Inliners International Forums General Discussion Body & Paint "oil canning" panels

I was welding up my newly fabricated floor boards (taking pains to skip around so as not get too much heat in one place), but I did anyway. Now my foot wells have a slight upwards bow and will "doink" when any weight is placed on them. I remember reading that you can remove panel tension by heating and quenching, I just don't remember which side of the panel is treated this way to achieve the desired countereffect. Logic tells me to work from under the floor to bow it back down, but I'm not sure. Anybody had any experience with this problem?

There are 2 ways to repair a panel that has bowed from welding. The panel has bowed because heat from the weld has actually shrunk the metal in the heat affected zone. The first method is to try and stretch the metal again by hammering your welds. This could be difficult if you have used a MIG welder or a lot of filler wire, and where access is limited. Really you should have hammered it as you welded. If this is not too successful then try the heat shrinks. Try to read the panel to determine where there is an excess of material. Using an oxy-acetylene torch, apply heat until an area of about 1/4" is red. It should rise up into a small peak towards you. Hold a flat dolly behind the panel and hammer it with a wooden mallet WHILE IT IS STILL RED. Use several small shrinks instead of a few large ones as the panel will get away on you very easily. You can stretch the shrinks out again by hammering "on dolly" with a steel hammer. Good luck.

Yeah, I did mig weld them and access is really limited. These (18 guage)foot wells are only about 12"X18" and are crowned up about 1/8". I still have some welding to do on the bottom side (when we pull the cab back off again this week) and I hope that might lessen the situation. Afterwards, if they still crown upwards toward the dash, I will need to do the "shrinks" from the bottom side, right? Thanks for the come back.
Steve

I would work from the top. When the panel is heated it will continue to move in the direction it is already crowning. Also the idea of the shrink is to hammer it into itself. The job should be easier with the cab off.

You might try to get streetrodder mag and get back isues for Ron Covell (professor Hammer) tech articles.Should be able to go to GR8RIDE.com and get some ansyers too. For Ron Covell articles you will have to get streetrodder mag and look to find website foe articles pertaining to youre problem>

This will also help when try to fix a high or low spot we have a tool that we use/well a system call heat friction where u heat the high spots till they turn Blue NOT RED to the point of melting then cool it fast this will shrink the high spots and tighten the metal you can do the same with your oil canning from the bottom of the cab You can also shrink that with your mig welder by useing LITE Tacks and cooling with ICe cold water You start by making small Lite tacks around the out side working your way to the center till it is flat .Hope this helps.
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NovaMan/Twisted6

Yeah, that's the process that I remember reading of. Thanks for the details.
Steve

Twisted6,are you referring to the shrinking disc made by Sunchaser?If so,do you have an address or phone# for this co.

for Sunchaser tool phone number is 626-795-1588 Add 3202 East Foothill Blvd. Pasadena Ca. 91107 guys name is Ken
hope this helps. }[oooooo]runt 216 where do you live?

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NovaMan/Twisted6

Guys,
If you don't want to spring the "big bucks" for a Sunchaser stainless disc, try a WORN 50 grit sanding disc. Use the full face, not the edge, and you should be able to blue up the high spots and wipe them with a wet cloth just as you would a Sunchaser shrinking disc. The downside is that you will remove a small amount of metal with the sanding disc. I should also mention that you will have to have a grinder that turns 6000 rpms, just as you will with the stainless steel disc. The deal is that you have to create lots of heat with friction. Good luck and may all your panels be smooth.

Steve< I realize this is an old topic , but I am curious how you made out with your floor pans. We just went thru some repairs on the box side of my '65 Pickup and had major tin canning. The young guy that fixed it *after Mr. Know-it-all made it worse than ever* would find the high spot, and with a marker put 5 little dots in a circle around the high spot. Then he would heat the 5 little spots a bit and then heat directly in the middle and work it out with a hammer and dolly. Worked awsome but extremely time consuming. Even when I told him to get a heavier hammer. LOL Looks great now. Light skim, some sanding and ready for the high build primer.