Shrinking metal?

[jps1145]

I'm in the process of doing a few dent repairs on my '66 and have a question about shrinking metal... I've read a couple threads about the shrinking disc but would like to know how the heat/cold process works. My passenger side door has a dent about 6" in diameter and when I try to push it out from the inside it makes the all to familiar coke can sound... I'm sure the metal is stretched and if I get the dent out, I'm afraid it will pop back in. Any help here would be great, I don't want to just fill it with plastic filler and paint it...
Thanks,
-John
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Tehachapi, CA
'69 Baja
Vintage Funco single seater
My Baja

[diy570]

push the center of dent out from the backside with a dolly and from the outside tap around the perimeter of the dent (the high spots) with your body hammer. that will get rid of the "oil can" effect. if its not stretched too bad, you probably dont wanna get into shrinking it.

[Flynt55]

Check out this site, http://www.ghiaspecialties.com/

John Kelly at Gia Specialties would be able to answer any questions you have I'm sure, email him. I bought a shrink disc from him last summer but really havent had a chance to use it. Ive played around with it on some old GMC truck fenders its pretty amazing once you get the hang of it.

I actually bought it for the same reason your interested. I bought a pair of ribbed replacement doors for my 55, after striping the drivers door I found filler and a crease near the bottom of the door. I'm hoping once I play with it enough and feel confident enough to use it to take out the crease.

Just need to find time to tear into the car! The money pit comes first!!!!

Chris

[John Kelly]

Thanks for the plug Chris!

John, The nice thing about having a shrinking disc is that it takes away the fear of over-stretching the metal with hammer and dolly work. This frees you up to use the hammer and dolly to straighten the metal, then use the shrinking disc to tune it up, stretch if you need to, repeat as many times as it takes to get it right.

I will send you the instructions that go with every disc through email if you like: [email protected]

John www.ghiaspecialties.com
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Metal Shaping and Dent Repair videos:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=GullWingInn&view=videos

[jps1145]

Great info! I emailed John for instructions. I got the doors at a swap meet as a replacement for the dented ones I already had. Just like you, I stripped the door and found the problems. Now I'm not sure which ones are worse... I moved out here to Texas and my brother was kind enough to tow my '66, mid restoration, on a trailer from San Diego. Apparently he covered it with a cheap tarp and bungi cords. By the time it got here the tarp was shreaded and it looked like it had already gone through a hail storm by the bungis beating the crap of it. I'm told I can expect that to happen here anyway! I've got my work cut out for me...!
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Tehachapi, CA
'69 Baja
Vintage Funco single seater
My Baja

[volksaddict]

John's disc really works! Highly reccomended!!