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I've always thought of pot metal as brittle stuff that would break easy it fooled with. I see the passenger side grill extension on my 1946 Packard has some bends in it from some previous minor damage. Can I straighten it without it cracking and breaking??

John

Interesting way. Just might be the answer to the problem.
Thanks Packardberry.

Basically same method I did to flatten a curve that developed on my AC vent after it cooled. I also used a heavy flat bar to kind of control and spread the amount of bend so I could tell when it was straight and not going the other way. One thing the guy did not mention in the video is pot metal has a low melting point -- around 700 degrees is when it starts getting scary. When using the concentrated heat of a torch be extra careful not to linger in an area. The difference between softening and a complete melt happens faster than you can blink an eye. If you have an old scrap of something to practice on it might be worth getting a feel.

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Howard you're scaring me now.....

pot metal is designed to instantly disintegrate if it senses any attempt to fix or correct a flaw. It's true.

I normally make a wooden buck to the shape that I want ultimately the piece to be. I have done this with many types of cast pieces. Than what I do is put the piece in question in the oven (when the wife isn't home) and let it warm for 2 hours or more at 450 degrees. I than slow bend the part back into with clamps to the contour of the buck that I made.

I will be doing this in the next couple of weeks on an antique rowboat motor. I will try to take some pictures.

Thanks
James From
Kanter Auto Products