If you have a receiver type hitch on a towing vehicle, make a wood block
that is 2" X 1-3/4" in thickness, about 4 inches long, and place the short
bend end of your metal strip into the empty receiver hitch along with the
block on top of the bar inside the hitch, and bend using the longer length
of your flatbar and your foot as the lever. Clamp a couple of 2X4 pieces in
a sandwich fashion on the bar if you need to increase length and leverage
for bending, or to prevent curving of the long part. If done properly, you
can even bend an offset (zigzag) into the bar by bending the most inward
bend first. This will not get you really crisp bends, but it may well serve
your purpose. Be extremely wary of using the torch to help with the bend
around a vehicle, due to the obvious fuel tank located on the vehicle, and
danger of a fire/ explosion.
Now, if the bar needs to be bent sideways, ie. the "hardway" then
thats another story. If you need this type of bend, you will need to go to
a shop with the proper facilities, or do a cut and weld.
There are always nay-sayers who have good intentions, and that's very
admirable, but if I had listened to them, I would not have the skills I have
today. At 14 years old, I built a go-kart out of 1/2" galvanized pipe and
small wheels salvaged from my uncle's farm junkpile. The project was built
using sand and wood plugs to pack the pipe to bend around a forked pecan
tree. The entire unit was bolted together using rat -tail filed coped joints
with wood plugs driven in at the joints, along with small lag screws to bolt
it together untill I cut enough grass for hire to be able to afford to have
it welded. The engine was a vertical shaft, so I removed the governor and
converted the engine to horizontal by making an adapter plate to rotate the
carb 90 degrees. An oil dipper was made for the connecting rod. Angle iron
pieces provided the engine mounts. The shaft was 7/8", so I made wood blocks
the correct length to place on either side of the crankshaft, and with the
engine running, filed the crankshaft to 3/4" so a clutch I had scrounged
would fit. Never discount wood's uses in metalworking.
With all this rambling, I guess I'm saying that a man can do a lot of
things if he has the determination , resourcefulness, and a logical and safe
thought process. Don't give up, but for sure, do it as safely as possible
P.S. Using a trailer tongue jack to clamp SOME things down would work if
you first place the tongue inside a garage doorway and use a T shaped
stiffknee made of 2X4 against the top of the doorway or open roof trusses to
allow you to apply downward pressure in a MODERATE amount. Chock wheels for
this.

RJ




"Freddie" wrote in message
...
I'm making a bracket for my racing seat. I'm trying to use the
original mounting holes in the car (a 96 Miata) which are angle away
from each other. My plan is to get a pair of 19" x 2" x 1/4" steel
strip to mount the seat on.

I need to bend the two ends of the metal strip about (20 and 30
degrees). My question is, how can I bend the metal strip with common
garage tools?

I was think to position the metal strip between 2 thick pieces of
metal and use my trailer and jack stand as a vice to hold it near
horizontal. Then use my car jack to bend the metal. I can use a
welding torch to heat the metal if necessary.

Thanks,
Freddie