VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Body - Sheet Metal, Paint & Wood Unfolding bent sheetmetal

I have a 30 roadster quarter panel that is folded up to the axle. Multiple folds. I would like to straight it. I've done my share of body work but never tried unfolding metal. I can rig up a stretcher to pull with but do you heat the folds ? Anyone done this? Thanks for any help.

Don't heat sheet metal unless that is absolutely the last resort. Heating and pulling can stretch the metal enough so it can't be shrunk back. The wrinkling and/or folding will stretch it enough. Pull easily and lightly tap the high spots. The more gentle the better. Be prepared to have the process take many more hours than expected. The key to removing any dent, fold, wave is to reverse the force that produced the damage. All that being said it sometimes is necessary to use heat. Use the minimum and only in small areas.

I think if knowledgeable using heat can be beneficial. I sold a 33 parts car and the buyer only wanted the rear fenders which I thought were pretty bad-dented in several areas but no bead breaks and no rust. The body shop that restored them used HEAT ONLY and they came out close to perfect. It is definitely not a process for a beginner.

I agree that is why I initially wrote There are not many body men that can straighten sheet metal the "old fashioned" way. Modern body metal does not lend itself to much straightening and heat can destroy its properties. Hence, metal working is a dying art. I was taught many techniques that have proven to be very valuable in our old Chevys but useless on newer vehicles.

Straightening badly bent sheetmetal is always a second choice to replacing it for a number of reasons. As Chip noted, if it's not done correctly you can have massive warpage. The other side of that coin is the buckles have work hardened and simple hammering won't remove that. You may end up with a reasonably straight panel but the metal won't be as strong as before and will be prone to cracking. Proper heating can help relieve those stresses. When I was just a lad and working as a body man heating the buckles while pulling or pushing the metal back to it's normal position was the referred method. My recommendation would be to replace the panel. If that isn't possible I personally wouldn't be afraid to use heat but I'd try to have someone experienced in the process present to aid & advise.

Well I lucked out and found a retired metalsmith who says he can fix it. Thanks for the responses. I wish I could watch him do it.

Dick it will be well worth the effort to watch him work if he will let you. As long as you don't get in the way or ask too many questions he might let you watch. Straightening metal is an art that takes a ton of patience and years of experience.