As the body takes shape with the introduction of each panel, additional fixture pieces are added to the main jig. These unique fixtures are added and removed during the step-by-step process.
One Big Jigsaw Puzzle
Assembling a body is a one-person job, with good reason behind that work process. RDS wants the fixture tooling and the individual panels to fit so well before welding that one person can pull each panel group together. If it takes more than one person to “nudge” the many different panels, they examine the assembly to find the fitment problem.
“It takes approximately 7- to 8-working days for one person to assemble and weld up one body shell,” Whitaker adds. “Our bodies are assembled with 25-percent more high-strength spot welds than an original shell.”
That is a valid point with the numerous stresses a steel body endures in a motorsports application. “Each body-type has an individual personality when it comes to assembling,” stated Whitaker. “We’ve had amazing conversations with Chevrolet and Fisher Body assembly workers from the past who originally put these cars together back in the ’60s. These individuals told us it was an art form to them as well.”
Each body-type has an individual personality when it comes to assembling. We’ve had amazing conversations with Chevrolet and Fisher Body assembly workers from the past who originally put these cars together back in the ’60s. These individuals told us it was an art form to them as well. – Joe Whitaker
Real Deal Steel utilizes panels from multiple stamping companies. It’s a choice of which supplier provides the best individual stamping. One such company is
Golden Star Auto. Paul Hsieh, president of Golden Star, explained the stamping technology for the panels it produces. These panels are not only for new-body construction but also for repair-panel work on many different vintage-car bodies.
Paul Hsieh explains the significant updates in technology that some of its stamping-dies have undergone since initially developed over 30-years ago. Metal stretching and stamping are now considered two different steps. These new processes create more accurate panels.
Improving The Process
“We have been reproducing body panels for more than 30 years,” Hsieh told us. “We currently have over 6,000 individual body panels we produce — both here in the U.S. and overseas. One of our biggest accomplishments is our attention to detail. The panels we made over 15-years ago were duplicated from original, but individual body components.”
But, Hsieh admits that wasn’t the best way to recreate panels, as there was a flaw in the old-school way of creating stampings many years ago.
“If an original panel contained any flex or spring back, that was how they were measured and duplicated,” he says. “Today, we have carefully examined and retooled many panels with dimensions measured from complete and dimensionally sound bodies. We now have many new stamping dies that give us a far superior product.”