Recommended method for pulling out my '73 Thing nose dent?

[sportin-wood]

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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73 Thing project (for the wifey)
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"Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman. He's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it." --- Jeff Spicoli

[Mike Fisher]

Gotta start hammering on it.
Stud welder might be easier.

Skim on a little bondo and paint it.
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[sportin-wood]

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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73 Thing project (for the wifey)
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"Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman. He's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it." --- Jeff Spicoli

[67ctbug]

Hammer from the back, maybe a weld tab.
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[VW_Jimbo]

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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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[sportin-wood]

[VW_Jimbo]

It will work! Ask me how I know!

Gotta ALWAYS think outside the box! It is funnier that way!
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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[viiking]

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]

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]

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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'67 Beetle L41
'74 Westfalia
'69 Plymouth "Adam-12"
'63 Ragtop
'73 914
'72 Dodge Wrecker
Go Cubs!
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[sportin-wood]

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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Paused 66 project bug
73 Thing project (for the wifey)
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"Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman. He's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it." --- Jeff Spicoli

[VW_Jimbo]

[sportin-wood]

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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Paused 66 project bug
73 Thing project (for the wifey)
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"Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman. He's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it." --- Jeff Spicoli

[Busstom]

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]

[VizionCustoms]

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

[sportin-wood]

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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Paused 66 project bug
73 Thing project (for the wifey)
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"Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman. He's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it." --- Jeff Spicoli

[Danpa]

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]

That's worth a shot, Dan - thank you!
_________________
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Paused 66 project bug
73 Thing project (for the wifey)
.
"Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman. He's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it." --- Jeff Spicoli

[Danpa]

Sure, no problem.

I believe the rib is what is holding the panel to it's current "shape".

Dan
_________________
67 Beetle (gone)
68 Bay Window Double Cab (gone) sob, sob!
64 Beetle (gone)
77 Scirocco (gone)
73 Squareback (scrapped)
70 Beetle (current, in pieces)