How to fabricate wing repair sections

Form the many shapes that fit together to form a classic’s wing

With Theodore J Gillam

In the April 2019 issue of Practical

Classics, we showed you how to make a simple repair patch using hand tools and some scratch-built formers. Now, we’re going to move on to making all the sections that go together to make a wing of the sort fitted to Fifties, Sixties and Seventies cars. We’ll look at how it’s made, what shapes you may need to create and what types of repairs you might need to undertake. We’ll be using a range of tools explained in previous Bodywork Basics features – but we’ll also show you alternative DIY methods.

Most mass-produced wings would have taken seconds to make, flat sheet steel having been placed between male and female dies, aligned with reference points and pressed into shape. Even so, it’s likely that it was made in more than one part.

You can only do five things to a piece of steel to turn it into the most complex of shapes: cut, weld, bend, shrink and stretch. Knowing where to do each is the key to success and sometimes this can only be achieved with a bit of trial-and-error. There is usually more than one way to achieve the desired effect, too.

If you look on the internet, you’ll see professionals displaying amazing skills that are usually the product of years of practice. You’ll also find snobbery in some quarters about using traditional methods and ending up with panels so perfect that they don’t require filler. While this is all well and good, we’d champion the approach of simply doing your best with the tools you have available and ignoring the naysayers. If you’ve made a Frankenwing from lots of bits shaped and welded together, who cares?

Our guinea pig here is a Standard Vanguard with an offside front wing that is very frilly indeed. Sod’s law dictates that the new wing we acquired years ago is for the wrong side. It will, however, be a very useful source of reference when making the missing parts of the other wing.

Harvest data You will need Get physical Formers Keep as much of the rotten panel for as long as possible, so it can provide useful reference points. Use spare panels or the opposite side of the car if there are bits missing. Angle grinder, steel rule, scriber, cardboard, hammers and dollies, stump and sandbag, shrinker/stretcher, swager and wheeling machine (optional). You can make formers from steel or wood. Steel will create crisper tight-radius flanges. Don’t be afraid to physically manhandle the panel to twist or bend it into shape. skillshack.co.uk