Diamond Plate

[JeepsCherokee]

I am putting quarter inch aluminum diamond plate on the sides of my cherokee under the doors etc... I have measured and cut all the diamond plate but need to put a slight bend in it how can i do it with out a bender?

 

[Goatman]

I am putting quarter inch aluminum diamond plate on the sides of my cherokee under the doors etc... I have measured and cut all the diamond plate but need to put a slight bend in it how can i do it with out a bender?

Are you talking about a small bend to cover the lower break in the doors? Or a slight curve to match the slight curve of the sheetmetal?

 

[Fred]

Bench with a straight edge and a hammer.

Fred

 

[JeepsCherokee]

I need to bend my diamond plate, its already cut down to size but my bender is out of commision right now, how eles can i go about this? the diamond plate is 1/4 inch aluminum and its just a slight bend cuz their going across the bottoms of my doors on my xj

 

[JeepsCherokee]

a curve to match the sheet metal

 

[Yucca-Man]

Solid-core door, preferably a metal one door. Set it in place in the doorjamb and bend with the door.

Edit: It might be a good idea to do this at someone else's house Landlord may not appreciate it if this springs the hinges.

 

[Goatman]

I need to bend my diamond plate, its already cut down to size but my bender is out of commision right now, how eles can i go about this? the diamond plate is 1/4 inch aluminum and its just a slight bend cuz their going across the bottoms of my doors on my xj

Lay the plate across some blocks of wood and jump up and down on it. That's how I did mine, and I used 3/16. It still took a good amount of jumping to put a slight arc in the plate.

 

[rockwerks]

take it to a HVAC shop they have a bender that will put the perfect 10* bend in it. and usually cheaply. have them bend in 8' lengths so the bends match.

 

[xj89]

Old shot of my jeep from last year, but is this what ur trying to do?

 

[LS1Jeeper]

Make how you want it bent out of wood like as a base attach it to the wood and back over it with your jeep

 

[hackedxj]

I made some quarter panel protectors out of 3/16 aluminum treadplate. I cut a piece of card board to match the angle of the body line and took them to a sheetmetal shop, charged 5 bucks.

 

[GirlScout1]

I made a make shift jig using a couple pieces of scrap angle iron locked into a bench vice. Then hand/hammer method.

 

[JeepsCherokee]

ya like the back part where its flush with the bottom of your door

 

[Frank Z]

Hopefully this will help and keep you from wasting a bunch of diamond plate.I made a couple of pieces for the lower rear corners of my XJ and bent them using a bench vise, a hand few small c-clamps, and a bunch of scrap steel.

First and foremost, 1/4" aluminum doesn't bend as easily as you'd think. At this thickness it will have a tendency to crack on the outside portion of the bend. 1/8 or 3/16" might be a better option for a DIY job.

Second, layout all of your bend lines before you start bending anything, allow an additional 1/8" for the bend radius between any two bends.

Third, use four pieces of steel clamped above and below the bend lines and on the front and back of the diamond plate.

Fourth, if at all possible, make sure your bends are in between the diamond portions of the plate. Trying to bend accross the diamonds by hand will lead to a really lousy bend.

Fifth, slow steady pressure should be applied. Use a cardboard template that matches the surface that the diamond plate will be attached too. Don't over bend the aluminum, it's easier to go back and bend it a little more than it is to try and straighten it out if you bend it too much.

 

[aussiewheeler]

fill a sand bag with enought sand to make the shape you want then put the diamond plate on there and hammer it up