Straight Shooter
July 16, 2023
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Final Assembly Tips From The Pros
When building a street rod there are a great many facets of the construction process that go into making the car an award-winning creation. First, there’s planning. The planning of the car can and should include attention to each and every area of the car, from concept to reality. Even the most basic of projects should have the proper planning involved, no matter what the final product might be. Once work has begun on the project, countless hours are generally involved in attending to every detail. From making the many modifications to the chassis to attain the desired drive train, to the matching and mating of the different components together, this becomes an involved process requiring a great deal of skill in fabrication and engineering.
MR. OCTOBER’S CAMARO
To baseball fans, Reggie Jackson is one of the all-time greats, earning the nickname “Mr. October” with his stellar performance in the 1977 World Series. And yet, beyond his passion for baseball, Jackson has always enjoyed a strong appreciation for special cars, as evidenced by the extensive Chevy collection he’s explored throughout most of his life.
ROAD-STIR
For the most part, street rodding is viewed as part of our American heritage, every bit as much as the blues and jazz, hot dogs and apple pie. It incorporates many of the traits we Yanks are known for,
combining ingenuity and individuality, plus a large dose of style gleaned from the numerous vehicles of our past. If you have any doubts, just look at the enthusiasts throughout Europe, Australia and other rodding hotbeds around the globe. They love American rodding.
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
