On Fri, 4 Apr 2008 23:21:17 -0700 (PDT), Freddie
wrote:

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.

Having built a base, or two, for racing seats, I'd say that 1/4
material is overkill. 1/8 material is sufficient and is what all of
the commercial set bases that I've seen are made from. Pretty easy to
bent 1/8 material by clamping it in a vise and whacking it with a hand
sledge. No heat is needed, nor is a lot of precision required.