Hit a critter, dent advise

[windfish]

Hit a opossum or racoon last night; ran right out in front, I just saw a blur and heard/felt a large thump as it impacted my front apron. Went back and looked, never found it. Only know what it was 'cause dashcam, initially thought it was some debris in the road.
Guess it's possible it lived, more likely it got thrown into the woods a bit. Makes it the first critter I've (probably) killed in 15 years of driving :/

Could have been worse on my bug's end, only seems to have dented the (already a bit rusty and bondo'd) front apron.

Any tips on massaging it back into shape? Not much experience with body work.
Doesn't have to be perfect, just the general shape would be nice.

Clip from the dashcam (here) for those morbidly curious. Less than a second..

[Floating VW]

I wonder if the raccoon is on the small forest animal version of the samba right now, asking for advice on how to pound out the dent in his back.

A ball-peen hammer and a couple pieces of well placed 2X4 will get you close. Although an auto-body hammer and dolly would do a nicer job.

Good luck, man.
_________________
"It's time you started treating people as individuals, rather than mathematically predictable members of an aggregate set, regardless of how well that works."

[calvinater]

try the football trick, or comealong and tree
_________________
"Albatross"!

[Eric&Barb]

Could try removing access plate and use that to run a rope or chain thru there. Then rig up a wood pole, or bar of steel to pull the dent out with hand winch. Would need to shim inside around the pole/bar so you do not crush the rim of the access hole and tie the rear end of the VW so it does not just drag.

With hammer in there you are not going to have a lot of swing room and more likely to make a rumpled mess.
_________________
In Stereo, Where Available!

[Dwayne1m]

[calvinater]

yes, insert deflated football behind crumple, then inflate.. sometimes gives enough force to reform the metal.
_________________
"Albatross"!

[beetlenut]

Good time to replace that apron. If not, hammer and dolly are your best bet, but then you'll have to paint it cause the paint won't survive the pounding.
_________________
scrapyards are for quitters
---------------------------------------

[ROCKOROD71]

[mark tucker]

new apron!!! there cheep.

[Starbucket]

Three "c" clamps and a 2X4, clamp the 2X4 outside of apron at each end and slowly tighten the clamp you place over the center of dent until you reach the 2X4.

[mukluk]

[heimlich]

You can barely see it. Try knocking it out but don't worry about it. It could have been a deer.
_________________
www.vwnos.com [email protected]
Classic Brands. Classic Quality.
Not all parts are made the same. NOS OE/OEM parts made mainly in West Germany, Early Germany, and Early Brazil are where VW produced the best quality parts and best fitting products.
5% Off your order with coupon code: 5%OFF
Restored Distributors Available (<--Click here)

[hitest]

[Dan Hiebert]

The metal on these cars is easy to move. I'd use a 2x4 with one end contoured to match how the apron is curved, pounded on the back end, to move it close, then use a hammer and dolly to get it closer to where it's supposed to be. Whether you use a football, 2x4 and clamps, hammer and dolly, etc. (anything is fair game in body work), any Bondo on there will be loosened off the metal anyway. I'd just get it over with and sand that area down to bare metal before working it, at least before working the final shaping. If the metal is rusted through anywhere, it will most likely tear. I note you're not seeking perfection, but you'll be glad you're working with bare metal. Then you can smooth it out with filler and touch it up with primer and paint.