Progress on the Track-T grill shell is slow but that's ok. I'm learning I hope. I am trying not to apply too much pressure with the English wheel and just take my time with it. I might try to tighten the overall curve from top to bottom on the driver side with one or two more tucks at the top but I don't want to push my luck. The metal sits close to the buck all the way up now except at the very top where it rises about 3/4 of an inch at most. Yeah, I guess I better tuck it too. Hard to tell when to tighten the wheel but I figure about every 15 to 20 minutes of rolling should allow me to tighten it just a bit. If it feels a bit too snug or sounds a bit too snug, I'll back off a bit. Hard to know just what to do so I'm taking my time. I don't think I've wrecked anything yet.
Well, today I finally got the hang of the English wheel. Up until today I had been going too lightly. Today I decided to apply a little more pressure and increase slowly as I felt the bumps and dents disappear and sure enough, it's smooth as glass in spots now. I would have kept going but the sun was sinking. If anybody out there is thinking about buying one I see Princess Auto has them on sale now too, not just Busy Bee. And maybe it isn't as good as the big pro units, maybe. I don't know. But it sure works fine in a small garage for me. I can't wait to get another summer like day and get back at it. Once I got the hang of it, it is a piece of cake. Eezy peezy. If you ever thought about getting one, I suggest you do. It gives a smooth finish to the metal in a fairly short span of time. I'll try to get pictures tomorrow if the weather is good.
Nice job Jim, not a typical project for a beginner...
No kidding eh. I wouldn't think twice about ripping into a motor or trans, but shaping metal has always seemed intimidating to me. Good on you Jim for "tucking" into it.
Thank you. I still have a long way to go. I picked up a little scrap metal to practice welding on some more before I tackle welding the rad shell. This shell looks to be just thin enough to blow through fairly easy so I better get it right.
