Kevin Wiles Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Back when the coke machine was in the shop for the rollcage, i don't think the doors were on it, and the cage builder didnt realize it but now when the door is on, even with the thin aluminum sheet metal door panels, it hits the cage when the door is shut. and you have to slam it to get it to close. So now I've got this big idea that I wanna do "engine turning" on all my aluminum interior panels. Thats where you make overlapping brushed swirls in the metal. But before I do all that beautification I need to address the problem of the aluminum door panel hitting the rollcage, cause its putting a dent in the panel... soooo.. and this is CRAZY but... do you think I could take an enormous sledge hammer, you know the ones with the long handle, and hit the rollcage and bend it over about 1/2 inch? or would I just be flattening the tube like an idiot? hard to tell without trying.... But if that works I can easily make a new panel and "engine turn" it and have no denting problem. here is a picture of the drivers side. the problem is on the passenger side, which has only 2 horizontal bars instead of 3. only the top bar is hitting. sorry i dont have a current pic but you'll get the idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leghome Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Kevin I have a good friend who did that to the dash on his International Harvester Scout and when the sun hit sit it blinds him. He has to keep a top on so he can see to drive it when sunny. He told me it took him three weeks to do just the three panels on his dash. He has done quite a few mods to the scout. It makes a real neat looking street rod instead of a ATV with huge tires and sitting 5 feet off the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 That stuff isn't going to want to move. Like you said, the sledge hammer is only going to deface the area you hit. Even if it were a thin wall tube like exhaust tube, it would resist being bent, and more likely dent or kink in the process. You might have more luck with something more serious like a porta-power and using it between the right and left sides to pull them together slightly. Of course a frame shop could put it on their frame rack and gently force it into shape... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Kevin as much time and effort you have in the Coke machine I would see about having the guy cut the top bar out and remake it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Wiles Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 like a porta-power and using it between the right and left sides to pull them together slightly. I Like this idea . thumbs up. My dash is flat black painted, i won't be doing any bare metal there, so no sun glare here. amazingly i've never had a glare problem with my aluminum interior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 I'm not sold on the engine-turned look for the door panels. That's a pretty large area and might just seem like "too much". I love the look on smaller areas for accent, though. Remember that racers are on a budget and the first consideration is getting the car in the winners circle...often times good looks are just a happy by-product of good design. Have you ever tried to do this process yourself before? Making your own engine turned surfaces is exceedingly difficult. The spacing, alignment, pressure used, and the time of contact are all critical for a good result...never mind the condition of the abraisive used, as it gets dull and loads up as you go. I've tried it before and even when I thought it was pretty good, it wasn't great. I honestly don't know how the process ever became popular "back in the day". You have to be part artist, craftsman, and machinist to get a good result. Imagine the effort put into the panels on the Spirit of St. Lewis: I think what saved the panels in this application was the use of large swirls. I did find some engine turned vinyl sheets that might be of interest to you. They have one with 1" swirls that would be about perfect for your large panels. LINKY If it doesn't look right inside your car, it might look great in the house on your oven and refrigerator doors! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monteman1971 Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 I'm with Mark on this one.....if you want to cheap out...maybe a "come along" and some heat on the bar at the bends. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 I was thinking about it, and the better analogy is a header tube. Even as thin as those are, it's impossible to hammer one in a pretty way to move over a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dans '70 Z20 Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Just a thought. It would seem to me it will be very difficult to pull the bar inward easily and evenly. BTW: Do not attach the drivers side of come-along or similar to bars on drivers side. Otherwise you may be surprised when the drivers side may move rather than the upper passenger side where the problem is. Attach the drivers side to a steel column, tree or alike to insure the passenger side is the one that moves! If your not concerned about looks .... you can slice a 1/2" off the front of the top bar and then just weld a flat front onto bar. This in my opinion would be just as much work as cutting off the top bar and replacing, rewelding a new one that fits correctly. I guess you can always try plan 1 and if it doesn't work fall back to plan 2. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grease Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 I think it may be easier to modify the door instead . If you can move the rollbar its not much good . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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