How to repair Body dents on a Plymouth Duster?? Best way.....

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Blazingstars

Blazingstars

1973 Plymouth Duster
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Lavonia, Georgia
Happy to learn from other people smarter and wiser than myself how to repair body dents and if possible to repair body dents on a car. Like for example body dents on the rear quarter panel on a Plymouth duster?? What is the best way to go about doing such......
 
Blazingstars said:
Happy to learn from other people smarter and wiser than myself how to repair body dents and if possible to repair body dents on a car. Like for example body dents on the rear quarter panel on a Plymouth duster?? What is the best way to go about doing such......
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This is a tough question to answer with words and not the actual showing and demonstrating. I am not a body man but did take a classic auto body restoration course and did learn some dent pounding. My advice, buy some hammers and dollies and find an old fender and practice. Metal of the old cars is thicker gauge and can be reworked. Metal has memory so you should be able to get them pretty straight without filler or much filler. If you have "oil canning" that requires heat and some hammering. I'd suggest watching youtube and find what you can and practice until you feel comfortable on your own car. Duster quarters have many body lines, and some subtle areas like by where it meets the door jamb. It's hard too see it, but there is a light concave area there. Good Luck.
 
The approach to different dents can be different so without a specific dent in mind it's difficult to answer and there are as many different ways as body men. Pictures help.
Along with different hammers and dollies for different purposes, a stud gun is an invaluable tool for pulling or mild shrinking.
 
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Blazingstars said:
Happy to learn from other people smarter and wiser than myself how to repair body dents and if possible to repair body dents on a car. Like for example body dents on the rear quarter panel on a Plymouth duster?? What is the best way to go about doing such......
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Like every one said depends on the size of the dent and where it is depends on how to get it out. I do paintless dent repair, been doing it since 1988 and loosing my touch because I'm getting old. If you can get behind the dent and use leverage with a bar and if your careful you can slowly get the dent out or close enough for filler. But that depends on if there is bondo there from before or the rear 1/4 is touching the other 1/4?????? pictures help
 
While I respect, to the utmost, those who can do body repair without filler, the OP doesn't mention what kind of repair he/she wants to learn; maybe he/she would have no problem with plastic? He /she may be totally inexperiened. (which is of course totally understandable. We all start somewhere.
Sorry about all the he/she. LOL The world is nuts. Not me, lol.
 
Practicing on junk panels is good advice. You also need to look at the whole picture. Can you prime,prep and paint it too. Many times I see people do body work then get stuck. The car gets rattle can primer and starts to rust cause they can't or do not do the next step.

They then solicit a bodyperson who, if a professional, will either tell you they don't want anything to do with it or cost you more money than it would have if you would have left it alone.
 
Bodyperson said:
Practicing on junk panels is good advice. You also need to look at the whole picture. Can you prime,prep and paint it too. Many times I see people do body work then get stuck. The car gets rattle can primer and starts to rust cause they can't or do not do the next step.

They then solicit a bodyperson who, if a professional, will either tell you they don't want anything to do with it or cost you more money than it would have if you would have left it alone.
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So true Bodyperson and have seen just that, lots. looked at an old ford truck not to long ago the guy said he just wanted me to prep and paint it. all the body work was done and in primer. So when I went and looked at it you could see all the spots that were repaired and ask the guy how he fixed the rust, he said he did it the right way foamed it then filled it with bondo' and then used a cheep rattle can primer non etching. Told him I could paint it for 20,000 and it would have been cheaper if he would have not tried to fix it himself. I'm not fixing that truck he thought I was crazy on my price, but I am not willing to put my name on someones bullshit fix
 
Fred Scigliano said:
So true Bodyperson and have seen just that, lots. looked at an old ford truck not to long ago the guy said he just wanted me to prep and paint it. all the body work was done and in primer. So when I went and looked at it you could see all the spots that were repaired and ask the guy how he fixed the rust, he said he did it the right way foamed it then filled it with bondo' and then used a cheep rattle can primer non etching. Told him I could paint it for 20,000 and it would have been cheaper if he would have not tried to fix it himself. I'm not fixing that truck he thought I was crazy on my price, but I am not willing to put my name on someones bullshit fix
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$20,000 weeds 'em out pretty fast. :lol: And we aint making much money at that.
 
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