Dent Removal - Best way to fix this

[99Saturn]

Not a pretty picture:

I don't care so much about the dent but what would be the best course of action here to stop the rust. I'm assuming sand --> body filler --> prime --> paint?

Do I need attempt to pop the dent before going through this or am I going to cause more harm that it is worth? Also, what's the budget friendly option on the tool(s) if I need to pop this?

 

[lugNutz]

There's what looks like a pinch in there. That will need to be professionally repaired, so don't touch it if you want it done right. Basically some rework of the metal, sand, prime,and paint.

If you don't care much about the aesthetic appeal, you can do it yourself half-a** with some body filler in the order you mentioned but the fact that it is so close to a body line and the ripples, it won't look good.

 

[Smcatub]

Where is that? Can you get behind the dent?

I've done limited bodywork, but I'm strictly an amateur. So take what I say with a grain of salt...

I would start by knocking down anything that got pushed up higher than the surrounding metal. If you can get a block of wood behind it and tap the high spots with a hammer, that would work. Then, try to get the low spots up doing the same thing but on opposite sides - again, if you can get around to the back side of the dent.

How deep is that? If it's not too bad you don't need to even worry about popping anything back up. If it's deep and you can't get around with a hammer, you can drill a hole and user a slide hammer to pull t out.

Once it's reasonably level, remove rust and surrounding paint. An angle grinder with a wire wheel will work very quickly. Or use sandpaper. 80 grit should work well. Make sure all damaged paint and all rust is gone.

Then clean really well. This is important. You want the filler and pain to stick to the metal, not dirt and contaminants. Otherwise you could have adhesion problems down the road. I'd clean it well with soap and water, then follow that with a clean water rinse to clear off all the soap residue. Follow up with some volatile solvent, like acetone, lacquer thinner, or wax & grease remover if you have it on hand.

Mix up your filler (I like Evercoat Featherlite - Car Quest has it). Spread it on thin. Err on the side of too little, because too much can be a PITA to sand. Sand it smooth, and put on a another coat if needed to smooth things out. Sand the whole thing to 80 - 120 grit. Since you're close to a body line, you'll need to do some sculpting. A sanding block will help keep things straight. You can use a piece of scrap 2x4 with sandpaper glued to it for a cheap sanding block.

Wait for the filler to set. Clean again with solvent to get rid of your sanding dust. Now, let the filler dry out (since it is porous and will soak up your cleaner). Don't use water or household cleaners; only solvent. You don't want soap trapped in your filler. If you have to, use 91% rubbing alcohol (under $2 at a pharmacy) to clean the dust off.

Mask off around the repair. A trick I like is to fold the masking tape back on itself by 1/3rd - 1/2 the width of the tape. This will allow the paint to seep under and feather itself a little. It will make the paint like much less visible than a sharp line from just taping straight down. (Or you could try Frog Tape; looks like the same idea but I've never used it). Make sure every surface within the masked area has been cleaned and sanded, for good adhesion.

Now you can put down your primer. I would go with a can of 2k epoxy, in white if you can get it. Autobodytoolmart.com has 2k canned primers, and so do other places if you look around. These are much more durable and offer better protection than the 1k primer you can get at AutoZone and such.

(Here's some info on 1k vs 2k - http://www.eastwood.com/1k-coating-vs-2k-coatings)

Read the epoxy directions and follow up with a fill primer, preferably a 2k, within the recoat window. The epoxy is for protection and to offer a base for adhesion. The fill smooths everything out and hides and sanding scratches. You can skip the fill to save money if you want, but you'd need to start with a smooth base if you don't want sanding scratches to come through. But the fill is just cosmetic; the epoxy is what protects you from rust.

Or go with a 1k primer on top of the epoxy. It's not as durable as 2k but it's cheap and should hold up well enough, if you buy something decent like Krylon or Rust-Oleum.

Top coat with some white Dupli-Color for your car. It won't match perfect but it'll be close.


It won't be perfect, but you'll be protected from rust. If you really want, sand the top coat with 400 grit and then polish until the gloss matches the surrounding paint to hide the edges.

I'm not sure if I can post links, but here are an epoxy and fill primer:
Epoxy - http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/spray-max-2k-epoxy-rust-cure-primer-3680032-p-14526.aspx

Fill - http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/spray-max-2k-rapid-primer-filler-3680031-p-14524.aspx

 

[Trav]

There are a couple of ways to repair this.
Option 1: Contact the Dent Wizard and get most of the dent out then do minor body work with limited tools. A good one can get 90% of that out but they cant shrink the metal or fix the paint.

Option 2: Get behind it with a dolly, hammer and dolly it out then use a torch and shrinking hammer to shrink the metal back. Fill, prime and paint.

Either way you will need to use a little filler but may get away with not having to shrink the metal and torch work with option 1.
Unless you are talented with a shrinking hammer, dolly and torch i would forget option 2.

Do you have a larger picture showing the whole part?

Edit: The use of filler is not to fill dents but fill slight imperfections, getting the metal as straight as possible should be the primary objective.
The rest is easy.

 

[hemitom]

If you don't care about looks, sand and prime walk away, want it done right ? that dent runs through a creased panel buy the looks of that photo? This is a job for a pro

 

[zzyzzx]

If that's on a fender, you can replace the whole fender yourself. Other than that, not so much.

 

[99Saturn]

Sorry - I took for granted that I know what I'm looking at. It's on the hood (a Cobalt) and yes it runs right through a line or whatever the correct term is.

Not the greatest picture but to give an idea of the shape.

It's an '06 with 110K+. I haven't priced anything (so maybe I shouldn't assume) but figured a professional fix will be costly.
--
And thanks for all the feedback. I sort of assumed pre-posting the DIY option (especially for someone with 0 experience) is not really going to produce the ideal end result but wanted to get an idea of how much failure I can expect.

 

[Volvohead]

If on the cheap, I'd PDR it as well as possible ($75), sand, re-prime and spot repaint it. A DIY drill and fill often makes for a less durable repair, especially on something like a hood.

A good shop repair done right is at least $500, due to the panel refinishing. A lot of shops would also push for a replacement boneyard hood.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: 99Saturn
Sorry - I took for granted that I know what I'm looking at. It's on the hood (a Cobalt) and yes it runs right through a line or whatever the correct term is.

Not the greatest picture but to give an idea of the shape.

It's an '06 with 110K+. I haven't priced anything (so maybe I shouldn't assume) but figured a professional fix will be costly.
--
And thanks for all the feedback. I sort of assumed pre-posting the DIY option (especially for someone with 0 experience) is not really going to produce the ideal end result but wanted to get an idea of how much failure I can expect.

Get a clean bone yard hood. You might be able to find the same color. $50 at pick a part Bolt it on and done.

 

[morris]

just leave it as is. just paint the name of the person that put it there.

 

[zzyzzx]

I would also not attempt to repair a hood. Get a new or used one and bot it on yourself (actually you will probably need a little help).

 

[lugNutz]

Originally Posted By: lugNutz
There's what looks like a pinch in there. That will need to be professionally repaired, so don't touch it if you want it done right. Basically some rework of the metal, sand, prime,and paint.

If you don't care much about the aesthetic appeal, you can do it yourself half-a** with some body filler in the order you mentioned but the fact that it is so close to a body line and the ripples, it won't look good.

Originally Posted By: hemitom
If you don't care about looks, sand and prime walk away, want it done right ? that dent runs through a creased panel buy the looks of that photo? This is a job for a pro

Ummmm....