RF aluminum panels
- Thread starter Bill D
- Start date
Ron Earp
Admin
They are pre-cut, but like any others they require final trimming and of course, bending to fit. As an option you can have RF panel the car, but it isn't hard at all. Alternatively, and I would do this now, RF will make the panels in stainless for you. A little harder to work with, for sure, but won't require much work to keep looking nice.
When i ordered my car I had RF do the panels in stainless on the advice of Hershal. I think that it was the correct decision for a street car but I have found that you need to adjust your mindset when working with this material.
When bending you can do it by hand or with a hand seamer but a Brake does make it a simpler job. You cannot use the brake for all bends because some will conflict with others on the same panel.
I have found punching my holes for the rivits to be easer than drilling the stainless. I align the panel mark my holes, then use a punch to punch them out. I then reattach the panel with Clecos through a couple of edge holes and use the panel itself as a guide to drill the holes in the chassie.
Cutting and trimming the panels is were the real fun is. I had added a metal air shear to my tool collection for this project expecting to use it to do most of my cutting and trimming, leaving only clean up or fine work for my snips and saw. I can tell you ignorance is bliss untill the truth smaks you in the face. Even through I was using a 33 gallon compressor rated at 150 PSI, it could bearly keep up with the shears. When I started to do the firewall bulkhead window it was a fight to get the cuts done and impossable to follow the contour of the window. I did get the job completed but would not list that cut among my better work.
I have since purchased an Air Nibbler which I think short of a flame cutter is the best solution for stainless. it cuts the panels like a knive in butter leaving a clean edge and consuming way less air then the shears. The only down side is that the wast is ejected as small slivers that could be a problem if not cleaned up properly. I also purchased a 48 inch piece of angle that acts as a straight edge for the nibbler. I still have to cut out the motor access hole and the seat belt holes in the firewall before completing that task. With the experience gained the rest of the panels should be easy.
Hope my experience helps. Peter
When bending you can do it by hand or with a hand seamer but a Brake does make it a simpler job. You cannot use the brake for all bends because some will conflict with others on the same panel.
I have found punching my holes for the rivits to be easer than drilling the stainless. I align the panel mark my holes, then use a punch to punch them out. I then reattach the panel with Clecos through a couple of edge holes and use the panel itself as a guide to drill the holes in the chassie.
Cutting and trimming the panels is were the real fun is. I had added a metal air shear to my tool collection for this project expecting to use it to do most of my cutting and trimming, leaving only clean up or fine work for my snips and saw. I can tell you ignorance is bliss untill the truth smaks you in the face. Even through I was using a 33 gallon compressor rated at 150 PSI, it could bearly keep up with the shears. When I started to do the firewall bulkhead window it was a fight to get the cuts done and impossable to follow the contour of the window. I did get the job completed but would not list that cut among my better work.
I have since purchased an Air Nibbler which I think short of a flame cutter is the best solution for stainless. it cuts the panels like a knive in butter leaving a clean edge and consuming way less air then the shears. The only down side is that the wast is ejected as small slivers that could be a problem if not cleaned up properly. I also purchased a 48 inch piece of angle that acts as a straight edge for the nibbler. I still have to cut out the motor access hole and the seat belt holes in the firewall before completing that task. With the experience gained the rest of the panels should be easy.
Hope my experience helps. Peter
Having worked with stainless, I can sympathise with you. The nibbler is the only way to go. Be sure you are not wearing tennis shoes when you are cutting, as all those cressent moon shapes will dig into the soles and the wife won't be happy when you walk across her hard wood floors. Be sure to use a lliberal amount of WD40 on both sides of the pannel and on the cutter. There is a tremendous amount of heat built up as it cuts. BTW, order about 4 or 5 extra cutters. If they are not positioned properly, they will snap. The main throat of the nibbler is suseptable to breadage if you push it too hard. I have a set of plans for a break that can be built out of angle iron if you are interested. It's dirt cheap and easy to make.
Bill
Bill
Robert Logan
Defunct Manufactuer - Old RF Company
Bill,
From the above it seems that you have to do a LOT of cutting, nibbling , this is not true. There is only a little nibbling on the panels, only to releif around welds and things like seat straps.
I fully support the purchasing of a bender and a box break is best (they have multiple feet where the aluminium is bent and these can be removed to allow the bending of ALL sides of a box). A standard 4 foot break will sufice for all but TWO of the bends and a "slab of beer" and down to the sheet metal workshop and they are done.
Regarding the stainless steel, it takes us slightly over 30% longer to do the sheeting and this is allowing for the reduction in guage that we use over the aluminium.
I believe that this is one of the areas that gives you the feeling of actually "building or making" the GT40.
Best wishes,
Robert
From the above it seems that you have to do a LOT of cutting, nibbling , this is not true. There is only a little nibbling on the panels, only to releif around welds and things like seat straps.
I fully support the purchasing of a bender and a box break is best (they have multiple feet where the aluminium is bent and these can be removed to allow the bending of ALL sides of a box). A standard 4 foot break will sufice for all but TWO of the bends and a "slab of beer" and down to the sheet metal workshop and they are done.
Regarding the stainless steel, it takes us slightly over 30% longer to do the sheeting and this is allowing for the reduction in guage that we use over the aluminium.
I believe that this is one of the areas that gives you the feeling of actually "building or making" the GT40.
Best wishes,
Robert
Peter,
I really like your method of punching the holes instead of drilling. Great Idea !
For cutting the stainless or the the aluminum I use a neat tool made by Bosch. They are electric shears that will cut up to 16ga. It cuts stainles with ease and goes through aluminum like butter. The cutting blades on this tool have four sides so when one side gets dull you simply unscrew and switch to another side.
They can cut a circle as small as a quarter. I use an my
4' break to clamp and hold a piece to be cut and I use the edge on the break as a guide for the shears. Works great.
Hersh /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I really like your method of punching the holes instead of drilling. Great Idea !
For cutting the stainless or the the aluminum I use a neat tool made by Bosch. They are electric shears that will cut up to 16ga. It cuts stainles with ease and goes through aluminum like butter. The cutting blades on this tool have four sides so when one side gets dull you simply unscrew and switch to another side.
They can cut a circle as small as a quarter. I use an my
4' break to clamp and hold a piece to be cut and I use the edge on the break as a guide for the shears. Works great.
Hersh /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Attachments
Since I am doing the repanneling myself, I have to get the 4x8 sheets of stainless and layout AND cut each pannel myself, therefore a LOT of cutting. Liie the bosh unit, wish I had opted for it instead. I am covering more than comes from the factory. Gives a cleaner look.
Bill
Bill
Bill,
Robert is correct, my intention was not to imply that you had to do a lot of cutting. With the exception of the rear bulkhead which requires the engine access cutout, the rear window cutout and the seat belt strap and access cutouts the majority of the other panels only require bending and trimming around welds for an exact fit, with the required holes thrown in for good measure.
I was just pointing out that working with the stainless is more diffacult but not an overwhelming task. Having the right tools to work with the harder material makes the job a lot easier and your final result neater.
Hershal, I did not think of using my brake to hold the panel while cutting and also letting it work as a cutting quide. Thanks for the input.
Peter
Robert is correct, my intention was not to imply that you had to do a lot of cutting. With the exception of the rear bulkhead which requires the engine access cutout, the rear window cutout and the seat belt strap and access cutouts the majority of the other panels only require bending and trimming around welds for an exact fit, with the required holes thrown in for good measure.
I was just pointing out that working with the stainless is more diffacult but not an overwhelming task. Having the right tools to work with the harder material makes the job a lot easier and your final result neater.
Hershal, I did not think of using my brake to hold the panel while cutting and also letting it work as a cutting quide. Thanks for the input.
Peter
Chris Duncan
Supporter
When your putting holes in stainless and you need them away from the edge out of the range of your hole punch you need to know how to drill stainless.
Learned this from building stainless headers. Normal drill speeds don't work, you end up dulling your bits after just one or two holes.
Very low speeds and a high feed rate (high pressure) are what's necessary. The typical 3/8 drill turns about 2,500 rpm top speed. You need less than 250 rpm with stainless. So a variable speed is neccessary. Depending on your thickness a 1/2 variable speed drill might be even easier, they have more torque and operate at lower overall speed. You have to be careful and release your high pressure right as the cut finishes or the material will catch, this is when good clamping makes a difference.
The reason for the difference with stainless is that it work hardens at a very rapid rate. Just a few rotations of the cutting surface of the bit that doesn't cut enough material hardens the material too hard for the bit to cut. You have to have more pressure than speed so that your cutting considerable material on each rotation of the bit.
The optimal lubricant is "cutting oil"(which isn't really a lubricant) as opposed to other oils (WD40, motor oil) as it cools and allows the cutting edge to dig in as opposed to letting it "slip" on the material.
Learned this from building stainless headers. Normal drill speeds don't work, you end up dulling your bits after just one or two holes.
Very low speeds and a high feed rate (high pressure) are what's necessary. The typical 3/8 drill turns about 2,500 rpm top speed. You need less than 250 rpm with stainless. So a variable speed is neccessary. Depending on your thickness a 1/2 variable speed drill might be even easier, they have more torque and operate at lower overall speed. You have to be careful and release your high pressure right as the cut finishes or the material will catch, this is when good clamping makes a difference.
The reason for the difference with stainless is that it work hardens at a very rapid rate. Just a few rotations of the cutting surface of the bit that doesn't cut enough material hardens the material too hard for the bit to cut. You have to have more pressure than speed so that your cutting considerable material on each rotation of the bit.
The optimal lubricant is "cutting oil"(which isn't really a lubricant) as opposed to other oils (WD40, motor oil) as it cools and allows the cutting edge to dig in as opposed to letting it "slip" on the material.
