chazman

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My '83 has a whole bunch of door dings. Mostly along the crease of each door. I've taken it to a couple of PDR places, one didn't even try to fix it, saying it was too hard, the other tried but stopped, saying that he was afraid he'd crack the paint. The paint is mostly original so, I don't want to repaint it.

Any ideas? I've also heard of magnetic dent removal, with mixed reviews.

scottmoyer

Sounds like the guys you took it to don't know how to do PDR. Either that or the dents are more severe than just a typical door ding. The PDR process was designed for vehicles from the 90s up to now because of the grade of steel. Or so I've been told. However, I have worked on cars from the 50s and 60s, so it can be done on the heavier metal.

The 80s cars are definitely doable as I have done plenty of them. The paint will crack only if the dent is sharp. What I mean by that is a deep yet small dent where the metal is stretched. Also, the crease on these cars is very minor so the dents should be easily done. Can you post a picture of the door panels from a 45* angle to the door? Sounds like you found a couple of beginners.

chazman

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Coming up....

chazman

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chazman

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chazman

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chazman

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chazman

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I know that they're hard to see on the other door, but all together there are about 20 dings on the doors and front fenders.

LoweredWS6

Because the dents are on the door edge,those PDR folks most likely feel they cannot get them out.If there are more than 8 or so per panel,they will lose money based n their time.Someone like Scott that posted,that can do the job,are hard to find!

I know a PDR guy that charges like 150-300 a door or panel.It depends on the shop discount,how many dings there are and etc.But 300 is the high side for him.Gonna have to shop around and see who can do it.

Many years ago,I had an 86 Firebird,white,no body moldings,and had all the Body dings in the same place on the doors.Right along the edge of the middle door,a nightmare to pop out correctly if they are a bit deep.There are some PDR guys that can do it,but they are rare.

I ended up spending a few bucks to have the doors dings filled with filler along the crease edge.I hated it,but no one else would touch it.Lucky for me,I knew the Body shop manager,and he had the work done on the "side" by himself after shop hours.

Had both doors and sides of the car redone for 400 bucks with paint too.When It was done,I installed the larger wide body moldings all around found on later models,and that stopped the new dings in the parking lots.

Also,You just cannot have a smooth,no molding body car ad reap the benefits,unless you park it away from everything possible.Sucks,I know...I sure love the look.But its gonna ding up real bad at that crease edge since it sticks out more than the rest of the door.

scottmoyer

Those are very doable and shouldn't cost too much. The guys you saw were just lazy!

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Good to hear, the search continues for a good PDR guy.

energycontacts

iTrader: (1)

Scottmoyer, what would you charge for those 4dings on the passenger door?

Sickness91Z28

iTrader: (1)

Yep, those are very do-able...I repair dents like that at car lots all the time. I charge per panel. I'd probably charge $60.00 per door. $120.00 to fix both doors is way cheaper than repainting both of'em

It's weird because it seems like alot of PDR guys are starting to get lazy....meaning that alot of them will only push dents the size of dimes....which can be done in about 30 seconds. I tell dealers and body shops I can sucessfully push out dents the size of quarters (if they aren't to deep) and sometimes dents the size of baseballs if they are in the right location and not super deep.

My business:


And my business card (have to support my Z28)

scottmoyer

I'm with Sickness on this. Without seeing them or anything, I'd probably shoot around $120-$140 also. I don't remember if there is a brace in the middle of the door or not. If there is, it makes it just a little more difficult getting around it. Now, one thing that we don't know that a guy looking at it would know is if the door has any bondo in it. By looking at the pictures, I can't tell based on the door panel gaps. If there is bondo in there, the original guys may be correct that the paint could crack and the bondo could lose adhesion when working on these.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

No bondo AFAIK.

Sickness, too bad you're not in the Chicago area.

Sickness91Z28

iTrader: (1)

a big 10-4 on that.....I could use the money!

PDR get's VERY slow this time of year....eating bologna every nights stinks!...when your used to eating steak in the summer time!

ms87iroc

Hey Chazman, I have the same problem, but i am refinishing the car so i am not concerned about the paint, but i called a local dent repair company called dent wizard here in the burgh, and they said they dont work on cars in the 80s, due to the thickness of the metal. I was going to try and do myself but there is a crossmember in the way. So i gues i will have to fill with mud as much as i dont want to do that.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

The paint isn't perfect, but it's mostly original, so I'm reluctant to fill and paint. I'll just leave it until I can find a good PDR guy in my area.

Sickness91Z28

iTrader: (1)

Kind of suprised dent wizards wouldn't do it. They are a very well known PDR company....very large. And trust me.....there wouldn't be a problem pushing out dents in the 82-92 fbodies....it's not like they are from the 60's...