Being in rural Minnesota makes it difficult to find anyone remotely close who has ever “Coachbuilt” an automobile before. I have to rely on Google and Youtube for many of the technique’s I’ve learned. As I perfect and learn new techniques in shaping aluminum my panel fitment has gotten much more precise and just plain better.

In the above picture you can see the butt seem straight down the top side of the fender. The piece blending down into the hood area is laying on the buck without being clamped. Remember the buck is used for fitment of the panels and as a guide to shaping the structural support when the body is completed. If I can wheel a piece that simply lies down right where it’s supposed to on the Buck, I’m in good shape.

When you start shaping metal something magical happens. You realize everything around you has a shape from tables to poles holding up the barn to a simple piece of pipe like the one shown below. I used this as an example to show you a very utilitarian way of getting a shape. The rounded edge of this pipe gives my panel a nice contour. I marked out a series of lines on the panel and worked my way down the metal with slight bends until I achieve the overall contour I’m looking for. To hold the bar in place I put a foot on each side of the sheet and then bend the metal, applying even pressure across the piece for an even bend.

Do a little at a time and test fit. You can see here it’s getting close. I bead rolled my edge so the panels line up nice and pretty. I was so tempted to rivet these two panels but could hardly wait to start welding.

So, after I tackled a few practice pieces to test the welder out, I decided I might as well try a panel.

My first weld actually didn’t turn out to bad. If you’re new to this like I am, here are some pointers. First off read the manual, use all safety equipment suggested by manufacturer and I’m not liable for you!

• My Welder: Lincoln 180C MIG welder with a spoolgun
• Clean your metal with a stainless brush, it can oxidize in just a matter of minutes so clean it immediately before welding, even tacking a weld
• Hold the tip of the Spoolgun about 7/8″ to 1″ away from the metal
• Point the tip at a slight angle in the direction you will be pushing your weld along, remember you Push the gas along with this setup rather than pulling like on Steel
• I’ve had several different opinions given on what a proper weld looks like and here’s the one I trust. Your weld should not melt through the backside of the panel. It should show a very small “dent” only noticeable on close inspection. On the top side of your weld you should not be able to hook a finger nail on it. If you can hook your finger nail, it’s not deep enough.
• You will have to practice your movement speed along the metal to get the perfect weld.

Extreme Curves

Now onto the more extreme compound curves. One thing I learned is to NOT weld the more curvacious pieces until the very end. Use clamps or clecos (temporary/removable  rivets) to hold your pieces together until you’re absolutely certain they are ready to weld.

Here is a picture of Clecos in action

My front fender area was coming together nicely, if only I wouldn’t have welded it together!

My seems were lining up really well and the shape was very close to that of the buck. However my weld got pretty hot and started to warp the fender. Another thing to note: the bottom of the fender is run off which will be cut off and then a new piece will be shaped to tie in the lower front nose piece into the fender…

I have to say after working on a section for a couple days and then not being completely satisfied with it makes it hard to move on. I decided to let that side rest for a day and try the other fender.

By taking my time and paying much closer attention to my fitment this fender fits the buck almost perfectly. The secret: Wheel for a minute or two at the most and then check fitment. You can trust the picture you have in your mind of what the shape should be but you have to lay it on the buck constantly. This also helps you read the shape, dissect exactly what needs to happen and then apply the wheel, shrinker or stretcher or whatever tool to make that shape happen.

Now there’s no choice but to go back and redo the other side! A person shouldn’t be too proud of their work but this piece gets me excited… No, I’m not welding it yet.

Inspiration

I was told about a local gentleman who hand-built an aluminum bodied experimental aircraft. I was able to set up a meeting with him at his hangar to learn more. I learned that our local airport houses an Experimental Aircraft Hangar where people can practice fabricating with several tools including the English Wheel. This comes as welcomed news as it’s always fun to be around people who share your addiction.

Here’s Doug’s Hand-built Plane

All panels are Aluminum with the exception of the engine fairing which is fiberglass. All the structural reinforcements are formed by hand, just like the homebuilt racers I’m basing my build on. All panels are riveted to the inner reinforcements. The plane is powered by an 1885CC VW engine. Estimated cruising speed 130MPH.

Here you can see the rivets used

Here you can see the hand-formed structural supports. This is a similar construction as to how the body sections will be supported on my racer.

The cockpit also sported some neat features. The sliding cover was very cool. I might try to fabricate a removable cover similar to this for my car.

As far as inspiration goes, here’s another picture I’d like you to see. This Streamliner was built from aircraft scrap left over from WWII in Germany in 1947. Interesting Cockpit design and hammer marks were the least of his concerns.

Another neat car is this “Whitehead Special” from Australia. According to the book “Making the Volkswagen Go” this car had special design heads and valve covers which allowed the exhaust ports to vent the exhaust straight out of the valve covers.

Stay tuned for more updates in the next week!

Happy Motoring~

Tags | Carrera, Flyer, Frankfurt, Glockler, Porsche, Special, VW