I'm trying to repair a fender for a old dodge power wagon. I've got a couple of low spots that I just cant get to move. I've tried hammer on, hammer off ,heat shrunk a couple of high spots but they just wont move. Their were a couple of big buckles that I hammered out could that have made the metal too stiff to move? Any ideas?
Bodywork question
- Thread starter gorilla
- Start date
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
bfh?
i used to work in an auto body shop. you could have an issue with work hardening. are you able to post any photos? if you have two low spots it could be that you just have a high spot in between the two lows? try running your hand (flat palm) across the surface while you close your eyes. i always found that my mind would play tricks on me when i was feeling for lows/highs. good luck with the project!
MP&C
Well-known member
Got any pictures of the damage in question? Agree with the above ^^^^ Sometimes what appears to be low is only because of the highs next to it. Reading across the panel with a long ruler/straightedge will help to get a more accurate read. Is the fender still on the truck or is it removed? I've found when all else seems to fail in bumping, sometimes the hammer action needs to be from the back side of the low, where the hammer force helps to persuade things in the right direction. A small shot bag to give the other side support and a body hammer that closely matches what the panel contour should be at the low should tend to bring up the lows.
sberry
Banned
Its why they invented bondo.
NakeDiesel
Well-known member
Are you working on the front or rear fenders? I didn't have rear fenders when I built my race truck and had some custom trailer fenders built to the width and arch that I wanted. The fronts are factory fenders on my truck. I was pretty lucky on mine, there were a few issues that I had to deal with dent and bent wise, especially along the outer lip. I used a big pipe wrench to bend the lips back where they should be with someone holding the fender and then used hammer and dolly to get them as good as could be. Then a light skim coat of filler to smooth the whole fender to get a smooth paintable surface.
Check out my shop thread, I have build pictures of the race truck from last winter in it. I sand blasted all the metal before I did the body work.
Check out my shop thread, I have build pictures of the race truck from last winter in it. I sand blasted all the metal before I did the body work.
AldeanFan
Well-known member
Nothing wrong with a light coat of filler, we're not all tin wackers.
If the metal is stretched, and you don't have shrinking tools, filler may be the easiest answer
If the metal is stretched, and you don't have shrinking tools, filler may be the easiest answer
FJ 432
Well-known member
Absolutely beautiful. Reading thread now....
This is probably one of the best videos I've seen on removing smaller dents. The key is, tap on the outer ring of the dent and not on the backside. Check it out though. I always refer to this guys (his username is "restolad") stuff when I'm doing body work...
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