New to forum
 

Hi - my name is Andy (59) and I live in the Western suburbs of Chicago. My hobbies are working on muscle cars (1964 GTO) and drag racing - we have a 75 Duster that runs 9.30. I have always been interested in metal shaping, but do not have the required tools, knowledge, equipment or space. Luckily, I am in the process of building a 1000SF workshop next to my home.
I have created/dabbled in the making of simple metal brackets, TIG welding and other things. I have been watching youtube videos on metal fab and shaping (Ron Covell, Jesse James). I have also been researching entry level tools for hobby use only - Planishing hammer, English wheel.
I have joined on-line forums in other areas before and find them very informative.
Hope to tap into this forums knowledge base for guidance in this area. Thanks

Hi Andy and welcome to the forum. Lot's of great info here, and very helpful people.

If you are doing any metalshaping on your Duster or GTO you should post some photos. We all like to look at photos of what everyone else is working on.

If you have a chance to attend a metalshaping meet, you should do so if at all possible. I'm not aware of one right in the Chicago area, but there is one in western MI in the spring, and another in central WI in July. You can also find one in the Detroit area in the fall. I host one in Cumberland WI in the fall also. Watch the forum for announcements.

These are usually quite inexpensive and a great opportunity to see first-hand what others are working on. You can get help with existing projects, try some tools that you may not have, and meet others with a similar interests that may live near you.

They are also a great place to discuss the pros and cons of various tools and shaping methods.

I hope to see you at a meet next year!

Welcome to the forum, Andy.