Aluminum body panels

[Ricardo]

Can anyone pass on some information regarding straightening aluminum body panels? I have 3 small dimples in my hood, caused by the hood falling closed while the engine was being jacked up to change the motor mounts....yep one from the oil filler cap and 2 from the linkage rack. I don't have a hoist so I was having this work done at an independant import garage and the mechanic bumped the prop rod while working and down it came. "Must be a defective prop rod" says he. Long story, no happy ending. I've heard that working aluminum is quite different than steel and my neighbor who does body work hasn't worked on aluminum before. Are there some basic do's and don'ts, re heating and hammering. Or do we just hammer them down and fill them Richard V

[Bob G]

Richardo,

 Sorry to hear about the hood. If the paint is not cracked, you have a chance of having a Paintless Dent Repair done to same the exsisting paint. Aluminum is soft but also has more  of a flex to it. I just started a PDR class and have been working on aluminum hoods from a Nissian Maxium and Audi. It is harder to work an Aluminum hood than a steel hood. The PDR Process consist of special stainless steel bars that are design to get under the body panels and with a light push fineese up and out the dent. High spots or dimples up ward dents are knocked down gently with a soft blow hammer and acrylic lucite punch.
I would search for a Paintless dent repair service in the phone book and ask them for one of their techs who has experience. Aluminum is not that exotic and soft as you would think.
I hope this helps some. I have seen it work and that is why I am taking a course in it.
Sincerely
Bob Geco

[Douglas]

i've had dimples taken out of my door and hood, so i'm with bob geco on this. paintless dent removal really does work.

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
#11304410018260

[ja17]

Hello Recardo,
Aluminum, being softer than steel will stretch easier when dented. So when the dent is pushed back out you will probably have a bump! Unfortunately most standard production body shops will probably pound the dent out slightly and fill the remaining dent with body filler. This will restore the surface on the outside, but actually leaves a dent on the inside of the hood. In your case the metal is stretched outward in the first place. Successful repair without refinishing the hood is doubtful. The correct way to restore the damaged areas if dented is to push the metal back out, (in your case back down). If the metal is streched, a specialist in body restoration will shrink the streched metal back to its original position. Shrinking damaged streched metal can be accomplished by a heating and quenching process with a torch and water by an experienced restorer. Other cold processes of shrinkng metal may also work. A shrinking hammer and special dolly are sometimes used also. In any case I agree that dent removal could be tried first if the metal is not streched. Otherwise correct repair could be handled by a competant restoration shop or sheetmetal specialist.

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio

[Ricardo]

Thanks to everyone for the advice ! Unfortunately all three dents have lost paint. The two caused by the linkage shaft were small and I didn't even notice for a couple of days until the paint flaked off grrr. The oil filler cap appears to have been an older dent that had been filled and now the filler has cracked in a 2" star. A new paint job is in order, the whole car suffers from little dings and dents, and is one of the reasons the car was reasonably priced. I'm concentrating on mechanicals this year and probably won't tackle the paint job 'till next. I know that once it's painted I'm going to be a whole lot more paranoid about taking it out in the big bad world.
Oh well another summer of touch up paint.
Richard V

[Cees Klumper]

Just some advice on the paint job - I had one done about a year ago and it cost me $1,500. Sure the work was not 100% - only 95%. But the first-rate shop that would have made it 99%, quoted me $9,000. So for the price difference I decided to go with the 4% quality penalty. In the "cheap shop" I did strip and re-fit all the chrome and other loose bits myself (which I enjoyed doing). Many people remark how beautiful my car looks, and it does. Moral of the story: it does pay to shop.

[n/a]

quote:Originally posted by cees klumper

Just some advice on the paint job - I had one done about a year ago and it cost me $1,500. Sure the work was not 100% - only 95%. But the first-rate shop that would have made it 99%, quoted me $9,000. So for the price difference I decided to go with the 4% quality penalty. In the "cheap shop" I did strip and re-fit all the chrome and other loose bits myself (which I enjoyed doing). Many people remark how beautiful my car looks, and it does. Moral of the story: it does pay to shop.

Absolutely agree!!!
And, besides, stripping and remounting bits ourselves makes a very big difference in money terms!


Duro
Italy