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Originally Posted by duplox
Use whatever guage the surrounding sheetmetal is. Probably 16ga. This will make it the easiest to weld and look the best. I find 16ga to be the easiest to hammerform as well.. anything thinner tends to bend and stretch too easily, you have to be very gentle with it. 16ga takes a bit longer to form, but I find I get better form and finish out of it.
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16gage? You're kidding right. 16 Gage is awful damn thick for sheetmetal fabrication. The only time I use 16Gage for the bottom of chopper gas tanks, or where minor fab is done, like a bend. I would use something more like 19Gage, 20Gage, or even 22Gage.
Hammerforming 16 Gage will work if you're popeye, and your arm will still be sore as hell. Then trying to planish the hammer formed steel is a bitch when its 16Gage, even with an english wheel or with a power hammer.
I've build shit with 22gage with no problem. 19gage is the best since thats what the older cars were made of, and its around the thickness of new materials. 19Gage is much more expensive than 20gage because its an odd gage. So you could use 20Gage just fine.