Thread: Bodywork Questions

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Any time you can get to the back of a dent and work it back as close to it's original shape as possible the better. Without seeing the dent you refer to it's difficult to know how it will react, but often on large, relatively flat panels (such as door skins) a "bump" in the back will pop out most of it if it's of an "oil can" variety.

If the slide hammer you're talking about looks cheap, it's probably worse than it looks. One of the neat side benefits of playing with cars is building a collection of tools. You should never use the excuse "I can't afford to buy the good stuff". For a few dollars more (relatively) you can buy a tool that will last a lifetime instead of a piece of junk that may not get you through the first job. Additionally, and this may be hard to believe if you haven't experienced it, good tools "work better" and make the job go easier, and the learning curve shorter.

As for the the slide hammer, you're probably looking at one of those neanderthal weapons with the screw end on it that you twist into a hole you drill in the dent. SIR, DROP THAT WEAPON NOW!!!!! Below is a picture of a tool that does a much better job, doesn't add more damage to the panel, and won't leave a hole for future rust to infiltrate (you do know you need to seal the backside of a repaired panel when you're done don't you?) They go by a variety of names; Spitznagel gun, stud welder, dent puller gun, etc. Your local wholesale automotive paint supply stores sell them, most of the tool catalogs (which have web sites too), and of course the ever popular ebay. Good ones will come in a kit with a slide hammer to fasten to the studs you weld on, as well as a supply of the studs. Again, the paint supply stores stock the studs too since most pro body shops use this tool, or it's even more exotic cousins which employ the same studs. Once the stud is welded to the face of the dent, attach the slide hammer, pull back on the slide (with practice you quickly get a feel for the amount of force each kind of dent requires), ease out the dent, once done with that part cut off the stud (sidecutters work fine), and grind off the nub. If you did it well, the panel will only need the slightest amount of filler to smooth the surface. If the metal has been stretched by the original collision, which is frequently the case, you can use the gun without the stud to localize a "hot spot" to shrink the metal (this part takes a bit more practice). So, it's a multi-use tool, and does a superior job to the hack method. Yeah, it costs more, but again.............if you can't afford to do it right, how can you afford to do it wrong?

You'll need a couple body hammers, at least a universal dolly, and probably a heel dolly. A body file would be good, and several sanding blocks of varying lengths and densities, plus a flexible one for contours. Oh, and as new to this as you sound, reading a book on the basics first would be the smartest thing you could do.

And don't buy the cheapest filler or abrasives. The job will go so much better with good supplies.

Our buddy Spraytech will likely be giving you some good advice too, especially on the guns. My preference now a days is the gravity feed gun, especially for the heavier, high build primers, but most of us started on the syphon or pressure cup type. Also the nozzles come in different sizes, bigger is better for primer. Get HVLP guns, yeah, again, they cost more initially, but they use at least half as much paint material and that stuff ain't cheap no mo'. They pay for themselves in the long run (which could mean one job if you're doing a whole car).

Here's one such web supply seller with lots of choices........read to your heart's delight!!http://www.autotoolmart.com/cgi-bin/...24103258812.61