Last month we tackled a little body repair and the installation of a Direct Sheetmetal firewall in a '55-59 Chevy pickup cab down at KA Custom in Huntington Beach, California, but the original firewall had taken such a whack in a previous accident that even the lower section required replacement, which is what we'll be covering in this installment. The repair panels are relatively simple to make, requiring just one 45 degree bend at their lower edge, and while KA Custom used a sheetmetal shear and brake, as well as some specialist tools, there's nothing to stop you from using tin snips, a drill, and improvising to form the bend, or farm this part out to a local sheetmetal fabrication shop, in order to complete a similar job at home.
The bolt-in transmission cover also required some modification to work with the new firewall, but this involved nothing more than basic trimming and welding. The techniques shown here can also be used for patch panel installment, or any number of sheetmetal projects, so take note of how the pros do it, and get out in the shop to tackle that project.
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