Can pot metal be manipulated at all?

[blu67]

I attached a 1/4 panel extension I got in a parts lot I bought. Everything seems to fit really well except the lower hole. It looks like it may have been bent in the past or it was cast poorly.

Is pot metal able to be heated and tweaked a little? I know I can’t hammer it straight but I’m pretty sure you’ll see this even with the rear bumper on.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[B67FSTB]

Thats a difficult one.
Maybe you can try to put a bit of tension on it by using a screw and then heat it up.
But I don't know if that would work cause potmetal is cast into its shape and I don't know at what temp it would soften. And how it would soften. It can collaps like a pudding ....or cake

 

[Horseplay]

Put a torch on it bringing it up to temp and then slowly clamp it into shape. You'll have to be the judge on when it's hot enough. I can't imagine it wil be like solder and go from solid to liquid in an instant. It's "metal" and it should form if heated properly. If you don't have a torch rig pick up a yellow bottle of MAP to use as it will get you the highest temps. You don't want to try and just force it to bend cold as that will surely crack it.

 

[Mach1 Driver]

I ran into a build thread on VMF by Klutch: 1970 Mach1 H-code build, post #338. Here he describes how he bent the quarter panel extensions:

Yeah, as is typical, my quarter extensions didn't line up with my quarter panels very well. What I did was to gently clamp each extension into a vice with wooden blocks. Then I very carefully bent the metal in the direction I wanted it to go. I just did it instinctively. There was a big pucker factor because I was the afraid the pot metal would crack or even break. Surprisingly, that didn't happen. It took many attempts at bending and test fitting each quarter extension until, finally, I got it to where it lined up quite nicely. It was one of those situations where persistence paid off.
If you want to try this, I can't guarantee your quarter extensions won't crack or break, but it sure worked well for me. Good luck and have fun!

FYI, from the pictures, he did a fantastic job.

 

[blu67]

Put a torch on it bringing it up to temp and then slowly clamp it into shape. You'll have to be the judge on when it's hot enough. I can't imagine it wil be like solder and go from solid to liquid in an instant. It's "metal" and it should form if heated properly. If you don't have a torch rig pick up a yellow bottle of MAP to use as it will get you the highest temps. You don't want to try and just force it to bend cold as that will surely crack it.

These were my thoughts too. Worth a try, I suppose.

 

[blu67]

I ran into a build thread on VMF by Klutch: 1970 Mach1 H-code build, post #338. Here he describes how he bent the quarter panel extensions:

Yeah, as is typical, my quarter extensions didn't line up with my quarter panels very well. What I did was to gently clamp each extension into a vice with wooden blocks. Then I very carefully bent the metal in the direction I wanted it to go. I just did it instinctively. There was a big pucker factor because I was the afraid the pot metal would crack or even break. Surprisingly, that didn't happen. It took many attempts at bending and test fitting each quarter extension until, finally, I got it to where it lined up quite nicely. It was one of those situations where persistence paid off.
If you want to try this, I can't guarantee your quarter extensions won't crack or break, but it sure worked well for me. Good luck and have fun!

FYI, from the pictures, he did a fantastic job.

Maybe this could work but it is such a tiny little tab, I'd really worry it will snap easily. At the same time, if it breaks, source a used one from Craigslist......

 

[Wj Brown]

It seems to reason that if it got bent out of shape that it could be bent back into shape.
Easy to say tho.

 

[Horseplay]

Yes and probably, no...but maybe. I'm not a metallurgist but I have stayed at my share of Holiday Inn Express venues.

The "structure" of various metals and alloys vary greatly. We've got another thread running currently where a discussion has sprung up about brake lines leading to talk about the challenges of using stainless steel vs the more common alloy tubing. In general terms, the issue with SS is that it work hardens and is prone to cracking when flaring. This is true but with the right type of SS (yes there are quite few variants) and how it was manufactured and how you use it, making double flares is not an issue. I think some of the same kind of details matter here.

Have you ever had to cut a piece of metal with a hacksaw and when you got far enough through it you simply bent it back and forth a few times to cause it to crack and separate that last little bit? That breakage was a result of "metal fatigue". At least that's the term I always hear used. Some metals reach that point much faster than others. Aluminum is a very good example. There are some alloy versions that simply will not bend and give at all. They will immediately fracture if enough force is applied. Others can bend back and forth seemingly forever. The "pot-metal" bits used in our old cars are more like the former and less like the latter. To which end of that spectrum a part may lie is hard to say. Those of us with 65/66's have all see the result of just a small amount of fatigue in the area of our headlights where just about every piece ever made has broken along the thin mounting flanges. This part is very rigid and does not like to be bent.

This is why I think using a torch and heating the metal is almost mandatory. It can't hurt and it likely helps. Softening the state of the metal even a little will aid in getting it to be a bit more forgiving, I have to think.