How do I pull this dent out? What kind of tools are needed?

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PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2012 2:52 pm
Hi, So glad I found this site. My daughter's car was hit in a parking lot and she opted for the $1,336 worth of insurance money to go towards her next car instead of having this one fixed. I have always wanted to try doing some body work so I am thinking of giving this a shot just for the experience. Any advise on methods, tools needed, etc would be very helpful and appreciated. I would likely just get the car fixed and ready for paint and have it painted at a shop.

A few details about the car: 1995 Nissan 200SX SE. Original paint. The damage in question in the right rear fender behind the wheel well and ending just into the leading edge of the right taillight housing. The impact must have popped the seal on the rear glass and the body joint between the fender and license plate valance too. That body joint is located just to the left of the right tail light adjacent to the trunk opening. When it rains both areas are leaking water into the trunk now.

Thanks for your insight and any suggestions.
Pete

http://flic.kr/p/b2YThp

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PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2012 3:30 pm
A bloody big hammer :rotfl:



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PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2012 4:12 pm
hi.i am from uzbekistan and my english is not good enough but i will try to explane.just replace that fender and paint it.paintless dend repair will not help you.



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PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2012 9:20 pm
That's funny Daz . . . I like your little laughing icon guy. I wish a big hammer would work but the structure of the car inside the trunk will not let you just hammer it back out from there. I wish it would but there is a side interior wall in the way. I believe it would have to be pulled out with a slide hammer and some type of attachment points screwed or welded on the damaged areas. I have seen those used on some of the cable shows about car repair but don't know where to buy such things.

Just replace that fender? Really? It is not a bolt on fender like on the front of the car. Its in the rear so it is part of the welded uni-body. Do you mean cut and weld in a replacement? For those of us with no experience welding and no welding equipment that sounds a bit intimidating but I am interested in learning more about it. I do have an identical donor car that I could possibly cut a replacement section out of it but is it better to buy a replacement section instead? I am willing to attempt it if someone can explain the steps in more details than just "replace the fender".

Thanks for the suggestion. Looking forward to more suggestions and details everyone. Thanks for the help.
Pete

http://flic.kr/p/b2YTia

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PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2012 10:08 pm
I am currently doing a 83 grand prix and it was hit by a deer

you will have to strip it to bare metal and use a stud gun and pull the dent out

or you could just replace the quarter panel

you will have to have the glass resealed and there could be some secondary damage that you are not aware of

here is the pic of the dent I had to pull
Attachments
m_045.jpg
in the immortal words of Frank Sinatra "That's Life"

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PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2012 10:15 pm
That's a tough repair to learn on. You can pull it out with a (Harbor Freight stud gun - about $100),
but it'll leave seriously stretched metal and will require lots of filler.

Another option is to cut the dent out and replace with a section from the donor car. You can
flange and glue it on using panel adhesive, but there again this way is not easy for a novice.

If that was mine, I'd cut out the interior panel to access the dent and push it out, then finish
with hammer/dolly work, shrinking, filler, etc. Then replace the interior panel which won't show.
That's probably the least costly with the best chance of success....
"If you can't move it, paint it." - U.S. Army

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PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2012 10:38 pm
Remove interior panels. Buy a cheap inflatable rubber ball. Put the ball behind the panel and inflate the ball to push the dent back out. :goodjob:

Then you can use a hammer and dolly and work the dent with the door open, one arm in, one arm out. You should also be able to get to the lower part of the dent from the inner fender. If there's a plastic inner fender, remove that to get better access.

Definitely not an easy dent to learn on, but no cutting required and shouldn't need much shrinking. As long as you are conservative and careful with working the dent, it won't stretch much more..



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PostPosted: Tue May 29, 2012 3:35 pm
Hello Etep, hear is what I used on an old Van. All my You tube videos
are linked to VANNIN.COM. paint/body forum.
Good luck, Cloudy.

http://www.vannin.com/threads/ubbthreads.php/topics/477084/DENT_repair_on_Mark_s_VAN.html#Post477084



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PostPosted: Tue May 29, 2012 7:39 pm
Ed in sc. wrote:Hello Etep, hear is what I used on an old Van. All my You tube videos
are linked to VANNIN.COM. paint/body forum.
Good luck, Cloudy.

http://www.vannin.com/threads/ubbthreads.php/topics/477084/DENT_repair_on_Mark_s_VAN.html#Post477084


I just learned 4 things from that page of videos

1) Use a ladle or metal measuring cup to mix paint. It's a lot easier.
2) Put your Laquer Thinner in a squeeze bottle for easy handling.
3) I don't use Air on my sandpaper enough
4) Pulling dents takes forever. Just replace the panel :rockon:

Thanks cloudy :goodpost:

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