in my head to utilize an old trick when making straight cuts with a plasma cutter.
What is a Lap Joint and How Do You Perform One?
A common joint found in auto repair work, the lap joint is a piece where two pieces of metal overlap each other. An ideal lap weld should have a good amount of weld bead penetration without the upper edge melting back or overlaying. If the upper layer melts too much, the lap joint will be too weak and thin. Making lap welds takes a good amount of practice to get it right, so experiment with your welding angle, arc length and rate of stitching welder travel to find the best combination for you.
How to Make your barn or garage find road-worthy- Part One Assessing the Vehicle
In the past 5-10 years the buzz words in the automotive hobby are “barn finds” or “garage finds” and “picking”. This is just a car guy or gals way of explaining automotive treasure hunting. The dream is to find an untouched car or parts that’s been stashed away and forgotten in a barn, garage, yard, etc. and you pull it out and put it back into use. There’s practically an entire subculture in the classic car world dedicated to this with shows like American Pickers, Chasing Classic Cars, Backroad Gold, etc making it look like an easy process. I’ve been doing this sort of thing for quite a while and it can be as easy as knocking on a door and handing over a stack of cash, but the process to make these cars and parts usable again IS NOT. Any car that’s been sitting for more than a few years is going to need a LOT of work to get it ready to cruise the streets again. Not only that, there are some key steps you should take to avoid causing damage to the vehicle when trying to get it going.
Autobody Teacher and Students Teach How to Paint A Car using Eastwood Products
Donnie Smith’s (AKA “Butler Collision”) YouTube channel has for a while now been a wealth of FREE knowledge for anyone interested in learning more about the collision or autobody hobby and trade. Recently Donnie and his students decided to tackle a color change on a 2003 Mustang and document the supplies, costs, and time needed to do the job. Along the way they’re using DIY-geared Eastwood products to help make the job easier AND more cost effective. We’re excited to see how the car turns out and maybe we’ll even learn a thing or two ourselves along the way! Make sure you follow the project on their Collision Blast Blog.