[trbomax]

  I keep seeing these pics of car bodies that you guys are piecing together and I have to say that its just amazing to me. I never was much at putting sheet metal together, thats one reason why I built my car out of 'glass,its easier ! Where did everyone learn how to weld and even fabricate the patch panels that are going into these cars? Frame and structural fab is one thing,but putting all those pieces of sheet metal together and haveing it fit when its done is something I would never attempt!

[TFoch]

My dad is a retired sheet metal worker so I ended up with a brake, shear and slip roll in my cellar.  He taught me the basics about bending and forming.  With lots of practice I learned to weld (still not as good as I'd like to be) so I could replace the wood in my car.  Lots of trial and error makes for good parts!

[themoose]

Like TFoch I learned by doing.Some of my early attempts wouldn't even make good lawn art but the more you do it the better you get.In later years I ran the back end of a dealership which included a body shop.That's where where I really got an education. I still can't hold a candle to some of the skilled tin knockers out there but I'm good enough to do the most things that I've needed on my projects.

[ghost28]

On most of my early cars that I owned the body and paint was secondary. If it went fast that's all I needed, but the sheet metal fabrication bug bit me when I built a 37 dodge d5 4 door sedan. a butt ugly car ,but it was mine so I proceeded to cut my teeth on chopping it 5 inches and buillding a new suspension for it. It turned out pretty good, and myself and 5 of my friends could cruise around in it comfortably. I honed my skill that I have now working on a 32 chevy 5 window that was in a a bunch of pieces. I proceeded to chop it, convert it to a 3 window, and install a complete 92 vette drive train and suspension under it. Since then the late 20s to early 30s chevys have been my love. I guess I just developed a knack for rebuilding these old bodys. Some one has to save them, so I guess it's up to us.
John

[chopper526]

Although I went to school for, and was trained as a mechanic, bodywork always interested me. Even when I worked at a dealership, I would spend my free time hanging out in the bodyshop. So, I bought some cheap tools, read a little and.....band, grind, fill, sand, prime, paint, repeat! Thirty years later I'm still not very good at it, but my work is mine and I like it.

[EDNY]

I came from a non-auto sheetmetal family, had a couple of uncles that owned heating and air conditioning shops. At 13 I would help (on a regular basis after school and weekends) my uncle install forced air furnaces and learned to work with sheet metal tools. 

Never realized how helpful that early experience would come to play later in life....working on these old Chevy's forced me to hone up sheet metal fab skills especially since replacement body panel just aren't made.

Some handy tools are my Harbor Freight 40" 3 in 1, brake, roll and shear. A 48" brake, metal shrinker/expander set, bead roller, hand shears and brakes, tubing roller and my favorite hammer and dolly.  English wheel is next...

Not an expert...but if someone says "not available"...off I go. 

Went to an auction last year and for $400 I got a Miller 185 Syncrowave TIG, with cart, hoods and about 80lbs of various rods. My early experience gas welding (puddle the metal then add your coat hanger ) helped me learn to TIG - another great metal working tool.

Ed

[trbomax]

 That would be a good price on the tig unit. I bit the bullet about 8 yrs ago and just bought new,anything around here that was used was junk. Is that water or air cooled?

[ghost28]

A buddy bought the special deal tig welder from I think it was summit and after a week try out he sent it back, he didn't like it at all. so this last summer at a swap meet he bought a really nice used unit for $300.00 and this thing works great. They are still out there and in this economy the prices are getting better.
John

[EDNY]

That would be a good price on the tig unit. I bit the bullet about 8 yrs ago and just bought new,anything around here that was used was junk. Is that water or air cooled?

It's air...the unit looked relatively new...had a local welder stop by and gave me a demo...he's says I got a great deal.

At the same auction also won an industrial Plaff walking foot upholstery sewing machine for $140...it ran on 220 and had air assist...too big for me so I made a nice profit selling that and bought a "NOS" Juki  LU563 walking foot sewing machine for $400 complete with stand and extras..it was a display model at the VA hospital on Long Island.  Made a bunch of straps with it and one motorcycle seat so far.

Ed

[trbomax]

 I never see any good stuff up here.We are just too far away from anywhere and the only stuff at auctions is old junk that someone brought up here from down south and then got to old or dead to use it. When I was in toledo I had almost unlimited resources and I lived there long enough that I knew all the people doing cars.boats,engines. Hell ,Im a 30 mile drive from a hardware store here!If I want plateing or machine work on motors I have to drive 320 miles back to where I came from to find someone I can trust.
 I guess you did good enough to get the first "YOU SUCK" !