As always, Martin. Nice video, great entertainment. Maybe I should buy an English Wheel, too. And park it beside my other handy but hardly used tools. Just in case. You never know. Cheers, Christian
Thanks Andrew, glad you liked the video! That sounds rather less than ideal with your wheel… and they’re heavy things to send back. Hope you get that sorted, Frost normally seem like decent people to deal with.
You’re very welcome! Hope it works well for you if you do go ahead, let us know how you get on 😊 I’ve used mine a bit more since making the video, still happy with it, and getting gradually more proficient and confident with practice.
As someone who owns an old Capri I too spend lots of money and time on learning to fix things myself instead of taking it to a garage who could do it better faster and cheaper haha
Great vid - just found this after seeing the nice princess vid. Always wanted an English wheel - would be great for some of my fleet - have no idea how to get most of the underbody panels for my xjr. Am wondering about getting a swager too.
Very interesting video. You may have spent more money on the tools than the cost of a single repair but you have a fleet of cars so I'm sure it will make financial sense in the long run. You'll also learn a lit along the way.
Never really understood buying tools to have them… I have more tools than some “professionals” and all were bought so I could do something. Usually that something lets me have other things that a) I couldn’t afford otherwise b) there’s nobody around that can do that work c) will make me money d) my time investment in ‘dollars per hour’ value costs less than paying someone else to do it e) increase my value to build or repair things that other people will pay me for. Well I guess “I” am a “professional” since people do occasionally pay me to do things. In the USA there’s the super-cheapo ‘clarks’ benchtop english wheel which I just ordered. Which is why I’m watching vids on cheap English Wheels. The throat capacity is somewhat small, but I generally am hammering sections not entire fenders(wings) and need to smooth the work, and forming small coupons and sections or panels with a hammer is often not ideal. Many repair sections are best hand hammered, while larger less dramatic cosmetic bends are ridiculously time consuming with a hammer. So buying a cheap English Wheel buys me time and it will pay for itself in just 2-3 hours of saved time; I wouldn’t buy it if it wouldn’t pay for itself.
Welcome along! You can see the piece of steel I shaped here actually installed on my Honda Aerodeck, here’s the latest video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HKXIKitbLpg.html
When using your shrinker stretcher don't put the whole flange into the throat, if you put the outer 5mm of a 10mm flange into the throat it will create a significantly quicker curve.
@@GrandThriftAuto in The Netherlands they are called English wheel as well (Engels wiel) but I'm not sure if that's the correct name or just a direct translation.
@@volvo480 Interesting! In German it seems Rollenstreckmaschine is the correct term, which is actually a much more descriptive name. Perhaps there’s something similar in Dutch? Searching for “Englisches Rad” also works of course, probably because we’re all Americans now 🙄
You’re probably right - plus it can be very hard to find a professional willing to do the work. Most places willing to work on classic cars seem to have a 2-3 year waiting list, in my experience.
Exactly how I see it. I just bought one to make a couple repair panels for the inner fenders of some used fenders I bought for on an old jeep. The materials and the tool are 2/3 the cost of one new part. By the time I fix the second used fender I’m at the same place as just buying new parts in dollars- which I could do- but I still have the tool afterwards. Plus, he ability to do = the ability to earn
I was given one that was about the only thing that survived a workshop fire. It was big and heavy. And totally buggered. The heat had weakened the structure of the machine, and it just flexed like crazy. Bummer.
In 30+ years of repairing umpteen vehicles as my "Living" I have never felt the need to darken the World of English wheels or shrinker stretchers. God invented the hammer, the welder & the anvil - and Lo, God was pleased, because the hammer, welder & anvil worked.. "Ye who goeth More Complex will feel my wrath, by having Yer heads done in due to overcomplicating Stuff & Thine wallets will be lightened" - James, Book 1, Pg 7, Verse 2. Furthermore, in James, Chapter 2, Book 7, Verse 6, God says - "It's steel sheet FFS - bash it to shape using stuff you hath lying around - seek not Wizardry or false tools - for there is no end to buying jazzy schydt & at the end of the day, nobody cares how you got there, as long as thou didst - it'll rust anyway in a bit. Be Grand". Verse 8 states "I gave thee Filler that thine Boo-Boos might look Shiny - slappeth it on, for there won't be a word about it in 100 years time.." Never a truer word said,
You’re even more demanding than the RU-vid algorithm! There’s already a video on the Espace somewhere. Actually I could do a story on the cars in the photos on my home office wall, that’s a good idea for wintertime. Hmm.
