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Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:21 pm

Where do you go to get your sheet metal dor body repair. I called several body shops but they said they dont sell to the public they have someone scome around & pick up the scrap.

Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:43 am

You may want to check in the phone book or ask the local body shops their suppliers name . Just in case you didn't know...stay away from galvanized sheet metal .

Wed Jun 04, 2008 6:40 am

Don't know about the US, but here in Ontario, Canada, most of our large metal recycling depots sell new and used metal. We can get anything from 22 gauge sheet metal right up to huge I beams (for your rail buggys) :) and everything in between.

Also check out your local welding and metal fabrication shops. Usually lots of those around.

Good Luck

Wed Jun 04, 2008 6:53 am

72Ghia wrote: Where do you go to get your sheet metal dor body repair. I called several body shops but they said they dont sell to the public they have someone scome around & pick up the scrap.

You have PM.

Fri Jun 06, 2008 11:22 pm

Where I live, I have bought sheet metal at Bi-rite Steel and Fabrication. They sell whole sheets and, also, have leftover lenghts that they sell if you want shorter pieces. They used to have a scrap bin, outside, where I could get odd ball pieces of metal for free but now you have to pay.
Look in your telephone book for a steel and fabrication business.

Sat Jun 07, 2008 4:01 pm

Thanks for the replies. I did try the phone book but most companies did not really seem to want to deal with "small time consumers".
My brother ended up picking out some pieces from a local body shop.
He picked up a few honda fenders and doors skins which were very thin and easy to work with to fabricate patches. The only thing I had to do is wire wheel the edges to bare metal before welding.
I will post some pics on here shortly of some progress to a 72 Ghia Vert.

Sat Jun 07, 2008 5:54 pm

I was in the market for some new skin for my bug, I picked up both door skins and some other odds and ends from www.mamotorworks.com

The good:
The customer service rep found an item for me that was not in their catalog.
The items that were in stock were at my door step w/in a week.

The bad:
Not all of my items were shipped, due to stocking issues; one of my skins was slightly bent, most likely due to the shipping company.

Sun Jun 08, 2008 9:59 am

Depending on the size of the patch I would try to stick with using donor panels from other VWs if possible.A book on bodywork I read talked about how using asian steel is not a good idea as it is not as malliable as steel from other regions. The shop this guy owned did not beat asian metal,they just replaced them instead.

Just a few weeks ago at bug o rama I gave away an old door that had been trashed at the lower hinge.The outer skin was pristine for patches.
the price was..... free.

There is still plenty of old dinged fenders and such out there for next to nothing. Thats where I look for patch panels/pieces.

Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:36 pm

Interesting. Would the asian steel be considered a better quality for being harder to bend? Or is it maybe something like iron content in the steel that makes is less malliable? The Vw steel seemed thicker but as you mentioned easier to shape.

Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:04 pm

The asian steel used in auto manufacture has a higher carbon content. High carbon steel is great if you are making knives and swords. It keeps a fine edge better. I cannot say with certainty but I would think you could make your panels out of a thinner gauge and save money with the higher carbon steel.

It would probably save weight too.

Tue Jun 17, 2008 8:03 pm

I've actually seen some 20 gage at Lowe's, 18" x 36". Technically you are looking for 19 gage, but not likely to find. I bought a 4' x 8' sheet from a local metal working shop.
JW

Wed Jun 18, 2008 3:06 am

I take cuttings from junk doors at the local pull-a-part. That way I don't have to scrounge around for the right thickness of new metal sheets.

Wed Jun 18, 2008 4:20 pm

72Ghia wrote: Where do you go to get your sheet metal dor body repair. I called several body shops but they said they dont sell to the public they have someone scome around & pick up the scrap.
I cut the top out of a scrapped squareback. There was enough metal to do rust repair on 2 cars and I still have some left. I needed a large section for some custom stuff on my squareback. So I went down to a local metal supply house that deals with the construction industry. They were more than happy to cut and bend a piece for me.