Metal Shaping/Repair - Help needed

[Evil_Fiz]

I am greener than a seasick coed with vertigo when it comes to metal working. I have a 1970 Ghia convertible I am restoring and have begun to do the metal repairs that are needed. I have surfed many car restoration forums and watched many hours of YouTube in an effort to educate myself on how to perform metal repairs. I have no prior experience but for the most part I understand the information I have come across. The picture below shows the repair that has me completely sideways. The car was hit in the right-rear quarter and the area shown in the picture is the least damaged part. it was a large dent covered in about 1/2" of filler. What you see is bare metal treated with phosphoric acid metal prep (dark areas) and sanded metal. The light area comprises a warp/wave in the panel with two peaks surrounded by low spots. I have tried hammering off dolly to raise the low spots, heat shrinking with a torch (which introduced the wave,) and hammering on dolly in an attempt to smooth out some of the rougher spots. It is rather difficult to get a dolly behind the some of the damage due to the wheel house.

- is the metal in the low spots also stretched? (I assume the high spots are stretched)
- Short of making relief cuts in the high spots and reshaping the metal, what are my options?

I realize I am asking for a lot with just a picture go on but any help or guidance is appreciated.

Thanks,
Emil
_________________
“…It's not just about what's interesting. It's also about what's helpful, and it's helpful even if it helps just one other guy working on a Ghia.”
kiwighia68

See my build on TheSamba at:
The K_R_A_K_E_N_N : a 70 Ghia Convertible reinterpreted

[Mellow Yellow 74]

For the low spots, use the hammer and dolly to stretch these so they come out. For a stretch you want the shape of the dolly more curved than the shape you are trying to achieve with the low point touching so the dolly brings it up. Use the hammer to lightly tap to locate the dolly to ensure you are only hitting on the dolly right where the low point is.

For the high spots, do multiple hot shrinks as necessary to shrink them down. If you are getting warping from trying to do hot shrinking you are heating up the general area too much - you need to do a single point cherry red and hammer and dolly it down then quench with a wet rag. For a shrink you want the shape of the dolly to be flatter than behind where you are shrinking so there is a gap to shrink into.

Assuming the other side is ok, make up a profile template from cardboard and use this to make sure you are getting the profile right as you go.

Whatever you do, don’t make relief cuts because this will just cause more distortion when you weld them up.

You should be able to access most of this from inside but down toward the wheel arch you won’t get the dolly inside. For these areas you would need to use a stud weld dent puller tool.
_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[theKbStockpiler]

You can actually use heat to stretch metal. Heat it up but don't hammer it down.
_________________
My beetle is not competing with your beetle. I have the yellow beetle in my town. There is a red one, a green one ......
Use all safety devices including a mask.

[Evil_Fiz]

Please pardon my ignorance and additional questions. My goal is to work the metal as well as I can and use the minimum amount of filler. This is born from the interest of learning a new skill rather than a purist perspective.

[Mellow Yellow 74]

[Evil_Fiz]

@Mellow Yellow 74
Thanks again for the advise and guidance. It proved very helpful and productive.

This excerpt from my build thread shows where I am at now in the process. I am posting it here as well to prevent this thread from becoming one with no feedback or closure.