Basic Dent Removal and Refinishing

Basic Dent Removal and Refinishing - Part One
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This article deals with the most basic dent repair and refinishing – no pulling or clamping – just basic sheet metal work and body filler. This is the most common work for both the professional as well as the do-it-yourselfer. Most all repairs will involve these basic steps: 1. Rough Out 2. Grind and Fill 3. Shape and Sand 4. Refinish In this sample repair of a mini-truck right fender let’s go through the steps one by one.

1. Rough Out:
First step is to rough out the damage. Use a hammer and dolly to work out the dents. Grasp the dolly and reach behind the fender and strike light blows to work out the damage. Work from the outside of the dent gradually towards the center where the dent is the deepest. Don’t strike heavy blows in the center of the dent first because this can stretch the sheet metal. This will result in high spots when applying the filler and you wind up beating down the high spots when sanding the filler. Once the outer areas of the dents have been worked out a bit, then go for the insides.

2. Grind and Fill:
The next step is to grind away all the paint in and around the damaged area in order to apply body filler. Use a 5 in dia high speed sander with a 24 grit abrasive disc and backing pad. Notice the duct tape on the front edge of the right door. This is to protect the paint from secondary damage from the grinder or sander. Apply several layers of duct tape for adequate protection. (Also check out the Protect-A-Edge from GL Enterprises which does the same thing a little easier than duct tape.) When applying body filler spread it slightly beyond the original damaged area. This is for feather-edging. When sanding down the body filler you will feather-edge it into the bare metal so there will be a perfect transition between bare metal and the filled area.

Tip:
After grinding and before applying the body filler, use a 6 In DAQ with 220 grit Stikit™ paper and feather-edge all the surrounding paint edges. This will make it easier to prep the panel for refinishing by avoiding accidentally gouging the body filler and spoiling any straightening work. Paint is generally harder and more dense than body filler and takes more sanding to feather-edge. By doing this step before applying the body filler, you will achieve a perfect transition between the painted and filled areas when you sand the body filler.