Q I am working on a '55 Chevrolet pickup and like many trucks of that era, the doors have been bent along the front edge from contact with the fenders. My doors are really pretty good other than the front edge, so I would like to save them. They are bent back about an inch along most of the door and in some places have cracked or broken from stress (I assume). Also one door seems to have a dent inward right behind the inner door structure. Is there any hope for these doors, and what procedures should I use to fix them?Caleb BarrowDrexel MO
A Regarding the damage to the front edge of the doors, this repair is hindered by the inner door structure. The leading edge can be straightened with a hammer and dolly, and any cracks or splits can be welded. The tricky part is straightening the metal inboard from the inner door frame, where it is often difficult to position the dolly where you need it. Sometimes a spoon (a sort of pointed dolly with a long handle) can be used to get into tight areas like this. Basically, you have to get the metal as straight as you can with the hammer and dolly and spoon, and perhaps a little heat will be required to shrink any areas that are too high. Your goal is to get the shape of the door to flow with the front fender as well as possible. You may have to adjust the door gaps at this point, too. Any uneven areas left at this point may require the use of plastic filler or lead. If you do use plastic filler, be sure to get the leading edge of the door in exactly the right location, since building up filler on an edge can lead to chipping if the edge is bumped. What do you know about Henrob 2000 torches -they were demonstrating and selling them at Pigeon Forge and it was pretty impressive-a couple of the builders there say that's all they use-just curious since I haven't seen one before.
Q A friend has a '56 M100 hood that is bowed up around 1/2 inch in the middle of the hood along the front to back ridge-don't know if hinges were jammed and someone reefed on it or? It fits well around the edges and you have to look really closely to see the bow, as it's very gradual/smooth/symetrical but it's driving him crazy. The Merc hoods were only used up in road salt country-his choices are to fix his otherwise perfect hood or find a good Ford one and re-do the emblem holes-your ideas?Sheldon RierCambridge, Ontario, Canada
A I don't own a Henrob torch, but I've used one several times. Their chief advantage is that they mix the welding gasses much more thoroughly than a traditional torch, and they work at lower gas pressures. The lower pressure means your gas lasts longer, and the flame pressure is lower, so it's less likely to blow a hole through the area you're trying to weld.
The flame on a Henrob torch is focussed much tighter than a traditional torch, and this is a very nice feature, helping you to make a smaller, neater weld.