Floor Pans... Getting screwed?

[Mark Maras]

 What does he use as a heat source. I'm getting frustrated with my hood. I tap the high spots down just below level and they want to pop right back up. I could bash them down and I know they would stay down but I want as little filler as possible. I'm thinking a little heat would help. Opinion? Also, Is he using compressed air to control the shrinkage?

Edited December 20, 2015 by Mark Maras

[Casey_z]

Acetylene torch,body hammer, one squinty eye, some cussing and a grin when he is happy with something sometimes a damp rag and then he is usually cussing  

 

He apprenticed with a craftsman 30 plus years ago. If you ask him it is eye and feel. When he is finishing a panel he rubs and looks.

 

I did the rough work and paid him for his skill set.

[Patcon]

Yes you can shrink dents in your body work using heat and then a damp rag or a spray bottle. I watched a you tube video recently where a guy used a shrinking disk to fix a dent in a piece of metal. He beat the snot out of it with a hammer, then he used the shrinking disk on a grinder which heats the metal. Then used water out of a spray bottle to cool it. In about 5 minutes the dent was gone, invisible. It was really cool! My frame man fixes stretched metal for us using a torch and damp rag. I know it can be done but haven't tried my hand at it yet. I would probably use a shrinking disk since I don't have access to a torch and the disc is relatively cheap. If you over shrink it, you can always stretch it a little with a hammer. 

[Mark Maras]

Thanks.  Great info. I hadn't heard of a shrinking disc. Just watched a couple of videos. Gonna get one and try it. I've got

 a ways to go on the bodywork.

[Casey_z]

By the time you get good you will have start another car

[Mark Maras]

 Yeah, I had considered that too. I'm looking forward to learning a new technique.

 The next car is already on the list. My sons' daily driver 81 RX7. Hopefully the 260 will be on the road by late spring and then we can start on his. The subject has not come up yet but I can see the wheels turning in his head. I'm sure he's planning to drive the Z while the RX7 is down. Fortunately, he can be trusted but he's going to earn the privilege. The sooner we finish the Z, the sooner we can start on the RX7.

 It will be interesting to see if he still loves his RX7 as much after driving a Z.

[Patcon]

Mark

Let us know how the discing goes. It looks really easy but that can be deceiving...

[Mark Maras]

 I'll do that. I can practice on the original cowl. I have a replacement for it. The orig. was looking pretty good until it threw itself under the tire of an RX7. Actually, I leaned it against the wall, unsecured, and it slid onto the floor. Anyway that one will be my learning piece. It can only be improved.