Over bent Firewall

The plans on the RV-8 call for the firewall to be bent forward by 8 degrees.

When I received by QB kit, it was bent by 12 degrees. When I first noticed it long ago, I contacted the mothership, and received the general "it will be fine, build on". So I did.

Unfortunately, now it is time to fit the baggage door and the over bent firewall is presenting me with a problem. With the top forward skin in place, the firewall is pulled back to the correct position on the entire left side, and on the top up to where the top of the baggage door is, and it is also correct at the very lower edge of the baggage door. But because of the forward pressure that the bend puts on the firewall, there is a crescent shaped gap between the firewall lip and the door.

It is not a matter of the skins not aligning, but rather the firewall next to the opening has an arc to it, and the baggage skin does not. The width of the gap goes from front to back.

Does anyone have any advice on how to relieve that bend, or to deal with the gap?

If you haven't riveted the top skin on yet, just take it off and bend the top firewall back till it is correct. Even then, that side of the firewall will remain floppy since there is only a narrow strip of skin there.
If it is riveted, as you work on the baggage door, you can just tape it back into the correct position, making sure the front line stays straight.
Or, you can wait on the baggage door till you fit the cowling. When the cowling is fitted, it will hold that part of the firewall and top skin strip in place and then you can make the baggage door fit perfectly.
For me, I would wait and do the cowling first.

The top skin is not riveted on yet, but when I try to bend the firewall back, it just returns to its original position.

My real question should have been "How (i.e. what technique can I use) can I bend the firewall back, and have it accept the new bend, while it is already mounted to the rest of the fuselage?"

I can wait on doing the door, but my concern is that the cowl will be difficult to put on, with the firewall always trying to push more forward than it belongs.

Solution

I got a direct message from sf3543 (Thanks!) that did the trick for me, and thought I would share it here, in case someone else needs this in the future.

I clamped on two 2x8's, one in front, and one in back, and then used them like a sheet metal brake, and removed the excess bend. It was remarkable how easy it was to do with the boards clamped, as it focused the pressure on a localized spot.