Building Body Panels From Scratch

Article:
http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/watch-this-guy-make-beautiful-willys-jeep-body-panels-f-1787373576

Video:

 

What might be more amazing is the Pattern Bucks that someone made out of what looks like 1" Plate................more time in those than the panel it produces.

 

alright, I just watched like an hour and a half of this guy making jeep panels. What the amazing part is, how he makes the impossible look easy.

 

I see what you did there…

 

I was watching this in bed last night and my wife (nurse) leaned over to see what all the banging was about. She stuck with it way longer than I thought she would, sat back up and only said, "I bet that guy has carpel tunnel."

For those of you who didn't become obsessed and had to see more, here are some screen grabs of the 3B those panels are going on. That's a 300 amp pto-driven GE welder. Awesome.

 

A jeep with GE equipment on board.. Right in my wheelhouse.. lol ( I work for the General)

 

Yes but are they accurate? I ask because eve Classic enterprises panels require some custom fitting.

 

He made that nice, smooth shrink and bend around the tight radius look like a simple matter. Jealous.

 

Cant change the amperage as its frozen and yes i did stick with it cause its amazing. I know how hard that is to do. I bet those panels are perfect too.

 

The panels are only as good as the large and very heavy two piece 1" thick plate Metal Bucks he built..........and that in itself after flame cutting and finishing the radius would be a much larger undertaking than the actual shaping of the sheet metal once clamped between the plates.................no easy task either way....................... but most Coach builders would resort to making the Buck out of wood first as a pattern and then do the shaping via an English wheel or other hammering tools.............. Sheet Metal Shaping and Forming

 

Yeah, you're right. they suck! I bet you could message him that via his youtube channel. I am sure all those stationary expensive metal forming tools just sit there to make the occasional jeep part and he has little to no experience in actually making things out of metal. Terrible, right?

 

No Matter , Still allot of work........and just one guys method of getting it done..........I just watched the video for the first time and he said he made those bucks 30 years ago.........anyway I like that big Band Saw with what looks to be a 48" throat.............. Wow need allot of room for that!