sportin-wood |
Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:28 pm |
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As you might notice, this area has some signs of prior repair. I'm by no means a body man, but have made some minor repairs in the past. I'm wondering what the recommended method for pulling this dent might be.
What I'm contemplating whether pushing it out from the inside with a Porta Power and some blocks of wood, or maybe use a Stud Welder Dent Puller from the outside?
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Mike Fisher |
Mon Nov 18, 2024 2:35 pm |
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Gotta start hammering on it.
Stud welder might be easier.
Skim on a little bondo and paint it. 8) |
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sportin-wood |
Mon Nov 18, 2024 5:12 pm |
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Thanks Mike. I'm not sure I can get anything behind the dent that I can get enough swinging room to hammer on it. I have been contemplating purchasing a Stud Welder because it seems like a cool tool to have. Might have to look into that. :) |
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67ctbug |
Mon Nov 18, 2024 8:11 pm |
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Hammer from the back, maybe a weld tab. |
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VW_Jimbo |
Mon Nov 18, 2024 8:48 pm |
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You can use a palm nailer with a cut off bolt stuck in the end of it; so that the hex head is pounding against the wooden block. Cut the wooden block to mimic the interior shape of the panel, or add small cut pieces of wood, to fill the voids in the ribs. |
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sportin-wood |
Mon Nov 18, 2024 9:44 pm |
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67ctbug wrote: Hammer from the back, maybe a weld tab.
Will keep this in mind - thanks!
VW_Jimbo wrote: You can use a palm nailer with a cut off bolt stuck in the end of it; so that the hex head is pounding against the wooden block. Cut the wooden block to mimic the interior shape of the panel, or add small cut pieces of wood, to fill the voids in the ribs.
You know Jimbo - that might be crazy enough to work! I never thought of that. I'll have to dig out my palm nailer and try a test area on a junked car my father in law has on his property. Thanks man! |
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VW_Jimbo |
Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:14 am |
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It will work! Ask me how I know!
Gotta ALWAYS think outside the box! It is funnier that way! |
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viiking |
Tue Nov 19, 2024 2:38 pm |
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Cut a piece of wood or get a long piece of rigid metal to fit into the ribs of the piece for the inside.
Drill a 1/4" hole and some threaded rod or long bolt. Get a piece of wood for the outside so that it bears on the stronger area of the panel say at the edges. Try and get some wood that is as thick as possible so that it bends as little as possible.
Just use that setup like a puller and see how you go to pull it out. If it isn't strong enough then go up a size in the rod.
The benefit is that the bearing surface will be over a larger area than just a stud welded to that panel or by using the palm nailer (although that is a great idea). It should also bend it back straight and your improvement will be immediately noticeable.
Yes you will be left with a hole. This can be welded up pretty easily and avoids IMO the multiple potential dents that you create with the palm nailer or stud welder. |
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EVfun |
Thu Nov 21, 2024 11:15 pm |
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I think I would be trying to figure out some blocks to spread the load and a lever to push and try to figure out how to get that out, or mostly out, from the inside. A sand filled rubber mallet and also be used on the outside to encourage the dent to come out instead of the surrounding metal being raised. Patience is the way to get a dent out without it showing in the finish. It doesn't look too stretched. |
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67ctbug |
Fri Nov 22, 2024 7:57 pm |
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Yeah don't drill a hole, you could try putting some blocks in there and then inflating a ball or get an air wedge set to push it out. I just did that on a car today. |
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sportin-wood |
Fri Nov 22, 2024 9:32 pm |
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Thanks guys. I think I'm going to first try the palm nailer that VW_Jimbo suggested - if you've followed his '54 Oval project thread, the dude knows his stuff! Not to mention that I already have a palm nailer that I can try his suggestion with, whereas I haven't obtained a Porta Power yet to assist in pushing the dent from the inside. I'll post results here as I go. |
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VW_Jimbo |
Sun Nov 24, 2024 11:21 pm |
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sportin-wood wrote: Thanks guys. I think I'm going to first try the palm nailer that VW_Jimbo suggested - if you've followed his '54 Oval project thread, the dude knows his stuff! Not to mention that I already have a palm nailer that I can try his suggestion with, whereas I haven't obtained a Porta Power yet to assist in pushing the dent from the inside. I'll post results here as I go.
Thanks man!
You can also stack in several 2x6s on their sides, big flat side up against the panel and then add another, and another, until the area is full of boards. Then take a big wedge or a pry bar and slowly pry between two of the boards, to apply pressure to the dent. A small sand bag, in those recessed areas might work! Like the ones that we threw as kids! Just a thought!
When I fabricated concrete countertops, I would use Bondo in a ziploc to form shapes in recessed locations. The bag does not allow the Bondo to stick, but will conform to the shape of the recess, allowing the Bondo to take the same shape.
Good luck my friend! Slow and steady is what you need! |
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sportin-wood |
Mon Nov 25, 2024 8:19 am |
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Thanks Jimbo! Well, the palm nailer idea didn't go so well. Of course, maybe it was because of the kind I was using. It's a cordless Milwaukee that maybe didn't have as much "OOMPH" as an air nailer, but I felt it still packs a punch. It just kind of kept dancing around the block of wood, lacking the pressure against the inside of thee panel that I'm sure it needs. That leads me to think using some kind of leverage from the inside is probably going to be the best, whether it's wooden blocks with a pry bar, a Porta Power worked slowly against wooden blocks, or I might try a small bottle jack I have to see if that'll might make a difference.... I'll update this post with results. |
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Busstom |
Fri Dec 06, 2024 7:31 pm |
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Definitely Porta-Power with duckbill spreader and wood blocks...elegant and graceful, no tits and nipples to grind/knock down, no holes to close up after, and some light hammer/dolly work to finalize it. |
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VW_Jimbo |
Fri Dec 06, 2024 11:41 pm |
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sportin-wood wrote: Thanks Jimbo! Well, the palm nailer idea didn't go so well. Of course, maybe it was because of the kind I was using. It's a cordless Milwaukee that maybe didn't have as much "OOMPH" as an air nailer, but I felt it still packs a punch. It just kind of kept dancing around the block of wood, lacking the pressure against the inside of thee panel that I'm sure it needs. That leads me to think using some kind of leverage from the inside is probably going to be the best, whether it's wooden blocks with a pry bar, a Porta Power worked slowly against wooden blocks, or I might try a small bottle jack I have to see if that'll might make a difference.... I'll update this post with results.
Sorry man! Yep, I have 2 palm nailers. A Senior and a Porter Cable. The Senior was the one that worked for me. If you lived close by, I would say come on by and take mine! Hell, I would probably help you out too!
Hope the duck bill works for ya. |
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VizionCustoms |
Sat Dec 07, 2024 3:10 pm |
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I would call a Dentless repair guy. Should be around $50-100
If that's too much$$, get a rubber hammer or a Rubber block. Something that is not going to do more damage to the sheetmetal. (Like a reg hammer that will make a perfect round mark of the head when you hit it.) The rubber will spread out the impact of all your hits and not imprint the metal as much as the reg hammer, metal block/ doolie or of wood block.
So when you are hammering the inside of the Thing, get a pulling cup on the outside of the Thing. have some tension on the outside with the pull cup and do some slight hammering on the inside of the Thing. Slow and steady you can get it looking good without having to repair the paint.
Keep in mind any welding due to pull tabs, you will destroy the paint on the outside and inside the Thing.
Rubber hammer $16-20
Dent-Puller-Removal-Suction cup $12-30 |
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sportin-wood |
Sun Dec 08, 2024 12:46 pm |
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So before I invested in a Porta Power, I decided to try something I already had - a small bottle jack and some scrap pieces of wood. It worked well to push the dent out most of the way, but as you probably know, the ribs are still pushed in. Gonna have to get creative and figure out a way to get those out as much as possible. Another option will be front panel replacement. A PO has used quite a bit of Bondo on the driver's side front corner as seen towards the top.
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Danpa |
Tue Dec 10, 2024 10:08 am |
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How about adding a piece of hardwood, shaped like the rib, but a little taller, to the wood block. So that the rib would make contact before the rest of the block. Then press it out with the jack. As you push it out, work both areas on either side of the rib with a hammer.
Don't WAIL on it, you don't want to stretch it more than it is, just patiently push it out, light hammer work, push some more, more hammer, etc..
Dan |
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sportin-wood |
Tue Dec 10, 2024 10:21 am |
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That's worth a shot, Dan - thank you! |
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Danpa |
Tue Dec 10, 2024 10:25 am |
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Sure, no problem.
I believe the rib is what is holding the panel to it's current "shape".
Dan |
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