I just joined this forum because I have been involved in racing cars (specifically porsches) for a number of years. I've always worked on my own cars and lately I've been branching out of doing just the usual "engine and suspension" work towards body panel fabrication. So I bought some books on sheet metal fabrication and went to work beating panels...but this has brought about interest from other enthusiasts seeking aluminum body panels for their cars (NOTE: aluminum is a nice material for lightweight panels for dual duty cars used on both track *and* street - also maintains resale value). So I am being pressed by friends to make more...but panel beating is an art (which I have not yet fully mastered) and I can't meet the demand...sooooooo...I started researching metal stamping to gain more precision and volume...but I can't seem to find any info on small scale metal stamping. Is this something the home machinist with reasonable skills and a decent budget can do or is it strictly a large scale endeaver?

Thanks,

-Janus Cole

Sheet metal hydroforming presses are the only thing I can think of right now, and they aren't for small scale operations.