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Articles
Practical guidance on metal shaping, coachbuilding, fabrication, shrinking discs, tools, and shop education—written for serious builders.
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Featured
How to Use a Shrinking Disc to Remove Dents and Waves
Read articleHow to Use a Shrinking Disc to Remove Dents and Waves A shrinking disc is one of the most precise and effective tools for restoring stretched or wavy sheet metal. Mounted on a 7″ or 9″ variable-speed grinder or polisher, the stainless steel disc uses friction-based heat to gently shrink high spots and smooth distorted […]
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Metal Shaping Tools: The Complete Guide for Restorers & Coachbuilders
Read articleMetal Shaping Tools: The Complete Guide for Restorers & Coachbuilders Every curve on a car fender, every flowing line of a hand-built panel, starts with the right tools. Metal shaping is the art and craft of turning flat sheet into form, whether you’re restoring a rusted classic, building custom bodywork from scratch, or fabricating precision […]
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A 1937 Riley Sprite and 2 Extended Learning Students
Read articleCurrently I have two students working/learning at the shop – Brian from Ohio and Londun, from Georgia. Brian will be here for about 30 days total, and Londun will be here till the 30th. Londun is a total beginner he is only 19, he drove up on his own found an inexpensive AirBnb room and […]
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SHEETMETAL SHAPING WITH WRAY
Read articleSHEETMETAL SHAPING WITH WRAY SCHELIN AT PROSHAPER PART 1 Story and photos by Ron Smith A small crowd of guys waits outside a shop in the crisp morning Massachusetts air, sharing experiences and aspirations in the field of sheetmetal shaping while awaiting our mentor, Wray Schelin, proprietor of ProShaper. We six are as varied in […]
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Scratch-Build Gmund Porsche SL
Read articleKen Wells from NH was at the shop today working on his scratch-built Gmund Porsche SL First thing he is making is the floor pan chassis which was made entirely out of 18 gauge steel sheet bent up and spot welded. Ken has made full scale drawings and is now translating them into cardboard to […]
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Frank Curtis inspired Sports Racer
Read articleMy friend and student Sean Colsen from RI just sent me a progress picture of his all aluminum body, tube frame, scratch-built, Frank Kurtis inspired Sports racer he is building for fair weather driving. It is powered by a Pontiac supercharged SoIstice four cylinder. I met Sean five years ago when he offered to volunteer […]
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1933 Packard “Macauley Special”
Read articleThese are a few of the pictures we have of the Macauley Speedster it was built in the early 1930’s by Packard Motor Co. for the president of Packard Motors and the car disappeared in the midst of time and all that remains is just a few pictures of it. From these pictures we made […]
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The Craft of Coachbuilding
Read articleInsert from Lars Anderson Auto Mueseum demonstration by Wray Schelin Working sheet metal (gold and silver first- later copper, bronze, and steel) was one of the first human crafts developed. All of the skill sets required to make sheet metal conform to a craftsman’s desired shape, were discovered in the very early years of human […]
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Scratch-building a Hotrod
Read articleBuilding a Hot Rod from Scratch! This week three students started their one month plus Extended Learning Class at my shop. Jim wanted to build a Hot Rod from scratch, Lou is converting a 1967 Maserati Mistral fastback coupe into a Spyder, Harvey is building a body for a 1955 Lotus IX racecar. Jim purchased […]