evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

back into a pole tonight, how hard is this gonna be to fix? thinking about popping that dent out so it will be cheaper when i get it repainted.

91 Droptop

Don't pop the dent, you will create high areas, let the shop hammer and dolly it out the right way, you do not have a lot of labor there. The paint looks good so they should be able to match that with some blending. I know you think it will just pop out but trust me you may create more work doing that.

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

alright ill let the shop do it and the paint isnt even a year old, i got it repainted at the end of febuary, like the 28th.

camarotucker

iTrader: (2)

You might be in the new quarter/patch panel nieghborhood. With several creases on bodylines I dont see it ever going back into original shape.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

New quarterpanel, if I had to wager a guess.

ronnoco67

I agree and also have a 91 droptop! As a former bodyman I would say leave it alone and let them fix it. That panel looks solid and you'll just stretch it trying to "pop" it out. Shouldn't cost a ton.

gscz28

iTrader: (2)

my son used this on his car.

did a real nice job, because you go just a little at a time

58mark

iTrader: (3)

great opportunity to learn how to do it yourself. pull your hatch plastic and hideaway cardboard, and see how much of it you can get to from behind. I think you're going to find this will be a great learning experience

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

Mark, iv already looked at it from inside behind that plastic, it's just one solid dent it's like a big bubble really

58mark

iTrader: (3)

it might not be the way a big body shop would do it, buy this is what I would do. get yourself a body working kit including a dolly, and start tapping the dent back into place. Get it close, maybe down to an 18th of an inch of original. Sand it down, put some epoxy primer over the bare metal (SPI epxoy works great under body filler) and then use some good quality filler like Rage or Z-grip. Sand it down smooth and flat with a flexible long board, it might take a little practice but that's ok. When you are done, spray more epoxy over the top to fill in pinholes and keep moisture out.

Don't forget to mask off and cover anything you don't want paint on. This whole post becomes much trickier of you don't have access to a air compressor, and at least a cheap gun. Even a $15 harbor freight gun is fine for something like this

lmidden

get a portapower push it out slightly using a block of wood so u get a more even push then hammer it with a dolly

ronnoco67

I'd agree with this route if you're not experienced with a hammer & dolly. The main thing is, if you're going to do it yourself, go slow and be patient.

tylercamaro

iTrader: (1)

that dent isnt going to "pop" at all, its creased which means you pretty much screwed it up big time. so to a shop and get an estimate then paint it yourself or whatever to keep costs down.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Any of you guys suggesting dollys and hammers and whatnot... can you guys give me an idea of what would be needed? I've got some ripples from someone I think dropping the spare tire jack down into the spare tire well and getting stuck and having to pull it back out to put it back in right. Just some mild ripples with scratches on the inside of the car. But when I do the repaint it's got to be straightened out, and since some of it is raised Ido nt want to just bondo it straight. I'd rather get it back in line with where it should be first beforeI go to body fillers.

So I was looking up dollys and I found a whole mess of em in a million different shapes. Which should I be looking for for general purpose stuff? Can I make one out of a block of wood?

91 Droptop

So I was looking up dollys and I found a whole mess of em in a million different shapes. Which should I be looking for for general purpose stuff? Can I make one out of a block of wood?[/quote]

To be honest, this is not a job for you to try yourself; take it to a shop. You may make it worse, and DO NOT USE A PORTA-POWER

1piece@atime

iTrader: (1)

You can not make a good dolly out of wood. One of my favorite dolly's is the "universal" dolly. It has a lot of different surfaces for a lot of different shapes. Another is the "comma" dolly. The wedge end gets into some tight spots.

1piece@atime

iTrader: (1)

What makes a dent like that easy is the amount of access you have, to that area, when the inside trim is removed.
What others have said is right. You could make it worse by doing it yourself. I look at it and think ... piece of cake!

Hipster

Yeah, if your not experienced you can really stretch the metal and make more work, it's not that bad, an afternoon's work for the body work side.

The paint looks like single stage on your car, 1 y/o. Most repairs are done bc/cc and blending. I'd go back to the shop that did it, same brand of paint, same formula, better match, etc. Blends on sail panels sometimes show up later so it would be your call if you wanted to carry paint work across the roof and right 1/4.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

If you do decide to go at it yourself, you actually can get epoxy primer in a can. For this I would recommend sanding as much of the old paint off as possible with a wire brush on a wheel, put the filler on (after you get the panel close) and then spray the epoxy on to seal it. Try to stay away from normal rattle can primers that you buy at autozone or wal mart, the shop that repaints the car for you might not do the job if they are putting urethane paint over rattle can.

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

I'm taking my car back to maaco saterday to see what it's gonna cost to get it repainted and maybe have them pop the dent. But I'm gonna have. Body man here look at it for me and see what he would charge to pop it

58mark

iTrader: (3)

don't minimize what needs to be done to fix it by calling "pop the dent" If I was a professional body man, that would **** me off.

you've got to work the metal, shrink it, reshape the best you can. It's not a pop, that metal is creased, warped and stretched out of shape

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Well to slightly hijack, this is what Im looking at on MY car:





Im not experienced in body work at all but I figured something that mild I could get it close enough for body filler... Is it really something that I'll end up mangling more than helping? Should I just have a body shop work that particular part?

I've got a LOT of little dents herea nd there on the car and Im wanting to repaint it myself. Lots of little door dings and things like that, that I'd like to take care of myself instead of spending a fortune on a body shop to do it... Now Im reconsidering.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

that's not that bad. put a metal straight edge on it to see if it rocks on any high spots. you can also get a better idea of how deep the dents are then.

the only tricky thing about that is it's on a body line, which means when you sand the filler you have to be careful you don't lose the horizontal crease

body work can be very rewarding and frustrating. There are a few spots on my car I thought I had perfect, but they still show a small dent after I polished them out. I think my filler shrank over time.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Unfortunately I KNOW it's all high spots, becuase they were dented from the inside. That's why I figure I need to get a dolly and try to line it back up and then throw filler on it.

What filler do you use? Ive used bondo before, but I heard some people say it's awful.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

I like z-grip, but next time I'll probably use rage because of the shrinking I experienced. Maybe rage will be better

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

took her to a shop today and to have it rapaired and repainted it was going to cost just under $1000. well i got it home and beat on it alittle and got most of it out and took my touch up paint and sprayed it so it looks alot better and matchs again so that will hold me off for awhile. ill get pictures tomorrow.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

I'm glad you did some good, but if you're that close, the filler has got to sound very tempting

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

it kinda does to be honest lol. ill post pictures tomorrow to get more opinions on how it looks as if i need more work or filler.

camarotucker

iTrader: (2)

http://www.eastwood.com/15in-adjusta...ile-gauge.html

buy one of these, I bet you are not as close as you think.