Slicing & Dicing - Modifying Grille Shells

This 12-minute video shows highlights from the 34-minute long 'Slicing and Dicing' DVD.
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I have lots more KZbin videos, and here's a link to my website - which lists 20 full-length videos you can rent, stream, or download, plus the Covell line of fine-quality metalworking tools: covell.biz/
You can see the great Covell shirts, cups, and stickers here: rons-store-10....
Special thanks to all my sponsors on Patreon: Trevor Kam, Jonathan K, William Longyard, Dominic Peterson, Jonathan Hodgins, Ben Hengst, Bill Kerr, Christopher Culbreath, Wes Fullenwider, Gordon Stipe, Teemu Vartiainen, Matt Maurin, Terry Doss, Clifton Ballad, R Rickel, Donald Summers Sr., Luke Hares, Matthew Schumacher, Nicolas Audouard, Todd Henry, DHFG, Corey Brabant, Nick Rosati, and Don Cober.

[@stanlee6316]

You, sir, are a true artist! Absolutely beautiful work! The meticulousness with which you create these metal masterpieces is nothing short of inspiring. Different media notwithstanding, your work no different than one of the old masters of the Renaissance. From a 40 year old 4th generation body man, fine artist and sculptor, I applaud you. Thanks for keeping this art form alive and sharing your vast knowledge with future generations. Thanks to (the very few) people like yourself, hopefully this type of craftsmanship will never be lost. God bless you and continued success.

[@RonCovell]

Stan - thanks for the high praise! I pursued sculpture early in my life, but it didn't seem feasible to make a living that way, so I applied myself to custom cars, instead. I do take a lot of pride in the work I do!

[@shanebeaudrot777]

Ron, you are nothing short of amazing! If had your skill set, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night due to thinking about all the incredible projects to build.

[@RonCovell]

Funny that you mention that - I'm having more and more trouble sleeping!

[@goatie1822]

Ron, I did not know you existed until I watched Trev's blog. It is a real joy to see such traditional metal working being shown so well by the both of you; long may it continue. Thank you so much

[@RonCovell]

David - great to have you on board!

[@TheJm16601]

Thank you so much. I was terrified to attempt cutting down my grille shell until I saw your video, the way you cut it made it so easy, my shell is now shorter and looks and fits perfect

[@RonCovell]

I'm so glad you had a success!

[@Good-Enuff-Garage]

Ron you are the reason they invented KZbin, thank you so much for sharing this information with us, I'm off to check out your videos on your website, what an amazing resource, wish they still had shop in high school... let's bring it back

[@RonCovell]

I'm very glad you enjoy my videos! Fortunately, there are a few schools that are bringing 'shop' classes back, but we need a lot more!

[@oldschoolgarageaust5261]

Ten out of ten as usual. Thank for you valuable time.

[@RonCovell]

My pleasure!

[@CarswithNash]

Excellent tips Ron!👍 I’ve been binge watching your videos for a few days now.

[@RonCovell]

Glad you like them!

[@VoodooDewey69]

A humble genius.

[@RonCovell]

I'm so glad you liked it!

[@TheGuerillapatriot]

Marvel, what a marvel to watch such artistry.

[@RonCovell]

Thank you for the high praise!

[@leonardovaldez8124]

Este señor es un verdadero maestro

[@RonCovell]

Muchas gracias!

[@chrisbenn8691]

Hi Ron. I went to hot rod shows and always wondered how did the custom made fenders have such perfect gaps. Now I am inspired to try myself some metal shaping. Thanks for such great videos.

[@RonCovell]

Glad you like the videos, and I hope you do try your hand at this kind of metalworking!

[@xmo552]

Well thought out cuts sir!

[@RonCovell]

Glad you liked it!

[@jeffbarker730]

Been the body shop business for many moons now, I want to get into metal fabrication more, more craftsmanship than bondo if you know what I mean... thanks for sharing your talent and time!!

[@RonCovell]

Go for it!

[@edstransitscott9186]

Simply amazing, Ron wish I had run on these years ago. You need a T V Show,

[@RonCovell]

I'm so glad you enjoy my videos - there will be more to come!

[@edstransitscott9186]

Ron Covell , I will watch, I am so impressed !

[@rsipperboy4835]

Excellent travail !!

[@RonCovell]

Merci beaucoup!

[@graemebrumfitt6668]

Nicely done Ron. TFS, G :)

[@RonCovell]

Thank you kindly

[@igorovcharov7424]

with such abilities, knightly armor worked perfectly for you! :-))

[@RonCovell]

Thanks!

[@Wizradical]

This looks great.

[@RonCovell]

Thank you!

[@guillermopepino1856]

really was an incredible finish !You remember me Boyd Coddington ! Good Luck Ron .

[@OpaSann0]

Boyd Coddington? Boyd had his guys do all the work and did nothing himself?

[@RonCovell]

OpaSann0 I knew the late Boyd Coddington since the 1970's, when he built cars in the garage behind his house. He was a gifted craftsman, designer, and machinist from the earliest days. As is true with many successful businessmen, he reached the point where he hired people to do most of the hands-on work under his direction, but he was a very capable person in his own right!

[@OpaSann0]

Ron Covell Good to hear, I used to watch his show every day as a 16 year old. I thought Boyd was a clever businessman who knew what the customers wanted and had people doing all the work for him. Didn't know he was a craftsman because I never saw him do much on tv. Did you know Roy Smith? I really enjoyed his work and personality on American Hot Rod. Shame he died so young. Hope you keep up with these video's they're extremely helpfull as I'm learing how to use these tools.

[@Disco58]

Why do I feel like I'm watching Bob Ross doing sheetmetal work? Ron, you are truly amazing! I don't know where you are, but would you be interested in a student about your age?

[@RonCovell]

You are not the first person to say that I remind them of Bob Ross, and I consider that a huge compliment. In addition to my 33 KZbin videos. I have 19 full-length DVDs, and I teach workshops all across the country. I'll have the 2018 schedule up on the website early next week. It's possible I'll be coming to a location near you! www.covell.biz

[@speedbuggy16v]

First off I love your videos, I went to school for auto body years ago and learned I did not have the eye/feel for it. My question is are you just a metal working god that can get the base that close that no filler is needed, or are they later cleaned up with a skim coat of plastic or lead? If your doing lead, I would love to see the process. Awesome work even if it is outside of the scope of my knowing enough to really screw things up abilities.

[@RonCovell]

+speedbuggy16v Thanks for the compliments. If I have good access to the back of the metal, I can often get it smooth enough that no filler is needed, or maybe just some block sanding after priming. I'm not especially fond of lead, and in most cases I think plastic autobody filler is adequate. If you need to build up an edge, lead is definitely better for that!

[@speedbuggy16v]

+Ron Covell I just saw your video on the California star, I knew I recognized your name but could not place from where. beautiful work!

[@RonCovell]

+speedbuggy16v Thanks again. Yeah, I've been doing this work for a long time. Still love it!

[@MotorCycleTheray]

The wife wants me to stop watching your videos, as the wish list is getting too expensive.

[@RonCovell]

Wish I could help with that one.

[@MotorCycleTheray]

haha

[@brucedavis8736]

would love to see you pound out a grill from scratch. Ron

[@RonCovell]

Hmmm - that might be a good subject for a KZbin video!

[@deeiks12]

What material are these grille frames? Amazing skills Ron, thank you!

[@RonCovell]

Both grille shells are aftermarket items, made from mild steel. I believe the larger one is 19-gauge (1mm) and the smaller one is 20-gauge (.9mm).

[@drewthebull2931]

Hi Ron. I know this is an old video, but do you still happen to have either of those shells and grilles around? I would love to buy one for my build.

[@RonCovell]

Sorry, I do not have either grille shell now, but good reproductions of the full-sized grille shells are available for both the '32 and the Model A!

[@borden2417]

Ron, have you ever used silicon bronze rod? (Eva-dure)? Sand very nice and very strong.

[@RonCovell]

Charles - Yes, I use Everdure (Silicon) Bronze filler wire a fair amount! One of the greatest benefits is that it doesn't 'pull' as much as steel filler wire, so you get less distortion. It also can be used to TIG weld cast iron, and to join many dissimilar materials - copper and stainless for example. It does not have the same tensile strength as steel, so it's not the proper rod for every situation, but it certainly has many beneficial properties!

[@johngoble4024]

Nice job, but what Radiator would you use with the model A shell cut down?

[@RonCovell]

In most cases you'd have a custom radiator made to your specs.

[@JasonFeatherston-si8tw]

Where did ou find an insert that was chopped 2 1/2 inches ??

[@RonCovell]

Sorry, but I don't recall the name of the company that made that insert.

[@VolksTrieb]

How much amps do you run your TIG machine at when welding such thin parts?

[@RonCovell]

The rule of thumb is one amp for every .001-inch of material thickness. These parts were made from .040-inch (19 gauge) steel, which is about 1mm thick, so I couldn't make a puddle unless the machine is set to at least 40 amps. In reality, I usually set the machine much higher, and use the foot pedal to modulate the welding heat.

[@VolksTrieb]

@@RonCovell thank you 😁

[@kmcklveen66]

I paid $20.00 yesterday to download this video on Rov Covell's website. Today I find out it is free on KZbin and being offered by Ron Covell. This is wrong.

[@RonCovell]

The full-length version you purchased is 34 minutes long, and the free KZbin version is 12 minutes long. Several of my KZbin videos are highly-shortened versions of my full-length videos, and I post this content free to give people a taste of what's available in the full-length versions.

[@lisandromanuelhidalgoruz3239]

Master.ty

[@RonCovell]

Thanks!

[@lisandromanuelhidalgoruz3239]

@@RonCovell i'm cuban.and my people are learning from your videos.ty for share your knowledge with the world.

[@thamsanqachesa3460]

What type of welding is this?

[@RonCovell]

I used TIG welding for this project. You can learn more about this process here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZ3KZ5iVmJyIl5Y kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaTTYnWGZ559aqc

[@nurlanmambetob1748]

👍🇰🇿👍

[@vikashpramanicks5201]

Hi I am u fan 🇮🇳 from india Explene and work so heard But easi U will u come India i Will u mit Thanking to u video and advice Bye bye

[@RonCovell]

I'm very glad that you like my videos, and I do hope to visit India someday!

[@sanoo47]

@@RonCovell watched your video and love the simplicity of it. If you are travelling to India for first time, then my advice is to travel in package tour in which you visit the places in a group with local guide not alone.

[@rapaztarget]

🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱✔✔✔👍👍👍👍

[@chuymunoz9282]

Does not speak spanish