[hdbiker]

after 4 days of body work.i`am about frustrated.my plan was to sand and primer the top and work on the left rear side.break the project down into zones.i started on the side and i`am still there.you can not get to it from the inside unless you cut a hole.so working thru the taillight hole and using my new harbor frieght stud gun[works good so far about 500 studs but the slide hammer sucks $90.00].iwill keep plucking along till sunday then back to work.any helpfull hints on contour the body line with filler.not looking for show truck but a good daily driver.thanks for my rant.

[onesweetpink63]

sounds like you got some major damage there. id get a 7 or 9 inch bondo buster to get you started, then a file sander, and a long block sander good luck. hows that hf. stud gun doing?

[milo]

There are ways to grab rows of studs at a time...


My first thought would be to get that body line where it belongs. If you are using a stud gun you can grab a row of studs right on the line and with a come along hold it while you work the lighter stuff around it. If you get that line in place the rest will want to follow with little taps and bumps. Then a pin here and there ... There is a lot of streached metal there so it's ok to let those pins really get hot. Have a wet rag nearby and quench them one at a time as you go ,it will help shrink some at the same time.
Don't grind everything off yet though. just a inch strip at first along that line so you can get a row of studs on there first.

It would sure be a plus if you can get behind there but could be done from the outside too..

If you try to get it all the way without the ability to shrink you may end up with a over streached oil canning mess.

So leave a little for filler to handle ..

Here's one similar I'm straightening through this weekend on live shopcam.

[milo]

Heres a seperate window that'll refresh automaticly
http://www.burnszilla.com/milo.html

Same kind of repair .. pins , pulls ,and heat to follow
If posting pics as you go helps .. think what live images do for motovation..

[milo]

Heres a picture of the round bar I was useing to pull pins against with vise grips. It's the bar that has holes in it that held the players on a foose ball table. You know those little soccer guys The chrome round bar is very strong and an example of something to pull with/against that you won't find on a tool truck.
As well as a picture of pulling and holding with vise grips while tapping around the pin to help set the metal in it's newest location ...
Here's a thread we had going about bodylines with filler
body line

[hdbiker]

thanks ken

[milo]

Your helpin me more ... I get lazy and then have to remember to stay in practice. I've been putting off this race car project and now this thread got it going

Can you imagine all the fooseball tables at the local bars missing defence players for sake of a awsome tool.

The pins will go through the holes, and it won't bend period excellent excellent.

.
.
Heres a couple of moves including useing a regular tie down instead of a come along to pull and hold a pull on the panel ...Leaving paint on as long as possible helps see in the reflection whats going on..

[milo]

Hey hdbiker... Can you post some pics of what you have so far ?
We'll get er done.
Heres a little hot than cold with a torch.
I'll get some pics of the stud welder shrinking as well...

[milo]

So much for getting anything done with all the New Years hoopla lol... Hope ya had a safe one ...
.
.
Anyway here is a couple pics showing the stud gun with out a stud to heat a spot real hot for shrinking the streached metal back closer to how it was. When a dent goes in the metal streaches. When we bring it back theres often to much to fit where it was...

Hold the trigger on a bit longer till it's red hot about the size of a quarter then right away cool it quickly with a cold water soaked rag.

[John Kelly]

Hi Milo,

You are being really helpfull, but I have a mild critique...there is no need to heat the metal red hot to shrink. You will get localized hard spots in the metal this way. You can shrink just short of the metal turning blue, then quench without hardening the area. If do heat to red hot, I would try letting the panel cool naturally for a while before quenching.

John

[milo]

Hey John, It does seem with these thin skinned cars a "hard spot" here and there
in the field of repair is what locks the metal from flip flopping or oilcanning
after pulling metal anywhere near where filler can shape the rest of the way for paint.
This 96 Miata took a hit that most would just replace the door. It'll never be all the way straight again
but is perfect for experimenting with. Sometimes putting the cold wet rag on each pin at a time
will make tiny hard spots where the pin was as well as help "set in" the area.
Mostly hopeing to show the stud gun doing more than just welding a pin there.

[milo]

On the other side theres more to do. A hit to the left quarter panel will give us another line to pull first and more metal to find other ways to heat and shrink

[hdbiker]

thanks a lot Milo.as you can see i`am doing this outside under a canopy.will rain of naked filler be OK ?

[robs ss]

MILO What you put on here would have taken me a long time to do. I just think a big thank you is in order here.
This is a good thing you're doing here. I have never been to tech school, but being able to look at stuff like this, makes me feel like I'm there, but I don't have to pay any tuition, Thanks again

Rob

http://webpages.charter.net/2manitowoc

[milo]

Hey hd, from the picture I see a splash type dent .. where the hit is straight on and the rebound of the metal after leaves a doughnut high spot in a circle...



It may bump down with a few hits where I put red dots in this pic...
OR
these red dots would also be where heat and shrink would be good practice. If you do heat it there you just need to knock any filler that gets loose from heat back a little. Then float more filler.
http://www.a2zautoforums.com/showthread.php?t=936

Your doing just fine!!

On the rain part,, try to keep it dry


Here's a couple pics pulling a tough body line right on a door edge. There are two clamps,, one pulling the edge and one pulling a tight pattern of pins right in the impact spot. These clamps will allow you to loosen any pin at any time so it's possible to control what happens in detail. By letting some pins lose before others it "steers" the metal where you want it to go..