First let me say that i'm writing this thread in response to quite a few PM's i've recieved lately on repairing dents. I will attempt to cover as many methods as i know personally, HOWEVER, anything you do is at your own risk. I accept no responsibility for you fubar'ing your body. If you have never done body work this is not an area where you should learn.
Secondly, Always wear a respirator when working with any type of Body Filler, sanding paint or painting. Also, please wear eye protection when grinding on metal.
COMMON DENT REMOVAL METHODS:
Hammer It Out:
commonly used tools:
Setting Hammer
Tinner's Hammer
Rubber Mallet
Rawhide Mallet
Plastic Mallet
basically any hammer with a flat face
flat block of wood or handheld sandbag
My favorite method, because if you can get behind the dent you can use various sheetmetal hammers and mallets to work the dent out, resulting in a much cleaner finish and does not involve any drilling, glueing, suction cups, etc...
Get behind the dent
Depending on the size and intensity of the dent, use your judgement as to an appropiate hammer
Start from the least affected areas of the dent and slowly work your way to the center of the dent. The reason for this is that you dont want to swing away at the most ingressed point of your dent. Doing so will cause the middle of the dent to expand outward more than you want, stretching the metal. When you work from the outer edges of the dent towards the center you can control how much the metal stretches
Use the rubber or plastic mallets for the outer edges of the dent. place the block of wood or sandbag on the opposite side of where you are hammering to help avoid over hammering the metal
when using the metal hammers hit fully with the face of the hammer. This is why i recommend flat face hammers. Using a regular claw hammer will create puncture marks in the metal. Start slow as apply force as needed.
Hammer the dent till it feels flat to the touch. Patience is a virtue!
If the metal does become stretched, warped or in any way disfigured, you will need to apply bondo. Make sure that the area is at least level with the rest of the surface of the car (no high spots)
Apply one layer of Fiberglass stranded (my fav is Mar-Glass
) bondo, higher than the level of the surface. Allow to dry.
I suggest using a random orbital here, but its your call. Sand the area down with 64 grit sandpaper.
Swipe one layer of regular creme filler. (i use regular Bondo brand) This is to fill any pinholes or imperfections left in the stranded filler. Dry and sand as above.
Apply one layer of Glaze (i like 3m Metal Glaze) Dry and sand with 220 grit.
Area should now be ready for primer and paint
Stud Welding:
This is a method i like alot, but have not found any particular use for yet ,EXCEPT our infamous rear quarter panels. I think that cutting and welding in a new piece of metal is the best for our quarters, but this is an excellent idea if welding is an unexplorable option. This method is IMO the best replacement for hammering the metal smooth when getting behind the dent is implausible.
common tools used:
Dent removal Stud Gun (these kits can be found in many online stores and local bodyshops)
Slide Hammer with attachments for studs
Sheet Metal Hammers (see method 1)
Some method of grinding (angle grinder, turbine grinder, hand sanding block)
The premise here is to work the dent out by shooting small studs on very low heat and penetration around the perimeter of the dent.
Clean the affected area down to bare metal. This is necessary for proper penetration of the stud weld.
Shoot studs around the outermost affected areas of the dent.
Attach hammer to the studs one by one, pulling on them until flush with the rest of the body
Depending on the size of the dent, this may not completely remove the dent, but it will at least pull the outer edge of the dent flush. If this is the case, shoot your next set of studs around the next affected area. Repeat the steps until the entire dent is pulled, working your way from the outer edge to the center.
Tap off the studs using a hammer (they will snap right off)
Use your grinder and at least 64 grit ( i recommend 36 grit) to clean down the leftover weld from the studs.
Study the dent. If there are any high spots, hammer them down gently with your sheet metal hammers. If there are any low spots, try shooting a stud in the center of it and pulling it. If there are no other options and the body is not to your perfections, it's time for filler. See method one.
Hot Glue Method, Suction Cup methods ,any other TV paintless method (i.e. Ding King):
I label these together because these are the methods you see advertised on tv and in Pep Boys. The basic premise of these methods rely on using some form of suction to magically suction your dent out. Doesnt always work. The glue methods i've seen tend to leave a sticky residue all over the area and are a pain to clean and end up damaging the paint anyways. These methods also are for smaller dings and dents, although quite honestly, a larger dent is physically easier to pull out than a small dent. Small dents in metal are usually pretty tough and glue or suction cups just don't have the "oomph" to remove them properly. I'd steer clear of these methods, but it's your call. Might work, might not
Hole Drilling Method:
This is a method that was concieved by old school body shops for fixing classic and old school cars. Of course as you all know, back then the sheetmetal on these cars was quite a bit thicker. On newer or import cars, drilling a hole in your sheetmetal may ruin it, and i personally would be hesitant to use this method on a cb7. Please note this method is also assuming you can get behind the dent.
Drill a small hole in the center of the dent, but large enough to get the dent puller tip thru.
Insert dent pulling tool
The dent puller works like a slide hammer, and theoretically you can pull it till the dent "pops"
Get behind the dent and hammer it out carefully using various sheetmetal hammers till smooth
Fill the drill hole with Filler, sand smooth, primer and paint.
Secondly, Always wear a respirator when working with any type of Body Filler, sanding paint or painting. Also, please wear eye protection when grinding on metal.
COMMON DENT REMOVAL METHODS:
Hammer It Out:
commonly used tools:
Setting Hammer
Tinner's Hammer
Rubber Mallet
Rawhide Mallet
Plastic Mallet
basically any hammer with a flat face
flat block of wood or handheld sandbag
My favorite method, because if you can get behind the dent you can use various sheetmetal hammers and mallets to work the dent out, resulting in a much cleaner finish and does not involve any drilling, glueing, suction cups, etc...
Get behind the dent
Depending on the size and intensity of the dent, use your judgement as to an appropiate hammer
Start from the least affected areas of the dent and slowly work your way to the center of the dent. The reason for this is that you dont want to swing away at the most ingressed point of your dent. Doing so will cause the middle of the dent to expand outward more than you want, stretching the metal. When you work from the outer edges of the dent towards the center you can control how much the metal stretches
Use the rubber or plastic mallets for the outer edges of the dent. place the block of wood or sandbag on the opposite side of where you are hammering to help avoid over hammering the metal
when using the metal hammers hit fully with the face of the hammer. This is why i recommend flat face hammers. Using a regular claw hammer will create puncture marks in the metal. Start slow as apply force as needed.
Hammer the dent till it feels flat to the touch. Patience is a virtue!
If the metal does become stretched, warped or in any way disfigured, you will need to apply bondo. Make sure that the area is at least level with the rest of the surface of the car (no high spots)
Apply one layer of Fiberglass stranded (my fav is Mar-Glass
) bondo, higher than the level of the surface. Allow to dry.I suggest using a random orbital here, but its your call. Sand the area down with 64 grit sandpaper.
Swipe one layer of regular creme filler. (i use regular Bondo brand) This is to fill any pinholes or imperfections left in the stranded filler. Dry and sand as above.
Apply one layer of Glaze (i like 3m Metal Glaze) Dry and sand with 220 grit.
Area should now be ready for primer and paint
Stud Welding:
This is a method i like alot, but have not found any particular use for yet ,EXCEPT our infamous rear quarter panels. I think that cutting and welding in a new piece of metal is the best for our quarters, but this is an excellent idea if welding is an unexplorable option. This method is IMO the best replacement for hammering the metal smooth when getting behind the dent is implausible.
common tools used:
Dent removal Stud Gun (these kits can be found in many online stores and local bodyshops)
Slide Hammer with attachments for studs
Sheet Metal Hammers (see method 1)
Some method of grinding (angle grinder, turbine grinder, hand sanding block)
The premise here is to work the dent out by shooting small studs on very low heat and penetration around the perimeter of the dent.
Clean the affected area down to bare metal. This is necessary for proper penetration of the stud weld.
Shoot studs around the outermost affected areas of the dent.
Attach hammer to the studs one by one, pulling on them until flush with the rest of the body
Depending on the size of the dent, this may not completely remove the dent, but it will at least pull the outer edge of the dent flush. If this is the case, shoot your next set of studs around the next affected area. Repeat the steps until the entire dent is pulled, working your way from the outer edge to the center.
Tap off the studs using a hammer (they will snap right off)
Use your grinder and at least 64 grit ( i recommend 36 grit) to clean down the leftover weld from the studs.
Study the dent. If there are any high spots, hammer them down gently with your sheet metal hammers. If there are any low spots, try shooting a stud in the center of it and pulling it. If there are no other options and the body is not to your perfections, it's time for filler. See method one.
Hot Glue Method, Suction Cup methods ,any other TV paintless method (i.e. Ding King):
I label these together because these are the methods you see advertised on tv and in Pep Boys. The basic premise of these methods rely on using some form of suction to magically suction your dent out. Doesnt always work. The glue methods i've seen tend to leave a sticky residue all over the area and are a pain to clean and end up damaging the paint anyways. These methods also are for smaller dings and dents, although quite honestly, a larger dent is physically easier to pull out than a small dent. Small dents in metal are usually pretty tough and glue or suction cups just don't have the "oomph" to remove them properly. I'd steer clear of these methods, but it's your call. Might work, might not
Hole Drilling Method:
This is a method that was concieved by old school body shops for fixing classic and old school cars. Of course as you all know, back then the sheetmetal on these cars was quite a bit thicker. On newer or import cars, drilling a hole in your sheetmetal may ruin it, and i personally would be hesitant to use this method on a cb7. Please note this method is also assuming you can get behind the dent.
Drill a small hole in the center of the dent, but large enough to get the dent puller tip thru.
Insert dent pulling tool
The dent puller works like a slide hammer, and theoretically you can pull it till the dent "pops"
Get behind the dent and hammer it out carefully using various sheetmetal hammers till smooth
Fill the drill hole with Filler, sand smooth, primer and paint.
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