New member with a specific interest (shrinking an oil-canning panel section)

[namerow]

I found this site while googling for info on shrinking discs. As luck would have it, the very first thread I found was titled, 'Shrinking Discs - Are they really necessary?'

I'm working (slowly) through an automotive restoration project. The car has a front lower valence panel ('roll pan', to some) that mounts by way of three welded-on tabs: one at the center and one at the lhs and rhs ends. The panel measures about 3' W x 1' D. It has a folded lip on the leading edge and plain edges elsewhere. There's a medium crown running fore-aft, and a minor crown running side-to-side.

At some point in the car's life, someone tugged too hard on the panel when trying to line up one of the outboard mounting tabs with the body mount. The panel was pulled outward a bit (in the direction of the crowns) and became bowed, such that the trailing edge on the side sits about 3/8" lower than on the other (undamaged) side. There are no visible kinks or ridges in the metal, but the panel displays oil-canning over an oval-shaped area (~ 9" x 4") that is more or less centered around the location of the mounting tab.

I hope to learn from some of the members exactly where to apply heat/soaked-rag in order to shrink this section back to its correct shape. I'll post pictures once I create a thread in 'Automotive'.

[Jere]

Hello John and welcome.

Photos will be of great help to understand your problem.

Is the valance still spot welded to the body?

Jere

[Peter Tommasini]

Hi John welcome to the forum

Post pics of your project, I am sure someone will help
Peter