DYI fabrications

[mrwrstory]

One of the things that's particularly satisfying for me is fabricating a part that I cannot otherwise find or does not exist in the real world. Sometimes it a special tool or fixture. They are usually smallish and involve fabricating something by hand to look like a production piece.  Often it involves "re-purposing" something that already exists.

Many of us do that as a routine.  However, there are some of our fraternity who might learn something or be inspired to stretch their view of what might be achievable with a little ingenuity and encouragement.

There are many of these little "nuggets" of inspiration buried in many of our threads,.... i.e. 40plyrod's "lower grill trim piece".  Some may recall my wrench turned pitman arm (on the Hemi Build thread).  Normally associated with a specific project thread, they might also apply to, or serve as inspiration for, any number of other subjects.

Here's a start.

I found a neat little tank that I wanted to use as an overflow reservoir.  This is the special bracket that was made to mount it.

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Edited December 3, 2015 by mrwrstory

[1952B3b23]

Here's a link to a thread i posted on the truck side of the forum. It's a hand built 52 Dodge B3b truck rear fender. I built it in a metal shaping class i took in June 2014. It's still not 100% completed because i got side tracked with getting my '39 Plymouth coupe back together. I'll finish it once the car is "done".

 

http://p15-d24.com/topic/37293-scratch-built-52-dodge-b3b-rear-fender/?hl=%2Bdodge+%2Bscratch+%2Bbuilt+%2Bfender

 

-Chris

[Don Coatney]

I milled out these lower alternator brackets using a file and hacksaw. Crude but they work well.

 

 

[Don Coatney]

Carved this pilot bearing mount on a lathe. My design and the work was done by a buddy in his machine shop.

 

 

[mrwrstory]

Whadda great start to this thread.

Who's next?

[mrwrstory]

This in response to fstfish66 query, 'tho I may have posted it before,.....I forget   .

Started with a piece of 1" sq aluminum tube.  Knocked the corners off and cut the slots on the table saw.  I may have a few more pics and/or ask me questions if you're interested.

 

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[Dave72dt]

Here's a fenderwell patch panel I formed from a single piece of flat metal, including the lower lip, using hand tools and a shrinker stretcher.  Does this count?

[48Dodger]

saving this spot. need to find my pictures.

 

Great OT thread idea Bill.

 

48D

[Brent B3B]

i also have posted this on the truck side........... I don't have 1/2 the talent or patience as others but I found the need to make a couple tools out of some scrap. one was to pull off a yoke nut

and one was to remove the axle nut

 

crude, but good experience and it didn't cost me a lot   

Edited December 4, 2015 by Brent B3B

[mrwrstory]

Here's a fenderwell patch panel I formed from a single piece of flat metal, including the lower lip, using hand tools and a shrinker stretcher.  Does this count?

​absolutely!  got any pics of the process?

[Dave72dt]

​absolutely!  got any pics of the process?

not really.  I take very few pics of a process like that.  I made a pattern before cutting the old rotted metal out so I could get the proper arc where it folds over, started the folds with a blunted chisel along the lines, then stood a short piece of wood in the vise that had a bit of curve to it and hammered the folds over a bit at a time, using the shrinker-stretcher on the folded sections to keep the center flat as I went along.  Also had to make an inner fender patch panel for it in  the same spot.  That piece was a simple piece that was broke to a 90 in the vise and the arc put in with shrinker stretcher to match the arc in the outer panel.  Inner piece was trimmed to fit and welded in.  Wheel well had factory foam sound deadener in it so the outer piece couldn't be welded in without danger of fire so some pieces were made that would form a flange that were glued to the inside of the outer skin, allowed to cure and the outer patch panel then glued to the newly formed flange.  My first time using panel adhesive and really pleased with the results.

 

I used on the opposite fender well as well where the inner fender was still intact.  That one I cut the rot out so the opening at the farthest in was not as wide as the cut at the lip, actually slotted the wheel well at the lip and made my replacement piece wide enough to slip under the skin, applied the adhesive and clamped in place, some short strand glass filler to level it to the outer skin and done.  That piece was maybe a 2  x 2 1/2 inch area but bubbles were forming under the paint so it had to come out..  If it wasn't for the foam insulation ( read water trap) I would have welded both in.  The adhesive was a very good alternative for this repair.

[mrwrstory]

Was hoping to see a little more participation since many of us claim to be "hands on guys"

That said, here's my latest experiment.  It's the driving light on my Roadster which embraces the Steam Punk theme.  One never knows exactly how the colors will evolve and that shown will surely change after BBQing.  More in a coupla days.

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[oldodge41]

I am not a fabricator and don't posses the skills you guys have but I still try. Here is my brake bracket and one of my homemade wiring harness.

[wayfarer]

^{I am not a fabricator and don't posses the skills you guys have but I still try. Here is my brake bracket and one of my homemade wiring harness.}

 

^{...not many have the skills of Mr Bill...}

[BigDaddyO]

I am not a fabricator and don't posses the skills you guys have but I still try. Here is my brake bracket and one of my homemade wiring harness.

If you made it and it works, you're a fabricator.

Congratulations.

[40plyrod]

Glad to see this thread resurrected, I enjoy seeing other builders creativity and problem solving. Here's my contribution, how I built the running boards for my 40 sedan but the process could be used for making a lot of different parts. My running boards were finished there wasn't enough metal left to even bother patching and I wanted something a little more custom and better fitting so I created my own panel form, but you could use a stock running board to make a pattern. Picture 1 is the buck I made for forming the running board, I started to make 2 but then realized the the buck could be used from either side to make a left or a right running board and so because I'm not a good woodworker and lazy I never finished the second form. I made my buck from fir but that was just what I had around you could use any medium to hard wood. Once I had the shape figured out and the buck made I tried it on the car (on both sides) to make sure I was happy with the shape and fit (seen in pic 2). I don't have access to a large sheet metal brake so I took my 18 gauge sheet metal pieces 2@ 6'x8" and 2 strips 2" wide to our local heating and sheet metal shop to get them to bend the metal. I had them bend a 1 1/2" fold length-ways on the 6'x8" pieces and I had them brake the 2" strips length-ways in half. I clamped the 8" wide piece between the finished wood buck running board and the unfinished piece with the folded over edge towards the back edge of the running board and started beating the metal over using a dead blow hammer. I like the soft face and the weight for the initial forming but anything would work ie rubber mallet, baseball bat, ball peen even a single jack, but the softer the face the less marks that will be in the finished product. The main trick is to move the metal a little at a time along the entire length of the bend (shown in pic 3). Picture 4 and 5 show the finishing of the bend, this is where I use my body hammer to fine tune the bend and surface. Picture 6 is the finished part removed from the buck. The next step was pretty easy for me because I have a sheet metal shrinker/strecher but the same can be achieved by cutting notches and welding. I wanted to return the outside edge of the running board for aesthetics and strength so basically pictures 7 and 8  show me using the formed 1"x1" angle sheet metal strip and the shrinker/strecher to get the metal to follow the shape of the running board. Once that was done (picture 9) I put the formed running board back in the buck and laid the strip over the edge and clamped the two together so that I could scribe a line (pic 10) and cut the overlapping part off the top half of the running board. Next step is important make sure you remove the part from the buck otherwise it'll be stuck in there for good, then weld the two pieces together and cap the ends. Last picture is the finished part needing only bodywork and paint. 

[Jeff Balazs]

If you made it and it works, you're a fabricator.

Congratulations.

Even if it doesn't work the way you intended you are still a fabricator.......maybe not as accomplished as others?......but then there is always the possibility of a Mark 2 or Mark 3.

 

Jeff

[mrwrstory]

How cool are those running boards, eh!  Amazing what you can do if you just go for it and use a little thought.

And to Jeff's point,....many of my fabrications become "prototypes"  for the Mark 2 or 3   

[40plyrod]

 ^^ Yup, lots of "prototypes" hanging on the wall or in the recycle bin.

[Jeff Balazs]

How cool are those running boards, eh!  Amazing what you can do if you just go for it and use a little thought.

And to Jeff's point,....many of my fabrications become "prototypes"  for the Mark 2 or 3   

 

 ^^ Yup, lots of "prototypes" hanging on the wall or in the recycle bin.

Hey......I knew I had company out there. If at first you don't succeed....try try again.

 

Jeff

Edited March 28, 2016 by Jeff Balazs

[mrwrstory]

Thanks for the kind words.  Ya know however,...it's amazing what you can get away with, or achieve if you just jump in.  Most of this stuff I have never done before and,....I've never been accused of being particularly smart.

Edited March 30, 2016 by mrwrstory

[40plyrod]

Very cool Bill. You're giving me lot of ideas for the next project. Better hope I don't start it before BBQ season.

[40plyrod]

Time to get this thread going again... so this is how I built my door panels. Please don't take this as "look what I can do" but instead as "this is what anyone can do". I chose to add a layer of complexity to my panels by adding stitching but they could be made without it and no sewing would be needed. I have never run a sewing machine in my life but that's what youtube is for right  and  if I can figure out how to wind a bobbin anyone can. 1st step is to make your backing, I made mine out of 1/8" mahogany plywood, some people use abs plastic but it was hard to find around here and expensive if you could find it, as well I've had good luck with mahogany and it's easy to cut. I still had my old rotten panels and was able to trace them onto the plywood but the new panels still needed a little "tuning" to get right. If you don't have any panels to start from, then use a piece of clear plastic sheet slightly bigger than the door and tape it in place and use a jiffy marker to draw on the plastic the shape of the panel and the mounting holes etc cut that out and trace it on to the plywood. Make sure you make a left and right and make sure you mark the plywood left and right ( you look foolish when you make 2 drivers side door panels! ask me how I know  )

For the fabric as long as you're not doing a faithful restoration you can use anything. I got mine from Fabricland and it's just couch upholstery material that was on sale, buy 2 yards get one free. I needed 6 yards and the total cost was $100 including thread, sewing machine needles and backing foam. The next step is to cut your fabric to size. I just lay the plywood panel on top of the fabric and trace it onto the back of the fabric making it 1 1/2" larger than the plywood. Then I cut the 1/4" foam to the exact size of the panel. Again the hardest part of all this is making sure you don't cut 2 pieces of fabric for the same door. I then glue the foam to the fabric using a spray-able adhesive, I like 3M super 77. At this point if you want just a plain flat door panel just glue the foam/fabric to the plywood and then fold the extra material around the back of the plywood (some relief cuts to the fabric may be necessary) I however wanted something that resembled pleating and gave the panel some texture so the next step was to mark out the pattern and sew the fabric and foam together. I used 3/4" and 1/4" masking tape to lay out my pattern. I found it was easier to follow with the sewing machine than the chalk lines I drew for the 1st kick panel I made. About this time I decided to add even more to the project and decided to sew a vinyl strip to the bottom of the door panel. I placed this face down and sewed it to the foam/fabric, that way when I glued the fabric to the plywood I could pull the vinyl down and the stitch would be hidden. Finally, I glued all this to the plywood, folded the extra over the back of the plywood, punched the holes for the window cranks and door handles and done! 

Edited June 26, 2016 by 40plyrod

[mrwrstory]

How cool!  What I like and what I think is most important is your message that about anyone can do this stuff.  One only needs to have the desire and courage to waste a little time and material.  And I repeat, "it's amazing what you can get away with if you just go for it!"  And,....it sure beats chasing golf balls for $100.00 a day.

Edited June 26, 2016 by mrwrstory

[pflaming]

I modified my generator mount this way. I had a friend modify it on milling machine.