building a body

Thinking about trying to build my own body. What tools are necessary to do it? I know a brake would be ideal to have but if I dont have one is it possible to make it look good? What suggestions can y'all give me. Thanks in advance

Need a good pair of red handle tin snips(if you're right handed) drill, riveter, and just a pair of cheap electric shears from the local tool store. If you want it to look decent and be stronger a brake is the only way to go

Check this thread, it may help.

http://www.4m.net/showthread.php?338...ding-Technique

Can you build a body without a brake? Maybe... Will it look good? No, it probably won't.

Knock on the doors of your local heating/ac dealer and ask them to bend up your tin. Usually cheap and friendly.

without a brake I'd fear you'd have to much time invested for what it is to pay someone to do it. If you do it yourself and used to pay someone it makes sense to buy a brake because in a few years it will have paid for itself

I agree with thinkstomuch. You could put something together without a break but you will be disappointed. The bigger pieces like the roof and the hood will not turn out right if you don't get good, consistent bends. You might be able to do the smaller deck panels and such with a couple pairs of duck-billed pliers, etc, but it'd be tough. I would do an internet search for prefab modified bodies (there are a lot of folks/companies that provide them, including chassis builders), or do as Krooser said, find a HVAC business or a gutter business (folks who make gutters for the house). I actually used a gutter break one year to make a body, and it worked pretty well. Good tools to have: duck-billed pliers, an air sheer (they're not too pricey), righty and lefty hand sheers, lots of clamps (various sizes, plastic and cheap), drill, icepick or pointy punch (knocking our pesky rivet shafts that break off too soon), a solid and long plastic or aluminum ruler (drawing straight lines), a couple of good markers, lots of cardboard for making templates and saving your aluminum, etc.

Don't take this personally but I'm sorry to say this guys but yes you can bend a body without a brake yes we have one we built our own. You need two pieces of 1/4" angle iron approximately 4 feet long(from the scrap yard) two heavy duty c clamps a rubber mallot a body hammer and a dolly a pair of vise grips for sheet metal (can't think of the name) a pair of sheers a 6' straight edge red(right) green(left) handed WISS BRAND ONLY (quality) set of tin snips a good tape measure and a pair of duct crimping pliers. Now once you have all these tools you CAN build a body with out a brake I have pictures to show my modified if you guys are interested. Now I work construction as a union carpenter and if you want bead rolls in your body work take a 4 foot 2x4 and a skill saw and make 3 cuts side by side the legrh of the 2x4 right down the center go buy a 4 foot stick of 1/4 inch solid steel rod and tap into 2x4 notch you want the rod to be half buried into the wood and half sticking up now take a air chisel with an inverted fork take a grinder make a u shape to fit over the 1/4 inch rod lay your metal on the wood clamp it down take the air chisle run it down the metal over the rod it makes a perfect bead roll with out the bead rolling machine. Now yes like I said we have a brake and a bead roller but my dad showed me how to bend my body with out that stuff the way he did it when he was racing late models and yes its just as strong and a brake bent piece if time is critical the above options may be better I bent an intire body from c ockpit to complete in 48 hours I hope this helps and I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes I like this board for the information and respect anyone's input

MattMitchell, good idea! [Not stepping on toes at all.] Also, we use a dead blow hammer and a solid piece of 2x4 to finish the 180 degree bends we use in some areas since our own homemade brake only goes to 90 degrees.

Ours goes a little past 90 but our brake is 2 pieces of 6" angle iron on a hinge at each end with a piece on top sitting on studs with the top angle iron on top on its egdes in the shape of an A we took a grinder sharpened the edge for tight bends then set up another piece of 4" with a rounded edge but for 180s I bend as far as poss in brake use rubber mallot to prevent oil canning and bend it up to the 4" piece slide it out use mallot to finish bending 180 then use a body hammer to make it a tight 180

You can find good used tin snips, electric shearss, etc. at your local pawn show. I bought a Milwaukee shear for $25.00 last month...

It wasn't a brake, but we built what we called the masher. Get some heavy 3 or 4 inch steel and some heavy duty hinges. Put some big handles on it and you can use it to at least hem your edges. Fold over your edges to the best of your ability and then put them in the masher. Almost as good as a brake.