hail damage

i have hail damage to the top and hood of my 78 camaro,but it doesnt appear to be that deep of dents,how can i fix this,filler on a hood will just crack out right? could you use several heavy coats of filler primer?

A properly preped metal hood will hold filler that is pretty deep with out it craking out, how ever just smearing the dents with filler is no the best way to go a body hammer and a dolly would work the best to tap up the lows in the hood then smear some filler on it! You could always have somone paintless dent repair your hood espeacially if it already matches the car and the dents are not to deep!:p

I have a Chev truck that had a $5000 estimate written on it for hail damage......to just the hood and roof. We took it to a "paintless dent repair" place and they took the dents COMPLETELY out for $400. They did an exceptional job. Many body shops also do this type of dent repair.....they glue little "posts" in the center of the dent and use a tool to pull the dent out. The glue that holds the post on is then removed and the panel buffed. Quick, cheap, and you dont have to get to the rear of the panel.

By the way, I tried using the heat and dry ice method, it worked only marginally.

mike in tucson

It depends on the severity of the hail damage and the construction of the hood. In many cases, it's just cheaper to get another hood. But I'd try the paintless dent removal first.

As for the repair, gentle use of a torch can shrink the metal on both panels to remove or minimize the dents. Obviously you'd want to remove the headliner and engine silencer pad before trying this. Using filler to fill a hail dent, or series of dents, will most likely not hold, especially on the hood. These panels flex enough when opened or closed to cause issues.

The one thing to remember in regards to the hood. This is what you are staring at while you are driving. Any imperfection will be staring back.

I hate to admit it but I bought a tool at AutoZone called a "Pops-A-Dent" for $20.00,..... works great !
I have been doing sheet metal work for over 30 years and don't know why someone didn't think of this before

i am involved with pdr from the ins appraisal side.
check it out with the pdr shop too see if they can do it.
we have found that with older cars that have been repainted can cause troubles as we have had paint cracking problems when they remove the dents. i think the buildup of the material isnt quite so pliable when being worked by the pdr tools.
if there are just big dents you probaly will have good luck if they can do it.
the recent hail storm this summer we worked ,none of them were repairable as all panels were just completly warbled and just to much for them v/s regular repair.
good luck,doesnt hurt to ask what the shop can do. youe not out nothing then.

Look for a "Dent Wizard" or another dent repair facility. Bought a Black '90 Pontiac Grand Prix that had been repainted that was caught in a Ft. Worth hail storm. $400.00 dollars later and you couldn't tell it had looked like a refugee from a golf ball factory. Some of these guys are really great. Look at some of their previous repairs before settling on one facility or person.