ok, time for an upgrade. My damaged Eleanor i built many, many years ago. The bent panels were done with the old technique of heating and bending.
This looks ok, but all of the damage tends to look curvy instead of the angular bends you get from damaged steel.
A new technique i've been working on is pressed foil panels, and i'll go through that for anyone interested.
Start with a flat piece of thick foil. this came from a tin of beverage seal (Milo) can. I first rubbed it on a flat surface to take out some of the dents. I then taped it to the panel and pressed it to shape. using a tool, i worked the details into the foil, making sure to get the body crease. The wheel arch shape was worked in and i wrapped it around to the underside.
Relief cuts need to be made in some areas to help the metal form the correct shape, otherwise it should stretch enough.

Once removed, the panel will maintain it's shape. This is the big step, bending it to be damaged. go carefully and get a realistic crinkle in the panel.

eleanor03
by
aus_mus, on Flickr