Bumper Bracket Fabrication

For the fabrication of new bumper brackets, begin by lining the bumpers up to the body, using something to stabilize them. Check and make sure that the body is level on each side and that the bumper is level with the body. After you have made sure that they fit well, measure the clearances and remove the bumper from your vehicle. Following that, flip it upside down.

First of all, run a 1/8 thick flat bar vertically across the bumper's deepest channel and stitch weld it in place. On the edge of the lower section, run and stich weld a vertical strip of the same material, then form the foundation by running a horizontal flat bar over each section. Run some bolts through pre-drilled holes. Then, attach tighten, and weld some nuts into place. Tighten the outer nut first, then weld the inside nut. After that, remove the bolt after loosening the unwelded nut.

Next, for the mounting flange of the bracket, measure then cut some 1/8th thick plate metal. Drill holes and mount it accordingly. It is now time to attach the bumper and check the fit. You can also design and mock up some brackets on chip board to check out the effect. Cut the sides out using a nibbler in the 1/8th thick material. Lay out the template and after spraying blue-dykem, scribe it on the sheet. Turn the driver side over and cut a section matching the bracket angle, and tack weld it in place using a 90° magnet holder and repeat this on the other side.

Now, cut another plate in order to fit the longer section. Beside the vise grip, you will see the small round tubing, which will help hide the fasteners in the bracket at the bolt locations. After all are welded properly, you can start the first fitting to the bumper and frame. Following measuring, drill some holes for mounting and mount the bracket with the help of wing nut clecos.

Mark the outer bracket's perimeter onto the mounting plate, and then remove the assembly. After then, clamp and weld them together, through the pre-drilled holes which are larger, for better welding penetration to the plate. For the corners, weld and ground them down as well. Stitch the metal properly so that the unit can be strengthened to be tougher.

Now, use the tubing that was completed just now to hide all the the fasteners. In order for the metal to be placed on the bracket's opposite, there are angle cuts for the purpose and you can close them in flat. After this, you are now ready to work on the front bumper instead. You will notice that both the rear and the front frame horns are open on the ends, hence, you can try making a slide plate, which will be welded by some nuts so that it can be attached to the brackets and the weight of the bumper can be supported.

Now, all you have to do is to insert a bolt and then tighten the nut down prior to welding, so that it can act as a clamp. At this point, you will need to make only a few stitches. In order for the threads to start easily, counter sink the bolt holes slightly. Drill four holes in the frame, two for attachment of bolts and two for welding, and then slip the nut retainer into the frame. After that, tighten and weld them in place. Many people will have the ability to perform these techniques spelled out in this article but for some part of the work may be best performed by a reputable street rod shop.

Finally, you have the fronts and you are ready to check placement. Together with the freshly created bracket, tack the fastener-tubing spacers in place, to the base plate. Then, wrap the metal around the bracket's fastener side, and then weld it in place. Ground them smooth and bead them. Then only install them with case. Repeat this at the rear and you can enjoy having the look of a nice bracket which also has perfect toughness and sturdiness.

Welcome back my friends to a show that never ends, look inside, look inside at the ultimate Street Rod Shop tour at Jeff Lilly Restorations. Taking the Car Building world by storm one project at a time.

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Custom Door Fit Fabrication

To build and fix a custom door on your car that fits safety requirements and will fit your preference is not difficult if you follow the steps below.

First, make a template for the door opening from cardboard, which may be subjected to adjustments later on. Next, cut a two inch strip form 18-gauge cold rolled steel and bend it into 90 degrees, with dimensions of 1x1 inch. Fabricate it with the template as a guide and tweak it into perfection against the real opening. It will form the inner door perimeter. Then, bend another strip into 90 degrees, with dimensions of 1x2 inch, forming the outer perimeter. In the inner structure, punch holes along the horizontal flange for welding later on. Slip the outer flange over the inner one, allowing adjustment for the width of the door. Check and tweak the pieces until they fit the template exactly.

Now, clamp both perimeters together and weld the bottom of the door too, where the pre-punched holes were. Then put the frame back into your vehicle to check its fit as well as to trace the proper hinge location and mark the attaching points. Original woody hinges are recommended if they are the correct shape and small enough. They will be undetected after being covered by the installed wood trim.

Drill a radius at the corners using a small hole saw and remove the excess metal using a cut off wheel. Now, the cut-outs should be completed. For the backing up of the threaded fastener plate, you can fabricate a "stair step" holder with a front cover which features access holes for the installation, removal or loosening of the bolts when adjusting the door into perfect fit.

Along with the fastener plate as well as the holder, fit the frame with the hinges and weld them in place after precise placement. You should have a functioning swinging door. Lay out and mark 20 gauge steel for your lower beam support, then bead roll a number of strengthening grooves so that the door assembly can be stiffened. Using a 36-inch roller, roll the ? beads out on both the inner and outer panels, following the markings you just made.

With the help of a Tenn Smith brake, bend the panels so that one can be fitted inside the other, the fit provided by the 90° lips. A rectangular beam will be formed by the two pieces, stiffening the door and allowing fastening spots for a power window system.

Spot weld the stiffening tube together, and cut the back half on each end out and install them to the door, so that stitch weld can be done. Then, cut strips from 20 gauge and lay them out for two qty pieces, and bend them at 90°. Weld the 2 channels together so that the window channel rear portion can be formed, which is where the glass's rear edge will slide vertically. To achieve desired width, use ? inch square tubing as form, and clamp the two sections in place for welding. After welding, leave it to cool.

After fitting the channel to the rear door edge at the driver's side, you can see that ample clearance is allowed for the door catch which will be mounted later on. Then, install the channel and weld it to the passenger side door. Build channels measuring 2x1 inches, with a small lip bent on the 2 inch side. Fix the interior window sill to the frame and weld it in place. Now, trial fit and cut the window fuzzys to length for the mock up later on. Build a channel as well as pie cut a section. For matching of the roof line, shrink the upper section. Install a 3/16ths wood for temporary glass to check fit, if clearance is right, tack weld the channels properly. Spot weld the inner and outer frames together with the top window channel. As you can see this is not an easy task to build a one of a kind door but at least you know the correct techniques to expect if you have to choose a street rod shop to build it for you.

Finally select small bear claw latches including door panel corners that are pre-notched for the latch. Cut a notch at the edge of the rear door so that the unit could be fitted in. Fabricate a cap to finish the cut out and weld the cap and the latch plate in place. Ground it smooth and you are done.

At Jeff Lilly Restorations we specialize in building one of a kind street rods at our street rod shop located in San Antonio, Tx. Give us a call today to get your project started!

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Bumper Prep Fabrication Techniques

Sometimes you will need to refurbish or restore your bumper or other chrome-plated parts, and it can be done at your own personal garage, saving you some decent cash for restoration. When you are at it, it is advisable to always start with a good core and check for fit first.

For starters, get the bumper supported on a stand and work out flaws by tapping with a hammer and dolly. Remove the dents on the bumper and then use files to refine the metal. File the common flat areas with a flat file to remove any flaws. For those corners which are hard to reach, a bull nose file may come in handy. After that, block sand with a power sander, starting with 80 grit. For the contoured areas, make use of round PVC blocks. You can use a long power air board file for the knocking out of remaining flaws. After it is done, give the bumper a wipe down using grease remover and wax or shine.

Next, you can work on the areas which require attention such as bumper guards and their fitting. If it fits badly, you can add some wire and weld it to the inner edge. When all fits well, you can attach the bumper onto a bumper rack (if you have one) and clamp it. Cut down the copper in 180 grit, and find low spots at the same time. During plating and electric process, copper will tend to build up on the outer edges due to the amperage draws. You can take some photos to know where are the areas you want to work on first. Continue to block sand until it is quite smooth.

Next, do plating if necessary as you won't be able to apply primer using a spray gun. If there are any scratches or strikes, you will need to coat the whole bumper and block it once more. Then, for inspection, wet it down. Check for dips and other problems, and tweak them into perfection.

For copper build ups, you can use a smooth sander to knock them down nicely. It will leave you with a surface that has small curly cue on it when you are done. Put a strike on the bumper so that the smoothness can be seen and compared. Grit (320) and sand (400) the bumper and get ready for polishing. After a final wet down, the bumper should look great. Polish the copper until it has a clear and mirror-like finish. Recommended are tools like the RotoSet as well as the Roto Star from Shunner, both which may be the best tool for the job.

The smaller grooves as well as the nooks and crannys can be settled with the small RotoSet. You can use many bars of compounds. Start with rough to medium, to fine and final color from left to right. You can make use of a variety of buffs to alter the amount of space in between the threads of the buff, ranging from aggressive to refined, so you can work by trial and error to achieve the best results.

It is advisable not to use compounds of different nature on the same wheels, because once there is a certain grit coated on, it will be ingrained. You should also clean the buff in between rounds. Using a bit of 600 grit, finish off the bumper and give it a nice polish for a mirror-like finish. Apply compound now and wipe the copper down using grease remover and wax intermittently. Keep in mind that these techniques work within a professional level street rod shop so they are proven methods.

At the same time, keep your eyes open for scratches. After finishing off with the polish, grease removal as well as waxing, you are almost done, hopefully with things looking good for your car. You now have the completed section and should be ready to plate it using chrome and nickel. Following that, install it and you are done with your nice looking and sturdy bumper, which should really be worth your time and effort!

If your looking for the premium street rod shop to build your custom ride then look no further then Jeff Lilly Restorations.

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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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