Disapearing skill

[Steve Little]

These guys are few and far between and not many people appreciate the skill that they have. He hand forms a fender in two hours. Two of us just spent 3 hours taping my 37 rear fender into shape. I was only dealing with stress depression from rivit heads and a bit of a rear end nudge that someone has suffered.
I should have just given the fender to these guys.
They would have said come back in 10 minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6DfdOFRPFA

[38 el]

That is awsome, be sure and watch the second part as well, they hammer out an entire quarter panel. WOW

[Lonnie]

When I was stationed in Rota Spain in 70-73, I had an MGB that had some pretty bad hood damage. I took it to the German Garage, run by an expat German who, after a bit of vino one night told me he was not able to return to Germany. In any case, he had a Spaniard working for him who could do excellent metal work. I took the car to them for repair and paint. The hood itself was aluminum and based on several years of experience in high school working in body shops I figured it was beyond repair. But I swear, when the Spaniard was finished it was absolutely perfect with no body filler whatsoever. I could not believe it. The only way you would ever know it was repaired was by looking at where the front reinforcement was removed and reinstalled, the spot welding was different. I also saw an early Model A Ford done somewhere in Spain that had full skirted fenders, pieces added to the original fenders. Even underneath you could absolutely not tell where the pieces were added. Those were the tail end of the Franco years and Spain and any imported parts then were completely unavailable to the populace. I suppose when you can't get what you need you can just make it and those guys were beyond compare.
There are some metalworking guys out there who, it must be said, have a gift - coupled with years of experience and practice.