I agree, I bought a flanging tool for my air compressor, and plan to use that to flange the new panels on my Bay Westy. I plan on gluing them on too with the new body adhesives that GM and Ford are using now instead of welds.
Regards,
Courtney

----- Original Message -----
From: mordo <helmut.blong@GMAIL.COM>
Date: Friday, January 12, 2007 6:21 am
Subject: repair panel

> I don't like the idea of the overlap. I'm sure over large areas,
> it can be
> feathered sufficiently to make the thickness disappear but what about
> smaller areas? Is there some good reason why one wouldn't crimp a
> recessedflange on the surrounding sheet metal? Seems like it would
> make a tidier
> repair.
>
> BTW, Benny, Bondo is a brand name, like it or not. :)
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Benny boy <huotb@videotron.ca>
> Date: Jan 11, 2007 11:55 PM
> Subject: Re: repair panel
> To: VANAGON@gerry.vanagon.com, Mark Mordhorst <helmut.blong@gmail.com>
>
> I will take explicite pictures of that tomorrow, but basically,
> the top part
> of the skin is overlaped, the new one over the remaining upper
> one, to
> smooth the junction, microfiber is aplyed and some bondo (the
> question is
> what kind of bondo... me, i don't like that English name?), if you use
> proper product, putty, as i like to name it it a very good and
> strong and
> nice finish, but, before there is bondo, microfiber, skins are glued
> together... for life.. this glue is almost scary!!! this product
> is making
> body work easy for everyone!
>
> Only (in that case) the upper part of any skin (as we alway work
> on the
> botom skin of our vans) is overlaped, each side are glued-welded
> like they
> were when VW put the van together, the lower portion is also
> overlaped but
> it was like that originally. Some may think that "overlaping" will
> show, but
> it will not! 1mm or 1/16in is not enough, overlaping reinforce the
> skins,now, it's just a question of "look", it's whre you need
> bondo-putty to blend
> the 2 parts... i use Evercoat Spot lite:
> http://www.evercoat.com/productDetail.aspx?pID=5
>
> Expensive stuff, but men!!! so nice to work with... i basically
> use ONLY
> Evercoat product...
>
> Enough for now... me tired...
>
> Later, Ben
> http://www.benplace.com/
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> This is something I was curious about too. I was looking at some
> tech info
> on installing panels this way. I think it specifically directed
> that the
> perimeter of the void was NOT to be flanged first. I don't
> understand how or
> what you bond to without a flanged edge. If one simply laid the
> panel over
> the edge, how would you possibly feather out the edge without it
> being a
> noticeable bulge?
>
>
> --
> mordo
> 1990 Carat
>