This is part one of a series of helpful tips which will aid you in repairing your chosen car salvage.
When buying a damaged repairable or salvage car there are more than likely to be quite a few dents over some panels.When your looking to sell, don't under estimate the impact dents & dings have on the final sale value. A mint car with straight panels, is always going to sell for more than a ropey example. If your are spraying panels anyway, it makes complete sense to have all dents removed.
If you don't have a dent pulling kit, be sure to borrow or purchase a dent pulling kit (e-bay is a good source for kits, and training DVD's, but be warned kits can pricey £200 - £400)
There are 7 steps to removing a dent.... (please note this is not paintless dent removal - I'm assuming you will be respraying panels anyway - for paintless dent removal try one of the specialists)
1. Locate the centre of the dent, and drill a hole in the dent with a 1/8" drill bit. Alternatively, you can use a hot glue gun to glue a plastic adapter to the centre of the dent. These plastic adapters and glue guns are included in many dent removal kits.
2. Thread the dent pulling tool into the newly drilled hole, or attach the dent pulling tool to the plastic circle that is glued on the dent. After the dent pulling tool is in place, pull on it to flatten the dent or pull it out.
3. Carefully hammer the front of the dent using the metalworking hammer, while at the same time holding the dolly firmly against the back of the dent. It may be necessary to go underneath the car, or to open the boot or hood of the car, in order to reach the back of the dent. (Often this can be the trickiest part - remember with the removal of access panels body trim that it all needs to be put back properly, as otherwise you wont end up with the professional finish that you are after.
4. Use a medium grit disk mounted on a drill to grind the paint down to the bare metal, extending the area out at least one inch around the dent itself. Then fill the entire area with a good quality body filler.
5. Allow the body filler to dry completely, then carefully sand the area with sandpaper which has been wrapped around a block of wood. When sanding, begin with a 36-grit sandpaper and work up to a 120-grit sandpaper.
6. Use a spray primer to prime the area, being sure to use a primer specially designed for automotive use. (If you are not confident at spraying take to a reputable bodyshop - see links on left for some good examples) Six coats of primer should be used, allowing each coat of primer to dry completely before applying the next coat.
7. Sand the primer using a 600-grit wet and dry sandpaper. This will help to remove any scratches. The area should then be touched up with a matching paint. If the paint is not smooth, re-sand and re-paint the area until you have a smooth surface.
Hopefully by the end of this you should have a dent free panel, then just repeat for all other panels.
I cant stress enough how important a good paint is here, if you are not 110% confident, leave at stage 5 and take the car to a reputable bodyshop.
If you have any more specific dent related queries, please post a comment and I will get one of our specialists to post you a reply ASAP.
Hope you found this useful, more Salvage essentials to follow soon!
Labels: Car Salvage essentials
