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How to Repair Auto Body Panels
Over the course of a vehicle’s life the need to repair auto body panels will come up. Dents from shopping cart, rust from time and the elements and some sort of fender benders happen to all cars. Learning how to work on your own auto body panels and do your own side car repair can be a huge money saver.
In general the body panels are what make up the vehicle. The hood, fender, doors and quarter panel are some of the main body panels. They also act as safety measures. So an in-shape body panel is important.
However, the repair may be beyond your capabilities. If that is the case you will want to find the best collision or auto body shop.
Tools
But you can still repair a car panel that has damage that can be managed by a handful of tools and know-how. The tools you generally need are a file, dual action sander, dead blow hammer, grinder, pry bar, body hammer,slide hammer, metal rods and sandpaper. These will be for any dents or damage incurred by a collision.
Where is it Damaged?
First of all, you must determine everything you can about the damaged auto panels. The exact location of the collision as well as any other damage the impact may have had on the rest of the panel. The initial impact point is important because it will help you straighten out the panel.
Doing the Job
The second thing you will need to do is determine how you want to straighten the damage out. The secondary damage will be the place to start. There is probably an area of bulging caused by the initial impact and that is where you need to start hammering in. The ultimate goal is to work your way in toward the initial area.
Once you have worked out the secondary damage you can start with main point of damage. You want the repair to be almost like the original. You will need to pop-out the impact point. The best way to do this is to use small rods inserted around the impact area and the use a slide hammer to hammer out the dent. You will need to cut the rods down and sand them or finish so they are not apparent. Auto body filler will help even out the damage area.
Other Repairs
If the repair you want to perform is more of the paint or rust damage then you will need such items as sanders, seal coat and finish paint. Depending on how extensive the rust is, it may take more detailed rust repair. But the process will follow a basic line of sanding out the rust until you see metal, sealing the area with a primer and then apply a finish. Any paint damage will require you to find the exact color of the body part. This may require contacting the manufacturer.
Repair of auto body panels may appear to be difficult, but it can be done with the right tools and
know-how. This is just a start to help you become acquainted to what it takes to do it yourself.
