Anyone have a metal brake?

my 3B tub is almost completly shot, i'm going to attempt to rebuild it because i cant afford a new tub. anyone in the NJ,PA,NY,MD,DE area have a metal brake i could use or could make me stuff like hat channels and some body patches if i got you measurements? Thanks a ton, Geoffrey

 

2 pieces od 2x4, 2 clamps, and a mallet work as well. For angles, you can cut the wood at the angle you want. This thread is a good read.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f8/resurrection-build-thread-72-cj5-1418863/index3.html

 

I saw some pictures somewhere on the net of them making a Jeep body in the PI. They used a oxygen or some other kind of gas cylinder to roll the sheet metal around to form the curves at the back corners of the Jeep. I definitely wouldn't use a cylinder unless it was near empty (ever see what happens when a valve breaks off a full cylinder!) AND I wouldn't use a cylinder that contained any flammable gas!

 

About a 6 inch diameter pipe is just perfect. And I second the thought about just buying some angle iron and clamps and making your own. Search for DIY sheet metal brake on that interwebnet thingie and you will have plenty of reading. If you can make all your parts with simple bends and curves and keep the compount curve and tricky bits like the top of the tub to weld teh patches to you can build your own jeep pretty easily. If you need to have all the correct beads and body features it gets a bit more tricky.

Over on the 2A page in the tech faq section is some posts I gathered together in the tub rebuilding thread. Well worth a read.

 

I saw brake plans using the HF press not too long ago. Thought it was a pretty slick set up.

 

24" Box Break, 24" slip roll, 24" shear all on wheels in my shop.............nice to have.

 

Made one from extra bits laying in the garage. Works great for 16 gauge.

 

i just need to figure out how to convert my dads clarke mig 95 to gas

 

Looked up a Clarke 95 MIG welder....Dunno why they call it a MIG, as it seems to be fluxcore only at all the sites I saw it on.
Unless it has hookups for a gas solenoid and a gas line into the cable and gun, I think you might be out of luck there.

 

:/ i cant really afford another welder.... it's gonna put my project budget way back...

 

wonder if this would work... might be worth a shot for the $70...
http://www.amazon.com/Clarke-Craftsman-Mig-Welder-Regulator/dp/B004UUAXRG

 

Does your welder have a place to attach the gas line in that picture to? Look on the back of the unit, or under the door that covers the roll of wire. If you have any pawn shops or used tool places near you you might be able to trade your unit in on a mig. ..What gets me is they call it a MIG, which stands for Metal Inert Gas, so you would think it could be used for that process, not flux core only.

I realize money is tight but you can get a Lincoln MIG from Home depot that will do fine for you for about $300. and it will be NEW. Tractor Supply sells a small Hobart MIG for around the same amount. Remember you still have to lease or buy the gas bottle. I will say a MIG is an investment, not a toy. Once everyone knows you have a welder you will be making stuff for all your buddys that don't. If you do need to replace your Clarke to get MIG, try to stay away from the Chinese stuff if you can.

Don't overlook a good used name brand unit as a possibility too. Good luck!

 

Thanks! i'll have to look into it. and i realize even if i have to get a new welder, its not like i'm not gonna use it for the rest of my life, its a good investment.