Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Rear Body Panel Fabrication Tips

Usually, hardcore vehicle owners will know every single part of their vehicle, and how they work. However, to novice owners or car owners who do not bother to get to know their car and the parts more thoroughly, they will not know much apart from the main controls and the components found in the interior of the car.

To put it simply, all the bits and pieces of a vehicle are known as body panels. Body panels together make up your functioning vehicle. Hence their importance could not be neglected. They are typically made from sheet metals. In some cases, not so common though, some may be made up of composites or fiberglass assembled together to form the vehicle's body. When body panels are attached together, they will complete the entire makeup of the automobile. To name a few, the car hood, the fenders, the trunk lid, car doors, the roof, the quarter panels and so on are body panels of a vehicle, which are bolted or welded together.

Without any one of the above, your car will be incomplete. Missing any part not only makes your vehicle look awful, it also affects the functionality of the vehicle altogether. Similar to the body system in a living being, an automobile should also be complete, with the proper combination of body panels, in order for protection and performance to co-exist.

Due to never ending breakthroughs in technology nowadays, vehicle body panels are also affected in a great way, and they undergo various makeovers, modernizations as well as refinements along with advancement in automobile technology. You will never be wrong to expect that for composites and finishes for body panels, there will always be new launches of those new styles which will arrive in the upcoming years. New ideas for body panels include components made out of aluminium, carbon fiber as well as specialized laminated steels. These are not concepts so you will get to see the real thing soon.

Everyone would definitely look forward to new car models that are equipped with components that enhance the safety and security in its body panels. However, we are usually hindered by factors such as budget restraints and financial concerns. Sometimes, when you are in need of a car yet could not afford a good, new one, you may resort to buying a used car instead.

However, if you happen to be searching for a used car, it is important to bear in mind that you have to beware of misleading first impressions rendered by the vehicle. As it is not first-hand, maybe even third hand, the last owner or the used car dealer have already modified and restored the car nicely at times, and it would definitely look attractive, dazzling and clean at first glance but whats under the hood? Together with the negotiable price, the vehicle may look even more appealing to you, which is pretty misleading. After you purchase it, you realise all the flaws and defects in the vehicle's body panels.

When you happen to have ill-fitting body panels or have any defect to your rear body panel, it is not difficult to actually Do It Yourself and fab one for your automobile, just by following the instructions below. We have explained these techniques to help the novice as well as the professional. If you choose to have it done from an outside source choose a street rod shop wisely to be sure you will be happy with the results.

Begin by making the template fit your car bumper. Then, cut some new metal out after making sure it matches the template. For matching, the rear tail panel requires some curve. You can tweak it across the panel in order to achieve the perfect curve. After some wheeling, you will notice that it starts to take on shape. Then, move to the power stretcher to proceed. Starting in the middle, you should work your way slowly out to the ends, until the metal curves gradually to fit. After that, the shrinking die will pull it together, and bit by bit it will curve inward. Finally, you will have a rear body panel with nice custom metal work that is both stylish and durable.

We love bending, shaping and designing old metal into beautiful cars in our street rod shop. At Jeff Lilly Restorations we have the people and facility to knock out a home run machine every time.


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