Inliners International Forums General Discussion Body & Paint ..fender dent..

the fender on my c20 is well...dented beyond beleif. i think it got wailed on by a tree, but i'm not sure. its a pretty deep dent. is there anyway i can fix this...like pull it off, and pound it out from behind? or drill holes and use a dent puller?

..and yes, i have been posting all over the B Board...haha. i'm starting the body of my truck now...so i'm excited.

SamWise

well...i'm curently doing bodywork on my car....i backed into a truck one time...it was dark and the angle was weird ok!....but anyways that was a pretty nasty fender bender....i ended up taking a jack and supporting it all up so i could jack out the dent....when it was fairtly good i just took a hammer and wacked out some of the big dents....nowi'm filling all my dents with body filler....and soon will paint my car too....hope it works out....the front fender i would suggest driling holes and pulling out the dent...u can even just screw in some screw in the dent and pull it out with pliers...and then just fill or fiberglass what needs doing....if its the rear fender and if u can see the dent from inside the trund then bang it out by all means....then do whatever u can to pretty it up....by the way...this isnt coming from a pro....but it should work out fine cause thats pretty much how the bodywork on my car is done....hehe

glad to help...i'd love to spent more $$ on the engine rather than the body as well...but a sweet body accents the engine...and costs less if u do it yourself...just ask yourself...will it look better when i'm done with it than it does now....if u think it will look works than just take the grinder to it and start bondoing and priming....after that there's nowhere to go but up...hehe....i'm making my monarch a smooth bady...got rid of all trim and decals etc...and should look pretty sweet....i might also try making some ground effects out of fiberglass...lol....that would be cool..on a monarch....

Beyond belief sounds like replacement, but taking a fender (front?) off and working it with a short 2x4 and 4 lb. sledge has merited some good results in some cases. Also taking out the inner splash shield for access from behind could save some grief assuming the cage nuts aren't rusted tight to the bolts and spin. You'd have to see if the inner half of the fender has open spaces located where the damage on the outside is.

its the front fender. lol, i was HOPING to be able to get access from the rear...it'd save a whole lotta time and trouble i think. or removing it would be even better. well...as soon as it gets a LITTLE nicer out...i'm gonna look into it. thanx again guys.

SamWise

I'm no body man and I don't even enjoy body work but I have done some dent removal. Don't just grab a hammer and start pounding that dent out. You can do more damage than good if you stretch the metal from blows with a hammer. There is a book out there called "Key to Metal Bumping" . Eastwood sells it or you can order it from your local book store. Read it before you start wacking away and you will save yourself a lot of grief. Try to leave the fender on the truck if you have access to the dent from behind. It is hard to hold the fender, hold a dolly and swing a hammer all at the same time. Just not enough hands. Go slow and try to get the surface as flat as you can before you start laying on the bondo. The book is very good and it is only about $10.

Have fun and good luck. Gael

actually it all depends on where the dent is on the fender...if its just on the side and hasnt bent the main strength areas of the body....i hope i'm explaining right....but if its just a dent on the flattisher area and not where the body curves to meet up with the top whee the hood is or anything....the best way to get out a basic dent like that is to drill small holes and insert screws.....one in the middle and probably 3 surrounding it spaced out..if its a big dent....but anyways if u get what i mean....just start from the inner screw and work your way out...just pull on the screw not too hard and sorta bang around the perimiter of the dent that'll pop the dent out....i seen that done in plent of professional body work books....

is it possible to get a pic of the dent....actually also the entire car as well....if so can u post them or email them to me??? thanks....its always easier to solve a problem when u know exactly whats wrong...

thanx again for the tips guys. yea...i don't have access to a digital cam. at the moment. buti've been doing osme reading about body work..and i think i pretty uch got it figured out. keep the suggestions ocming tho! its always nice to hear from others.

and as for the dent...its more of a prolonged crease...as it runs along the flat side, about on the same plane as the body...if that makes sense. well, i have to go do some stuff...thanx again.

SamWise

Hi Sam,

I'll strongly disagree with drilling holes and inserting screws. As long as you can get to the dent from the rear, work the dent out with a dolly.

Jim

yup....i do agree that if u can acess it by hand then bang it with a dolly....but there really isn a problem with the screw idea since the holes are quite small and easily reparable...since hell need to repaint that section anyways the extra little bit of bodywork isnt going to hurt....just follow directions for whatever u use....if it says sand with 60 grit paper then u better do it cause sanding creates a scratch size which the coating best adheres to...using the wrong grit size will cause problems....heck...ive got 1/4 inch holes filled in with bondo....i made sure i bondod both sides of the hole though...

If you take the fender off and pound on it, you will commonly get some twisting. This can make it very aggrivating bolting it back together.

well, i revaluated the situation..and i was wrong in my assumptionl the fender is pretty much collapsed...i figure i'm going to have to replace it. but, before i do, off it will come, and go under the hammer. i figure 'hey..what am i out?' lol, i'll keep yu updated.

SamWise