im a young guy with minimum auto experience 4 now and nun in auto body and i want 2 fix this dent the cheapest way possible

 

Wow. That's a mess. I don't see any saving it. Cut it off, weld in a new one and apply paint.

Some really phenomenal body man could spend a million hours trying to repair it, but it's so crumpled there might not be any strength left in some of that metal by the time they uncrumple it.

How long has it been that way? I see rust on the crumpled areas that looks pretty old.

Mathius

 

ouch! yeah i expected to open this page and see a dent small enough to hammer out and bondo.. holy hell... looks like a job for the cut off wheel welder, grinder, bondo, sand paper, and paint.

 

That looks fubar'd. Goodmark make new quarters if you don't want to search the yards. They also have new doors....cause it looks like that one will have some damage.

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

 

thats to far gone. everyone else is right about just replacing it. what happened to your car in the first place?

 

wow!
i was expecting a fist sized dent...
haha.

cut it out. thats the only way.
what happened?

 

yea i bought it like dat n my neighbors backed in to my door

 

A skilled body man could fix it, but a skilled body man could replace the panel quicker and the result would be better. Sectioning a new quarter onto a car is no job for a beginner, so if you're determined to go low-buck, we'll just assume you'll try to repair what you have yourself.

Its hard to tell from the photo exactly how bad it is. If there is significant door sill damage it is going to be more challenging, but getting the taillight area right will be harder still. But again, assuming you want to try to fix it yourself you will need the following:

Go to Harbor Freight tools and get:
Stud welder body tool (about $100)
Hand or mini-grinder (About $15)
sanding discs and mandrel for mini-grinder ($20)
As large an electric sander as you can get ($30)
Sandpaper, various grits ($5)
A gallon of bondo ($20)
a propane torch and tip ($10)
A book on doing bodywork ($20)
bodywork dollies and hammer ($40)
Primer and glaze putty ($25)

We're already at about $275 and you don't have paint, a compressor or a paint gun. The other option is to take a class at a local Junior College or trade school on how to do bodywork, and use their tools. The classes are often cheaper than buying all the tools, and you will get help and coaching.

Either way, you'll learn why everyone suggested you have someone experienced do the repairs. It's not the answer you wanted, but you will come out cheaper, spend far less time and have better results, but you don't really learn much doing things the easy way.

Good luck.

TA

 

Hammering it out and pulling areas out *might* bring it back to some sort of workable shape... But even still to cover it with that much mud... I highly recommend you don't do that. Your best bet is just to cut out the area and go to the junk yard and get the same section out of a different car.
If you do go this route - make sure you cut along the same body lines / pinch welds on both cars so you have proper fitment.

OR - better yet make your neighbor pay for it since hes the one that railed your car.

 

no **** i would file a insurance claim with your neighbor thats gonna take time and work your better off doing wat he sadi ^^^^^^^^^ or just selling it and buying a new car why would you waste money on something thats gonna cost more to fix than the cars worth

 

i have a door off a 89 that i will sell you glass and everything power let me know if you need it

 

Minimal experiance? File a claim and have a shop do the work...that needs to be replaced.

 

^^^^ I agree, at least let a shop hang the quarter and you can try finishing it, bondo, primer, paint.

 

yeah let a shop do it you only ave to pay 500 for the deductible im guessing unless you file a claim against the people who hit you but then again the insurance might just total you car out and give you a depreicated car value check and keep your car i still wonder why you bought it all messed up like that not a very smart move especially since camaros are a dime dozen

 

bought my car for 350 bucks and it was in worse condition than that.. why not buy it like that? the only way to get experience is to do the work.. and until you practice youll never get it right. hes young, (im only 18) and i guarantee this wont be his last camaro ever. only like 5% of the population buys their first car at 17 and still has it by the time they're 40. nothing wrong with buying a POS. my first 6 cars were POS. yeah i know, 6 cars and im only 18. most of them broke on their own

 

Good advice. I must be part of that 5%.

 

Hmmm, good point.

 

i paid 400 for the car

 

+1 on taking a body shop class at the junior college or trade school. Not only do you get to use their expensive tools, but you get guidance and help on the right way to do the repair rather than half assing it and filling it with a bunch of bondo.

 

If you do want to repair it i think the best way would to be grind the paint off then get a stud gun and start pulling that **** out. The metal is going to be stretched real bad where your not going to make that look perfect.
kevin

 

I'd suggest selling the car for around $200 and buying another one for around $800. It'd probably be the cheapest way back to a v6 or maybe even v8 L03/ LG4 thirdgen with a decent body. It would certainly be better than having a big claim on your insurance at a young age.

 

If the quarter panel is the only thing that is wrong with the car it could be replaced with the proper tools and guidance much easier than trying to "pull out" the damage. For a couple hundred, including the cost of the class, you could have it repaired and painted. On top of having the car repaired you'll have gained new skills.

 

I have 18 years of body experience. If I were your age, I would "play with that dent and try to get it out with a cheap ebay stud gun/slide hammer. See how close you can get it, may even buy bondo and try to smooth it out. Learn how metal reacts when you try to reshape it into its original form. THEN. I would go to a junkyard and get a quarter and put it on the car. That quarter is trash and if someone brought that to me and insisted on "pulling that out", I would tell them where some really nice shops are. Rent a compressor and borrow a paint gun. Use that old quarter to practice painting on and then paint the new one. You will learn SOOOO much. Body knowledge is key when something like this happens. If you are even interested in trying. If not. Take it to a shop and grit your teeth for the price. You can do it. Its a cheap car, who cares if you screw it up. I mean look at that dent. You will be very proud of yourself if you take your time and do it right. There are guys on here that make their hardtops into T-tops. Nothing is impossible if you want to do it. Maybe you can get your neighbor to at least buy a junkyard quarter and paint.

 

...

 

There, I fixed it for you.


I'd get a 3 lb sledge, filler, and primer. Rough out the dent, smooth with filler, bomb with rattle can primer. Then drive it till it dies. When it dies, part out the thing and recoup $$ It's a cheap beater (from the looks of it), no need to spend alot on the thing (3rd gens are still out there damage/rust free)

 

I am with the go to school crowd on this one, two reasons. 1) I have seen 5 cars that were "lent" to the school body shops. Amazing, the guys there are after A+, not waiting for 5 to go home or rushing to get another car in. 2) you learn a trade, never know when it will come in handy. There is good money in body repair! At this point if it drive straight and will pass inspection, use it to get from point A to point B. I think the number of people who keep a car from 18 to 40 is LESS then 5%, I would say less then 1%. .........18 to 40.......I dont know ANYONE, but I hung around a pretty crazy bunch.

 

Insurance would probably total the car. If you don't want that handle it privately. Mine looked like this after a telehandler forked the side. Insurance would only give me $750, said the car was only worth $800-950. Since I am part of the organization that did the damage in the first place I was able to get them to pay $1500 out of pocket and I swapped the door and front fender myself. The body shop did the rear quarter and primered the side white. It is not cheap.

 

My Firebird's rear quarter looks a lot like the original poster's does. I like the idea of taking a class, but I have a question along those lines: Are there body shop classes out there that'd do the work for free if I let their students do it? I mean, I'm all for learning to do it myself but I don't have any money at all for this.

One thing I can add to this thread is that I have been going around to body shops getting quotes and believe me, this recession is kicking their butts. They will wheel and deal to get some work. If you can afford to get your car done, now is a great time.