Little Jerry
Member
- Messages
- 140
- Location
- Australia
Hi
I have restored what I believe to be the original contour of a front side of my truck bed that had a long bulge in it.
straightedge and contour gauge show its looking and feeling great - it’s a low crown panel. The problem is that the panel isn’t totally rigid anymore - the bottom half is solid but the top can flex the whole section if you get it in the centre / upper half.
At this stage I believe the metal may have fatigued over its life and basically I need to stretch it a bit. Could be wrong but that’s where my head is at. I can always shrink it back. I’ve been using a shrinking disc for any shrinking so I havent been aggressive when moving the metal.
the question is - would stretching it closer to the centreline of the panel or on the upper outer edge of the panel be better for getting the strength back?
I have restored what I believe to be the original contour of a front side of my truck bed that had a long bulge in it.
straightedge and contour gauge show its looking and feeling great - it’s a low crown panel. The problem is that the panel isn’t totally rigid anymore - the bottom half is solid but the top can flex the whole section if you get it in the centre / upper half.
At this stage I believe the metal may have fatigued over its life and basically I need to stretch it a bit. Could be wrong but that’s where my head is at. I can always shrink it back. I’ve been using a shrinking disc for any shrinking so I havent been aggressive when moving the metal.
the question is - would stretching it closer to the centreline of the panel or on the upper outer edge of the panel be better for getting the strength back?