Dodge ram cab corner advice..,

[3rdgendslmech]

Working on a my dodge ram project. I'm not new to body work, but this is my first project I've taken on solo, without some guidance or advice from my dad.
The drivers cab corner got hit and pushed in. I eyed it up.....it's not rusty or creased so I got a stud welder attempted to pull the dent out. It went pretty good or so I thought.....
So what I'm left dealing with now is 1. Hi spots from where I welded the studs and 2. When I removed the studs it pulled the sheet metal off with the studs.
When I get home tonight I'm gonna see if I can get behind the cab corner from inside the cab to see if I can dolly the spots out.
So if push comes to shove, has anyone ever cut a section of a panel out, worked it, then welded it back in place?

 

[NYBODYMAN]

Post some pictures if you can. It sounds like you pulled a bit too hard on the studs and now you have a bunch of bumps from where the studs were. On top of it, there are holes. Those holes need to be welded shut before applying body filler. When I use a stud welder, I take a pair of dykes and get behind the bulb of the stud and while snugly gripping it, I twist back and forth and the entire stud including the bulb is removed without leaving and remnants of the stud or leaving a hole. I'm willing to bet that a cab corner is available for your truck (not sure what year) and that may be a viable option to just replace it.

 

[3rdgendslmech]

Thanks for the reply NYbodyman! Yea, before I even started the metal work I was like "man dodge's metal is kinda thin compared for Ford or GM from that era.
I've got some pics. I'll post em in the morning. Like I said it pulled out pretty good, (I'm no body many trade) but trying to get it as close to original Im pretty sure I pulled to hard. I can totally order a cab corner no problem for like 40 dollars through Raybuck.
I just wondered if I could weld the holes shut, cut out the dent. Shape it off the vehicle and then re weld it. It's what I consider "close" but I can't get to the back side of it to use a dolly. Like you said at that point it might be easier to just weld in a new patch panel.

 

[3rdgendslmech]

This is what I ended with. I'm not disappointed with it, but with no way to get behind it to smooth it out, I'm gonna have to cut it out.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

Ok looking at it now, you got a little happy with the studs. It appears the original crease was just that: a slight crease. It looks like you held the button on the stud gun a bit too long and welded the studs too much to the metal making it more difficult for them to be removed and thus causing holes. I would not cut out and replace this cab corner. I would weld the holes shut, lightly tap the high spots (if you remove the pillar trim cover inside the cab, you may be able to sneak a dolly or something similar inside to assist) grind smooth and then put a thin layer of duraglass then body filler. A good rule of thumb when straightening metal is "first in, last out" meaning the first section of metal that was pushed in should be pulled/pushed out last. A lot of people make the mistake of diving right into the center of a dent and pulling from there and end up over pulling and stretching the metal and causing more work. You can cavity wax the inside to prevent future corrosion. If you don't have access to a welder, a way to cheat is to weld another stud to the metal over the hole using the stud gun, cut off the shaft and then grind smooth. Then proceed as described above. Post more pics as you go and feel free to reach out.

 

[3rdgendslmech]

Ok looking at it now, you got a little happy with the studs. It appears the original crease was just that: a slight crease. It looks like you held the button on the stud gun a bit too long and welded the studs too much to the metal making it more difficult for them to be removed and thus causing holes. I would not cut out and replace this cab corner. I would weld the holes shut, lightly tap the high spots (if you remove the pillar trim cover inside the cab, you may be able to sneak a dolly or something similar inside to assist) grind smooth and then put a thin layer of duraglass then body filler. A good rule of thumb when straightening metal is "first in, last out" meaning the first section of metal that was pushed in should be pulled/pushed out last. A lot of people make the mistake of diving right into the center of a dent and pulling from there and end up over pulling and stretching the metal and causing more work. You can cavity wax the inside to prevent future corrosion. If you don't have access to a welder, a way to cheat is to weld another stud to the metal over the hole using the stud gun, cut off the shaft and then grind smooth. Then proceed as described above. Post more pics as you go and feel free to reach out.

I've got a Hobart 210MVP at the house! I love this machine. So yeah welding the holes up wont be a problem. I figured the couple that broke off I'd grind down smooth. My problem lies in that I cant get behind it....at all I think. Not without cutting something from the inside to get behind it. I'll snap some pics of that in the morning....So where the cab corner is, there's extra support for the cab mount. The interior is all out because in addition to the dent the back of the cab is cracked ( apparently it was pretty common with the rams with diesel engines pulling heavy loads). I pulled out some plastic wrapped insulation and sound deadening stuff but still cant get behind it.
So from what I gather you're saying, weld the holes shut.....try to tap them back in......then, start over with the studs, but not so many for so long?

 

[NYBODYMAN]

I've got a Hobart 210MVP at the house! I love this machine. So yeah welding the holes up wont be a problem. I figured the couple that broke off I'd grind down smooth. My problem lies in that I cant get behind it....at all I think. Not without cutting something from the inside to get behind it. I'll snap some pics of that in the morning....So where the cab corner is, there's extra support for the cab mount. The interior is all out because in addition to the dent the back of the cab is cracked ( apparently it was pretty common with the rams with diesel engines pulling heavy loads). I pulled out some plastic wrapped insulation and sound deadening stuff but still cant get behind it.
So from what I gather you're saying, weld the holes shut.....try to tap them back in......then, start over with the studs, but not so many for so long?

No. If you are welding the holes shut then you don't need to use the stud gun again. That was just an alternative to use in case you didn't have a welder. Weld them shut, hammer/dolly and fill with dura glass and then regular filler.