Sheet metal Practice Projects?

So I need to get a good amount of sheet metal work done on the Courier in order to have functioning floors again. (actual specific question is further below)

I have a fair amount of metal to practice with, and at school I have access to: Waterjet, English Wheel, Sheet metal Brake, and some miscellaneous hand tools.

I'm looking for projects to get experience with the shaping side a little bit better. Any recommendations? I'm thinking of trying to mirror my driver's side inner fender for the next time I'm home to get it as a "template".

I was looking up how to bead a piece of sheet without a bead roller today and ran across this video:

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Link if the embed doesn't work

Basically, he makes a tool to hammer metal on to get the panel strengthening channels.

Although I'm not going for factory finish type raised areas, is there any reason it shouldn't be possible for me to use the Waterjet and do some finish sanding on 1/4" plate to get a wider shape that is closer to matching the existing structure on the Courier's floors?

I always thought it would be cool to create a sheet metal football. Cut, wheel, weld...

And are you talking about using 1/4 inch plate for the floor? That would be lunacy.

Streetwiseguy wrote: And are you talking about using 1/4 inch plate for the floor? That would be lunacy.

No no no, it doesn't need to stand up to bombs. Just as the "tool" to pound sheet over to get a bead profile

This thread is relevant to my interests.

In my limited experience, metal shapes well over anything reasonably hard. I even had luck with hickory, a very hard wood. It's not as hard as steel but it takes a massive pounding without denting. I even made a mallet and shaping anvil from it

I would think that you could make those ribs on a small sheet metal brake. You would need to flip the material multiple times as you worked your way across the sheet but you would be able to make straight bends, even if those bends are not the exact angle you need.

In reply to jimbbski:

You can, we already put an x going across most wider ductwork to add some stiffness, there's no reason you can't do that too. If it can bend the gauge of metal you're using, at least.

A direct copy of that panel would be tough without some serious heft behind the tool. If you run the ribs right to the ends of the panel, it would be quite easy with a sheet metal break. If you try to leave the ends un ribbed, you will have a terrible warped mangled edge. Even a good bead roller would require some relief cuts to allow the edges to sit flat.

A press brake might work even better.

make a short die and press tool for an arbor press. Make the first bead edge and move the sheet down 3/4 of the existing pressed shape and repeat until you have the length you need. Corners are more difficult and large panels will not fit in the depth of an arbor press, but you could get the edges easily.

Well, in an endeavor to get in the habit of going in and using the machines, I went ahead and made a few things. One is a pretty direct copy of the 'tool' from the video above. Haven't tried it yet, but it would be the down and dirty version. Pictured and Below are engine mount templates (on the engine side). Somehow what I did on the top of the Passenger's side was way off, and the Driver's side one was made without the oil cooler on, so I need to cut off some metal before seeing if the holes on that one line up well.

Bottom line: The waterjet is awesome, waterjet all the things!!