Best Gauge Sheet Metal For Body Work

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Best gauge sheet metal for body work. Most standard body metal is 18 gauge. I used to use 14 gauge on most repair jobs as it s the thickest that can be still cut by hand snips and formed into place without breaking the shears. The experiment involves a strip of 22 gauge sheet metal. For a weight bearing floor use 14 or 12 gauge steel.

It will be deformed and straightened with a pair of sheet metal pliers and then with a low crown body hammer on an anvil. 18 ga is 0 05 thick. Many racing organizations will specify the minimum acceptable gauge for sheet metal in critical applications such as firewalls and protective enclosures. But i d recommend 16 ga or even 18 ga on the zuk.

The reason i say this is that i have rebuilt two older vehicles a 55 chevy and a 67 el camino and have found the sheet metal to be in the 22 ga. The factor of work hardening is critical to auto bodywork and restoration because it limits how far you can move metal without annealing it. Remember that you re always trading off weight against strength when choosing a gauge of sheetmetal to use. Brianstick with all due respect i find it hard to believe that sheet metal from a 1974 american made automobile has 18 ga.