Help me figure out how to roll the edge of my wheel tub

[gerry miller]

Thanks Tony, So do you tig everything these days?

[WCRiot]

I thought the gas welding might be used because it is softer allowing for better forming. I was going to Tig my wheels but got lazy and didn't hook my Tig up. I might still do it, or maybe on the second well.

I will read the tech article tomorrow then go back out and work on the wheel well. I will post again on Sunday with a follow up

[Custom Metalshapers Ltd]

Hi Gerry, heres a little side story-

I had a XK150 Jag project car that I managed to buy off a guy in installments over a year or two. I saw the light and sold it and had a big cash lump sum. So I used every cent to buy the gear thats hard to save up for including a inverter spot welder, Eckold KF170 and a ACDC Tig welder. I was so happy with my gas welding that I didnt even take the TIG out of the box for a whole year (no exaggeration). Another respected metalshaper told me I was totally insane to be gas welding panels so I took a night class in Tig welding and got the welder up and running. Now I think anyone would be totally insane to be gas welding mild steel panels. Especially low crown cars from the 1950s on. Curvy prewar cars are maybe a different story. (my thoughts)

Gas welding the 2 parts of that tub works best because you can melt the 2 panels together rather than weld them together if you get what im saying.

Todd your preweld panel fit is real important. Tack with the TIG and weld with gas if you want but keep checking the 2 panels stay at 90 degrees at you go.

[WCRiot]

Originally Posted by Bill Gibson

Todd,
What guage metal are you using...I'm guessing 24 guage from the pix... it looks pretty thin for inner tubs.. If if was thicker it would help you with your welding also...

You are dead on, 24 gauge. That's what I had laying around in a big sheet
I'm going to go buy another big sheet of some thicker gauge material. Any suggestions on thickness?

[weldtoride]

Originally Posted by WCRiot

You are dead on, 24 gauge. That's what I had laying around in a big sheet
I'm going to go buy another big sheet of some thicker gauge material. Any suggestions on thickness?

Hi Todd, and welcome to the forum. Look around at some of the commercially available tubs and see what they are made of. Summit and others sell 24 and 22 gauge tubs, but they are ribbed for strength, as 24 is so thin. Some thin ones appear to have folded seams rather than welded. Other commercially available smooth tubs run as thick as 16 gauge.

Personally, I would go no thinner than 18 or 19, if it's going to be smooth without ribs or beads.

[WCRiot]

Originally Posted by weldtoride

Hi Todd, and welcome to the forum. Look around at some of the commercially available tubs and see what they are made of. Summit and others sell 24 and 22 gauge tubs, but they are ribbed for strength, as 24 is so thin. Some thin ones appear to have folded seams rather than welded. Other commercially available smooth tubs run as thick as 16 gauge.

Personally, I would go no thinner than 18 or 19, if it's going to be smooth without ribs or beads.

Mark,
Thank you for welcoming me. I've been reading a lot of things on the forums before joining. Glad to be here. I love active this forum is.

Do I need thicker material to have stronger welds or is there another reason. I use the thinner stuff because I don't have a lot of fancy tools, it's easier to cut; bend and hammer the thinner stuff

[weldtoride]

Originally Posted by WCRiot

.....Do I need thicker material to have stronger welds or is there another reason. I use the thinner stuff because I don't have a lot of fancy tools, it's easier to cut; bend and hammer the thinner stuff

While it is easier to cut and bend the thinner stuff, on the flip side, it is much more difficult to weld, and then there isn't a lot of material to do much filing, or grinding without thinning it out too far.....

In addition to ease of working, you should also consider strength when figuring out what gauge to use. Thin tubs might be the choice when weight is a consideration. A heavier tub might be the choice if body flex is a problem.

Have you measured you original tubs' thickness?

Sheet metal gauge is often misunderstood, and it certainly doesn't help that gauge (gage) thicknesses are different for carbon steel, galvanized steel, aluminum and stainless. Here's a chart that tells the range of the gage thicknesses:

http://www.coyotesteel.com/resources...ceranges.shtml

Hope this helps, Mark

[WCRiot]

Still using the original wheel well at this time for the driver side. When I make the passenger side it will be much nicer looking because of the experience gained from the first one.

I decided to hook up my TIG welder and TIG these side. I have never TIG welded sheetmetal before. I have only TIG welded 4-5 times in my life. I am learning as I go



To get the radius rolled onto the edge of the wheel well I first hammered the corner to start moving the metal. I did this around the entire welded seam.

Then I placed my dolly on the inside of the wheel well to start creating the radius on the outside of the wheel well


I tried placing the dolly on the outside of the wheel well and hammering from the inside. I used a hammer with a high crown. This did not work as nicely. It does create a radius but again, not as even as a radius


The GOAL was to get the wheel well to fit and match the back seat frame contour. I accomplished this although the wheel well isn't very nice looking



So I started to TIG weld the other side. Again, the more I TIG the more practice I get. This side could have easily been MIG welded.

Not hammered yet
Opposite side TIG welded. Not sanded or hammered yet. Welds are a little better, but not much.


I know my welds look like crap compared to a lot of you experience guys. I'm not embarrassed that I don't have the skills that you may have. I am looking for advice.

The pictures posted with the advice written really helped me understand how to approach putting a radius in my wheel well. This is why I posted and this is why I will continue to post.

[Peter Tommasini]

[QUOTE=WCRiot;71870]Still using the original wheel well at this time for the driver side. When I make the passenger side it will be much nicer looking because of the experience gained from the first one.

I decided to hook up my TIG welder and TIG these side. I have never TIG welded sheetmetal before. I have only TIG welded 4-5 times in my life. I am learning as I go



To get the radius rolled onto the edge of the wheel well I first hammered the corner to start moving the metal. I did this around the entire welded seam.

Then I placed my dolly on the inside of the wheel well to start creating the radius on the outside of the wheel well


I tried placing the dolly on the outside of the wheel well and hammering from the inside. I used a hammer with a high crown. This did not work as nicely. It does create a radius but again, not as even as a radius


The GOAL was to get the wheel well to fit and match the back seat frame contour. I accomplished this although the wheel well isn't very nice looking



So I started to TIG weld the other side. Again, the more I TIG the more practice I get. This side could have easily been MIG welded.

Not hammered yet
Opposite side TIG welded. Not sanded or hammered yet. Welds are a little better, but not much.


I know my welds look like crap compared to a lot of you experience guys. I'm not embarrassed that I don't have the skills that you may have. I am looking for advice.

The pictures posted with the advice written really helped me understand how to approach putting a radius in my wheel well. This is why I posted and this is why I will continue to post

HI Todd you need to practice on your welding or it will be to hard to get a nice finish, the secret is to join the sheet 50/50.. in another words lie one on top of the other and have kind of a small V like track.... then eighter wit tig or oxy run it in without using wire if possible, then smash the weld down from a corner to a desire radius by using the right dolly
Peter

[WCRiot]

Peter how should i do this when my pieces mate together 90degrees?
Should i fold the edge of one piece so that i can create the overlap like you mention?

That seems like it would be very difficult on a NOT straight edge. Referring to the arc of the side wall of the wheel well.
I might be able to take the top piece and fold that UP on the edge to create overlap. BUT then how would i hammer form the edge to a nice radius?

I have purchased some thicker gauge sheet to make the other side's wheel well with. This should help with the welding. I only burned through in a few spots when I was getting frustrated. This can improve.

By the way. These are a bunch of tack welds, not a continuous weld.