Bending SS trim

[JSabah]

So I went to start installing the long moldings on the front and rear fenders only to find that the polisher has somehow straightened them. Before I go trying to (gently) put some shape to them by hands, knee or whatever, I thought I’d ask if anyone has experience or tricks for getting them back to the correct shape. Thanks

[pflaming]

I’m about to do the same thing. If the piece is a bolt on, I would attach those, then try to form the piece to the car. Put the nut on wit a nice washer and draw it up a bolt at a time. No experience, just a suggestion.  Good luck.

[JSabah]

I want to get it closer 1st as the clips/bolts may not be that strong. Good luck to you too. Please post how you are getting along with this

[DonaldSmith]

Somehow I bent the front fender molding on my 47 DeSoto- probably drove too close to the garage door frame and snagged the trim.  I shaped a wood form to the contour of the fender, and gently formed the s.s. trim to the contour.  Rubber-faced hammer?  Bent it past the contour, to allow for spring-back?  Good enough by the time I finished. 

 

   

(Oh, by the way,I learned a trick for re-sizing the photos - I attached the first photo inside the post,  and double-clicked on the photo.  A box came up.  I changed the 900 size to 450, and made the alignment "left".  I attached and re-sized the second photo, and made the alignment "none".)   

Edited October 9, 2019 by DonaldSmith
Hint for re-sizing photos

[pflaming]

5 hours ago, JSabah said:

. Please post how you are getting along with this

Work today, among other things. The post needed paint, the steering wheel splines groves were damaged, so . . . The grill bars will be same color as the car. I may add rhe chrome pieces thar frame the grill area, one long piece on the hoods lip and two small extensions on each end. The long piece is pristine including the attaching bolts. I have two of these pieces.The car is ready to drive, but these and other cosmetic items come first. Tedious, time consuming work. 

Edited October 10, 2019 by pflaming

[ntxcustoms]

If there are no obvious kinks in the trim, you can fill the piece with lead and bend back to the desired curve.

[JSabah]

35 minutes ago, ntxcustoms said:

If there are no obvious kinks in the trim, you can fill the piece with lead and bend back to the desired curve.

Fill with lead? How would you do that? Use lead shot and seal with duct tape? 

[JSabah]

2 hours ago, pflaming said:

Work today, among other things. The post needed paint, the steering wheel splines groves were damaged, so . . . The grill bars will be same color as the car. I may add rhe chrome pieces thar frame the grill area, one long piece on the hoods lip and two small extensions on each end. The long piece is pristine including the attaching bolts. I have two of these pieces.The car is ready to drive, but these and other cosmetic items come first. Tedious, time consuming work. 

We are close. I just finished installing my custom made (from T weld nuts and Stainless Steel button covers) dome nuts and having to cut each bolt to length. Also finished scraping and then undercoating the inside .... yes, slow going. 

Edited October 10, 2019 by JSabah

[pflaming]

Your floor is killer? Nice work. Is your car a true woodie, or are you adding wood to become one. What year is your car? I went back on the post, 49 Plymouth, nice. 

Edited October 10, 2019 by pflaming

[JSabah]

Thank you. Yes this is a true woodie (‘49 Plymouth). Found it on line several years ago advertised as a barn kept car in Washington State and started working on it about 3 years ago. The wood was in, unfortunately,  worse shape than I had hoped so I ended up making templates from what was good and replacing the bad (about half the car). Kept the finger joint details and in general tried to keep everything pretty original.  Also front floors were rusted. I did however change to an Offy intake with duel carbs and a duel exhaust..... for which I had to modify the heater box and duct a bit - but still used the original.... and went 12v.   Rebuilt engine, rear suspension, brakes and most of the wiring is done. Still need to rebuild the front suspension and brakes, install the trans, dash and gauges, install seats and interior door panels, chrome and misc items. Goal is to be done by New Years as I have another project that I started while this was in the paint shop. For a hobby, this is starting to feel like work. 

 

Here is a a pic of how I got the car and a few more recent ones. 

[greg g]

Saw this done but never tried it.  The fender was placed so the mating surface was up on a padded bench. Starting in the center, the chrome bead was position and the fabric was clamped down with small spring clamps.  The installer used a piece of 8 inch long 1 inch wooden dowel, like a rolling pin to put the bend into the metal bead to follow the contour, clamping and then bolting through the fabric into the fender holes to retain the position as he worked out towards the ends. Where the curve got tighter the fabric was cut with inverted v sections to keep the backer front folding onto itself and bunching up.  He also added loops of tape to the fabric which he used to pull on when it was time to install on the car to assist in positioning the piece tight to the fender body line as the bolts got tightened by pulling down on the tape loop.

 

The rolling pin made the compound curve t the rocker fender meeting point fairly easy to do.  Lots of clamps used too.

[JSabah]

10 hours ago, greg g said:

Saw this done but never tried it.  The fender was placed so the mating surface was up on a padded bench. Starting in the center, the chrome bead was position and the fabric was clamped down with small spring clamps.  The installer used a piece of 8 inch long 1 inch wooden dowel, like a rolling pin to put the bend into the metal bead to follow the contour, clamping and then bolting through the fabric into the fender holes to retain the position as he worked out towards the ends. Where the curve got tighter the fabric was cut with inverted v sections to keep the backer front folding onto itself and bunching up.  He also added loops of tape to the fabric which he used to pull on when it was time to install on the car to assist in positioning the piece tight to the fender body line as the bolts got tightened by pulling down on the tape loop.

 

The rolling pin made the compound curve t the rocker fender meeting point fairly easy to do.  Lots of clamps used too.

Do you know of any online videos of this? I’m having trouble picturing it. 

[Sam Buchanan]

29 minutes ago, JSabah said:

Do you know of any online videos of this? I’m having trouble picturing it. 

 

You are wanting to install the chrome strips on the side of the fenders, right? I think greg g is describing a method of forming beading between fender and body.

 

Or maybe I'm just confused....again.....

Edited October 10, 2019 by Sam Buchanan

[Doug&Deb]

If the polisher accidentally straightened the trim I would have him fix the mistake. I’m sure you paid good money for his work. 

[JSabah]

1 hour ago, Doug&Deb said:

If the polisher accidentally straightened the trim I would have him fix the mistake. I’m sure you paid good money for his work. 

 

Nope, I want nothing  do with him. It’s been over a year and he still has a few pieces - some of which he says he has and some he doesn’t know where they are. Also, his repair work isn’t great and I’ll have to have someone else redo a few items. 

[JSabah]

2 hours ago, Sam Buchanan said:

 

You are wanting to install the chrome strips on the side of the fenders, right? I think greg g is describing a method of forming beading between fender and body.

 

Or maybe I'm just confused....again.....

 

I don’t think you are confused. In any case, I figured how to make a template of fender and will make a wood buck to try and hand form it to instead of actually using the car and risk scratching the new paint. 

 

Added some more tape after I took the pics, but you get the idea

[ntxcustoms]

If trim is stainless and channel shaped you can melt lead into the channel. You now will have a solid piece that will bend without kinking. When done you melt it out.

[pflaming]

Question, would wax work instead of lead? 

[ntxcustoms]

I wouldn't think so. Wax seems to me that it would be to soft which would allow the side walls to collapse.

[JerseyHarold]

A long time ago I read that you can wrap a length of electrical solder around a brake line to keep it from collapsing while being bent.  This might work for the side trim as well.

[ebruns1]

When I removed my original stainless trim (on my '47)  it did not follow the exact shape of the fenders, body, etc.  Some were flatter and some were more curved.  Clearly the fasteners helped to hold it tight to the sheet metal.  From your photo that slight curve does not seem as if it would have any chance of kinking the trim.  You may be over-thinking it...but on the other hand I would also have some trepidation about a newly painted car!  Good luck.

 

PS - I had to grind off about half my fasteners so I wouldn't be too worried about breaking them!  They are plenty strong!

[Greg51T&CWagon]

Would setting up an English wheel be an option to add some curve? Are there very narrow lower rollers available? make a quick and dirty mini english wheel with a large clamp in a vice, weld on some steel rollers of the right size..?

[JSabah]

my 3/4" MDF form worked great with a bit of slowly applied hand pressure.  The fronts of the front pieces needed a little extra attention as they had the sharpest bend.  Did the final shaping of the front on the car by unscrewing the front clip, slipping some wood shims behind it (so as to not scratch the car and allow it to be slightly over-bent allowing for spring back) and applying more hand pressure.