THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
STEPPIN’ UP TO A LIFTED TUNDRA
To a truck nut, there is no thrill like driving his pickup right after it’s been lifted. No pun intended, but a lifted truck just seems to bring a guy up in the world. Unfortunately, the thrill is gone as soon as his lady gripes about her struggle to get in it.
Bright Idea
Keith Bright was driving through tiny Basin, Wyoming (population just over 1,000), when he saw a ’58 Buick station wagon drive by in the opposite direction. “That’s strange,” he remembers thinking to himself. He could remember seeing only two other examples in his entire life. He had to have that car, but there was no time to follow the driver or flag him down. Bright returned to his home in Salina, Kansas, where he heads Bright Built Street Rods & Restoration, and occupied his time working on other people’s super rods. But he couldn’t get that ’58 wagon out of his mind.
SWEET SOUNDS
Everyone wants a killer stereo that rocks. You can’t just roll out in your car without something fabulous to listen to. The factory equipment just won’t work for those who demand more, especially if you are trying to show off. You have to be able to turn up the music and be heard—it’s all part of the game. If you’re going to roll, you know the rules: you have to roll hard and that means your entire stereo system has to be up to the task. Nothing is worse than blasting a stereo and hearing everything rattle and shake. That’s a huge no-no. There is a simple solution to this problem, however. To do a proper stereo installation, you must first lay a solid foundation. The first layer of this foundation is called sound damping or sound control.
Spotlighter
BUILD A BENDER
An Economical Way To Get the Bends You Want
Bending irons have been used in the industry for many years. We first became aware of how handy they are during a 10-year stint in the can industry.
Author
Lane Anderson
Story & Photography
Why Use Bending Irons for Metal Fabrication
This type of bending is totally portable and can generate tremendous force. While these irons are not good for sharp 90-degree bends, they are excellent for most radii. We made these irons specifically for the 1/8-inch-thick material used while making our convertible top-anchoring strap. We made the jaw sections larger and thicker than necessary for bending 1/8-inch material because the irons will be reworked for 3/8-inch round stock for our next project.
Building Your Own Economical Metal Bender
For our heavy-duty bending irons, we used 3/4-inch-diameter round stock that was 18 inches long. The jaws were fabricated from 3/4-inch-thick steel plates, and we cut and milled the jaws on our vertical milling machine. If you do not have access to such a tool, you can use a band saw or hacksaw and a drill motor to make the slots.
Versatility of DIY Bending Tools
The portability of the bending irons is another plus. When the job is too tough for bare hands and too small for the vise and hammer, the bending irons fill the gap. With larger slots, the irons can be used for round stock, such as the curved framework of the new center console you’ve been thinking about building. Take a look as you show you how simple this process really is
