T bucket-metal over fiberglas

[earthman]

Yep you read that right. I have a glass bucket body and i can't stand it. Real steel bodies are few and far, and too expensive to ship.
Are there any arts and crafty types here...or your wives...with knowledge of materials and tecniques for applying thin metal to objects?

 

[Bamamav]

Wrap it it tin foil!

 

[earthman]

Wrap it it tin foil!

Thanks Bam, i did consider that.

 

[sneakysnake]

Wrap it it tin foil!

Be classy and use gold leaf. lol

 

[RPM]

I sell bucket bodies for just $399, and shipping is usually less than $150.00. Yea they are glass. You paint it to look like rust.

 

[earthman]

Be classy and use gold leaf. lol

Is there a gold colored tin foil?

 

[IronRat]

Consider sheets of Stainless Steel and Rivet them over the Glass corpse. You probably could do all your bending/shaping with a rubber mallet. With a little planning & design thought it could look like a WWII era bomber.

 

[smallfoot]

Consider sheets of Stainless Steel and Rivet them over the Glass corpse. You probably could do all your bending/shaping with a rubber mallet. With a little planning & design thought it could look like a WWII era bomber.

Along the same lines as IronRat, regular steel sheet can be bought in thin enough guage to make easy bending with the fiberglass as a mold and then you could still get the "rust" look...

 

[Neto]

How about hand tooled leather? I have actually been thinking of building a car body like that, but it would take a looong time just to make up the tooling design, let alone doing the actual carving.

 

[hansgoudzwaard]

Devcon

http://www.devcon.com/products/products.cfm?app=Bond/Seal&subapp=Dissimilar Surfaces

Check under "Applications"

 

[PA41]

Todd Mullins with the NTBA did a glass T with paint that had metal filings in it. It looked like real tin--the rust was real.. It'd mess up your cloths and hands.

 

[earthman]

Consider sheets of Stainless Steel and Rivet them over the Glass corpse. You probably could do all your bending/shaping with a rubber mallet. With a little planning & design thought it could look like a WWII era bomber.

Stainless is actually very hard and hard to bend. Very classy to have a stainless
body tho.

 

[earthman]

Along the same lines as IronRat, regular steel sheet can be bought in thin enough guage to make easy bending with the fiberglass as a mold and then you could still get the "rust" look...

The thinnest i have seen here is 22 gauge. Would like to find some even thinner.

 

[earthman]

How about hand tooled leather? I have actually been thinking of building a car body like that, but it would take a looong time just to make up the tooling design, let alone doing the actual carving.

I love leather. I have considered fabric of some sort too. The drawback is absorbing road grime. Easy to apply with spray on adhesive tho. If there is something that could be washed that might be the way to go.

 

[earthman]

http://www.devcon.com/products/products.cfm?app=Bond/Seal&subapp=Dissimilar Surfaces

Check under "Applications"

Thanks for posting that Hans.

 

[earthman]

Todd Mullins with the NTBA did a glass T with paint that had metal filings in it. It looked like real tin--the rust was real.. It'd mess up your cloths and hands.

I know they sell iron oxide . Do you have a link or way i can get more info PA?

 

[Torchie]

My 2 cents(or Less)...
As others have pointed out you could get thin gauge metal to cover over the glass most likely 22 gauge or thinner. Automotive panel adhesives may work to attach the metal to the glass or take a look at West system epoxy. Used mostly for wood boats but may work for your application as well.
I personally like the looks of the rivet idea or even the use of self tapping sheet metal screws as I have seen that done on more than a few Rat Rods as well as some high end custom bodied speedster style builds.
Sounds like it can be a cool project E man.
Torchie

 

[Torchie]

Try this link E man
Torchie
http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?id=814&step=2&top_cat=197&showunits=inches

 

[PA41]

I know they sell iron oxide . Do you have a link or way i can get more info PA?

Todd had some 'insider' at Hobby Lobby. (what a hookup) and got the paint from them. Pretty sure it's just a rust colored latex with iron oxide in it. EBay sells the iron powder. I'd try and make my own. Todd is personable. Facebook the NTBA and talk to him and get a pic of it. I recently got a glass 26 T roadster body and have been thinking about doing something similar to what you're thinking about. I was thinking doing a hybrid thing where I'd rivet thin sheets of iron on the flat spaces, using a closed head pop rivet if there's such a thing, and use the rust paint on the curves that would be hard to shape with metal. I think if the thin iron sheets were heated up good with a rosebud, they'd soften up and work easier, and maybe get a little wavy and rust quicker. I was also thinking about stretching the body and building doors with the Metal patches. Its good to have some crown in the 'flat' pieces, and older, non tempered, door skins and roof tops would be a good metal source. I built some doors for my T, but they didn't have a crown, and they look a little off.

 

[earthman]

Thanks Torchie.