Make valances and bumper filler panels

How to fabricate repair sections or complete panels at home

Aclassic car’s front and rear valances and the filler panels between its valances and its bumpers are particularly prone to rust, damage and mutilation. Their exposed position means they’re susceptible to parking damage and get more than their fair share of road salt and moisture. They also regularly get hacked about to fit driving lights and go-faster accessories.

Valances are usually stamped out in one go at the factory in relatively complex 3D shapes, which means they’re not always straightforward to repair. Filler panels bridge the unsightly gap between the valance and the bumper. They’re almost always an awkward shape and they’re usually pressed with features to lend rigidity and aesthetic merit. Both, however, can be repaired or formed from scratch at home with some basic tools and a bit of ingenuity.

Front valances can rust badly due to stone-chips and un-dressed puncturewounds for poorly-fitted accessories – or simply due to inadequate paint coverage. Rear valances are prone to rotting from the inside out, having collected long-ignored road-filth over many years. If the rot is localised, you can simply patch holes or graft in repair sections with a welding set. If the whole panel is frilly, however, it’ll be better to make a complete new one from fresh metal.

We’ve shown you how to make various metal-bashing hand-tools, a shrinker/stretcher and a wheeling machine in previous issues of

Practical Classics. These will come in handy, but you don’t really need them to make a decent fist of sorting out these bits of bodywork. To cover all bases, we’ll be demonstrating the techniques required using a range of processes.