How to shrink edges without a shrinker . Second part to follow .
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Jim, I’ve done a lot of wired edges over the years. Hope you don’t mind a few observations on this.
I wouldn’t recommend trying to fit a repair panel over an old bit of wired edge - it’s most likely started to rust, and it’s a much harder repair than making a panel with new wire in the edge.
You’re aiming to shrink that flange as it folds over the wire. As you noted at around 11mins, the bend has gone the wrong way. If you look back at 4mins, you have bent the first part of the flange in the vice to 90°, with the remainder still flat. When you remove it from the vice, you can see that the flange has actually stretched here rather than shrunk, thereby causing the flange to curve the wrong way as noted later. Turning stretched metal into shrunk metal is twice as difficult as working from flat!
The method I was taught is roughly as follows: wire should be 1/8" (3mm) galvanized steel garden wire (same for Healeys, Jags, Austins etc. etc.). Using an edge on an anvil block and a crowned planishing hammer, start to hammer the whole length of the flange evenly, little by little, to start a soft crease that will fold around the wire, but be careful not to form a sharp angle. I like a nice hickory handled hammer - let it do the work for you with a loose wrist action. Once the crease is established, use clamps to hold a length of wire in position and continue light planishing to close over, or shrink, the flange. This way you don’t need to heat the metal or use a shrinker and you should get a nice, even wired edge on the repair panel that curves in the correct way ready to fit.
For the repair you have there, I would focus on the wired edge first with an oversize repair panel. Once you have the wired edge as you want it, offer it up to the body to be sure it fits exactly as you want. Then go round with the scribe to mark where to cut the repair panel sheet metal to weld to the body. It’s really difficult to make the repair panel then wire the edge and have it still fit accurately.
It’s also worth noting that the wire should never be welded into the body at the same place as the repair panel edge - I usually leave an inch or so of wire protruding beyond the new panel edges, peel the old panel wired edge back for an inch or so to match, remove this section of old wire and weld the new wire to the old first. Then the old and new flanges can be re-dressed back around the wire with a domed hammer and dolly. Butt weld the panel edges as required.
Different for aluminium - anneal the metal first, but not for steel.
On the road by Christmas? You’re really cracking on…
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Here is part 2. No , I haven’t been working through the night , just waiting for the video to upload !
Thanks for the tips Roger , I have no background or training on anything to do with cars as you might tell. A lot of my techniques are my inventions but always welcome better methods .
My old wire was actually fine , yes it was rusty , but that matches the rest of the car .
Jim
Jim, thanks for posting all these instructional videos. It’s amazing what can be accomplished with basic hand tools.