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bending steel quarter panel

2K views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  Divinitous 
#1 ·
I bought a slice of 14 gauge (ouch sharp edges) to fit from my back door to the tailights for protection on my XJ.
I thought it would be a bit more plyable. My first work with rolled steel. Is there a way to contour it to the body panel so it fits snug. It would have to be a back yard method. I had an idea of getting a couple pieces of 1" x 1" wood and set the steel on that and roll over it with the Jeep ? I figure I'll cut out around the flares and gas cap opening with a plasma cutter. I have a jigsaw , but from looks of the thickness that isn't going to cut it.
Any help would be Greatly appreciated.
Thanks
 
#2 ·
Fab section might be a little better. Are you just trying to bend a straight line in it or roll it to get a curve? How long is the piece where it needs to get bent? I wouldn't use the roll over with a jeep method. Unbending steel is tougher than bending it. If you bend to far you might have just wasted the steel. A jig saw will rip through 14 gauge. A plasma will do it easier, but with a heavy metal blade a jig saw will work well. Depending on the length of the bend you can make it several different ways. I have scored along the bend line and then used my body weight and a piece of angle iron to get the correct bend. I have also welded up a simple bender with angle iron so that I can use a jack to bend the steel. Then if the piece is small enough you can clamp angle iron on either side and beat it with a hammer. I really like angle iron. With the first two you can't get a 90 degree bend but I don't bend past 45 very often.
 
#3 ·
Fab section

I did put a thread up on Naxja fab forum with no hits after 8 hours or so I thought maybe I'd get a quicker responce here. Seemed to work. Thanks for the ideas. When you scored it what did you use and how deep do I score it ? ? I have a 4" mini grinder. Could I just put a small grind down the center. It needs to bend at the 6" point on a 34"x 12" piece. It goes from my rear door back to my tail light on a Cherokee.
It is a very slight contour.
Here is a pic of what I'm making . Mine won't go past the tail lights like that and I already have the rocker quard.

Thanks
 
#4 ·
boise49ers said:
I did put a thread up on Naxja fab forum with no hits after 8 hours or so I thought maybe I'd get a quicker responce here. Seemed to work. Thanks for the ideas. When you scored it what did you use and how deep do I score it ? ? I have a 4" mini grinder. Could I just put a small grind down the center. It needs to bend at the 6" point on a 34"x 12" piece. It goes from my rear door back to my tail light on a Cherokee.
It is a very slight contour.
Here is a pic of what I'm making . Mine won't go past the tail lights like that and I already have the rocker quard.

Thanks
Without an english wheel, it's going to be really difficult for you to bend that in two directions.

You can cut slight curves on two edges and weld them to get a curve and a bend, but 14 g will warp pretty good doing it.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Down the center

I just need a small contour in the middle of the large piece that goes from the tail light to door. I won't cut around the flare until after I bend it. I shouldn't need 2 bends. The lower armour on the rocker I already have made and installed.
The arrows and line in the pic show where the bend needs to be. Right down the center of the 34"x12" piece that will fit in that area. Then I will trim around the wheelwells and gas fill opening.
You can kind of make out the contour I need by looking at the tail light where it runs along the body.
 
#6 ·
boise49ers said:
I just need a small contour in the middle of the large piece that goes from the tail light to door. I won't cut around the flare until after I bend it. I shouldn't need 2 bends. The lower armour on the rocker I already have made and installed.
The arrows and line in the pic show where the bend needs to be. Right down the center of the 34"x12" piece that will fit in that area. Then I will trim around the wheelwells and gas fill opening.
You can kind of make out the contour I need by looking at the tail light where it runs along the body.
The Wrangler is one of a small handful of vehicles with straight sides. Everything else like the XJ has slight to not so slight contours in the body work

I'm well familiar with your problem having built and installed armor on XJ's before and like I said, metal won't bend two directions at once without doing weird things.

If it were mine, I'd pick a break line somewhere and do it in two sections with a seam in the middle. You might be able to pull that off.
 
#8 ·
boise49ers said:
I used the tire method , but jacked up the tire and set it in the middle and slowly drove back and forth. It is real close. The rivets will draw the rest in. Used a jigsaw and 4" mini grinder for tools.Thanks for your help.
:wave:
sounds like you basically made an english wheel :thumbsup:

awesome!

(just dont use humungo bolts like in the firs pic :laugh: )
 
#9 ·
Rivets

I'm probably using rivets. 1/8" by .75" I'm making up my mind on that and sealing agents right now. I think I'll run a bead around the inside edge and gas inlet which is bent from prior rock damage so it may take a bit to fill, then some beads running thru out the panel and kind of chalk the areas that don't quite flatten onto the body. I have time, I'm not doing rocks again until I put in my 44 and that is about a month away. It is in Vegas until then.
I noticed you have the 2.5. One of the best off roading rigs in our club is a 2.5 with a 4.1 TC. He runs 36" Iroks and that thing goes anywhere. Not to mention the mileage he gets plus he doesn't break crap like everyone else.
Thanks
 
#10 ·
boise49ers said:
I'm probably using rivets. 1/8" by .75" I'm making up my mind on that and sealing agents right now. I think I'll run a bead around the inside edge and gas inlet which is bent from prior rock damage so it may take a bit to fill, then some beads running thru out the panel and kind of chalk the areas that don't quite flatten onto the body. I have time, I'm not doing rocks again until I put in my 44 and that is about a month away. It is in Vegas until then.
I noticed you have the 2.5. One of the best off roading rigs in our club is a 2.5 with a 4.1 TC. He runs 36" Iroks and that thing goes anywhere. Not to mention the mileage he gets plus he doesn't break crap like everyone else.
Thanks
Pay close attention to your rivets. Rivets typically have a specified grip range they work in. In other words, if the rivet is too long, it will pop the mandrel before it tightens up against the materials.

I've found that 1/8" rivets pull out of sheetmetal real easy.
 
#11 ·
Make sure you get the edges nice and straight, and rounded over. If you don't when you paint it black and put it up to the body panel it will stick out like a sore thoumb. I clamped a belt sander upside down on my work bench and made a table sander out of it. Worked great, just keep the piece moving.
 
#12 ·
mrblaine said:
Pay close attention to your rivets. Rivets typically have a specified grip range they work in. In other words, if the rivet is too long, it will pop the mandrel before it tightens up against the materials.

I've found that 1/8" rivets pull out of sheetmetal real easy.

I should of read this prior to installing. I used 1/8 and longer ones. It didn't pull it all the way against the sheet metal. It is pretty tight though , because of the silicone behind it. I guess I'll see how it holds up when it gets twisted off-road. Then if I have problems I'll drill them out and go with different. What size rivet should I use if I have to replace them ? It doesn't look to bad. My gas fill hole if a little loppy, but it was a jigsaw cut. As long as it serves its purpose.
Thanks mrblaine



 
#13 ·
got_4_lo said:
sounds like you basically made an english wheel :thumbsup:

awesome!

(just dont use humungo bolts like in the firs pic :laugh: )
Hah, those arent bolts. They look like roofing nails. :laugh:
 
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