Roof dents...a better way to fix?

[rjd2]

Hi all, so I finally have my '76 in with a body/welding guy. The car has a sizeable(2xgrapefruit) dent in the roof, above the rear right pillar. i unseated the headliner, and it looks like it's hard to gain access to; the metal support underneath means you don't have a straight shot at banging it out from the inside. But I figured I'd at least ask you guys; are there any "better" ways to deal with a roof dent on these cars? Anything that might be off my radar, or my body guys radar? Thanks-RJ

[esty]

tools

[71bmr02]

Pics would be good.  knee jerk reaction would be to try to pull the dents with a puller.  Perhaps cut out the area, work the dent out and weld it back in, risk would be warping the sheet metal during process of hammering out the dent plus it's already a bit stretched from whatever caused the dent  and then warping during process of welding it back.  You could post pics and measurements of the damaged area and request a cutout of that section and then weld it in, again risk warping sheet metal during weld in process.  Replace entire roof panel, shipping costs and extra costs for all the body work entailed.  Personally i like the replace the dented area with cutout from donor car. a good welder could likely stitch it in with minimal risk of warping.  Of course you could do the easy way, pull out as much as possible with a dent puller then use filler to finish repair (not a good permanent solution but a solution).

[dang]

We need to see photos to help.  First thought is pulling it out with a slide hammer that uses welded rods to attach to the dent (stud welder).  Second would be hot melt glued pads that connect to a slide hammer or T-bar.  This works better with smaller dents/dings and on newer cars with thinner sheet metal but I've had limited success on older cars too.  If paint isn't a concern I'd use the welded rod process.

 

Dan

Edited August 15, 2017 by dang

[rjd2]

here goes the pic. i don't know if there's any future in this idea, but i've also got a '73 with a perfect roof. is making a plaster mold of the area, and then using that to try to work up a piece of sheet metal in the proper shape a worthy idea?

[BavarianKlasse]

I have a roof I can cut up. If that's helpfull. I'm in Oregon. But I agree I'd try a mobile paintless dent removal first and see what they can do. It is fairly inexpensive generally especially with how accessable it is.

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

[71bmr02]

sorry charlie, that's going to be a complete roof panel or patch panel from donor roof.

 

 

[esty]

2 hours ago, 71bmr02 said:

Of course you could do the easy way, pull out as much as possible with a dent puller then use filler to finish repair (not a good permanent solution but a solution).

what's not permanent about doing it that way...the paint-less dent pullers are a heck of a lot less intrusive than cutting a welding

 

a good body man should be able to pull that back in shape at a lower end cost than cutting and welding

 

 

[Mike Self]

+1 on a paintless dent removal person.  I've seen 'em perform (near) miracles with dents you'd swear would never come out.  Read my Roundel story from Oct or Nov 2014 about the hailstorm dents on my E30 that were fixed to perfection, thus saving all that original paint..

 

So long as the dent doeesn't have any sharp creases it can be pulled.  And with yours, it's worth a try to have a dent removal person take a look at it.  May not be able to get it perfect, but close enough so that a skim coat of filler would make it nice and smooth again.  

 

cheers

mike

[joysterm]

First I would try to find a real pro that has  extensive experience  in metal/restoration work. It is a skill that is increasingly hard to find in this day of replace rather than repair.  I would cut and replace only as a last result.

 

As mentioned earlier there is always a risk in destroting the metal around that area especially if there is structural supports for the rear window/ C pillar involved. That said,  if he knows what he is doing, it should not be an issue. I think there are more than just a few hours to repair the damage but if it were me I would go that route rather than get involved in a cut-weld and repair scenario. By the time you factor in the time involved for the hunt for the part, shipping and associated costs  you may not be any farther ahead.

 

I would cut and replace only as a last result....hth

[dang]

That's repairable.  A good PDR guy can get that looking pretty good but in the photo it looks like the paint is damaged in a couple spots anyway.  I'm I seeing that right?  If that's the case you can take it to a good body guy and it will clean up nicely.

 

Where are you located?

Edited August 15, 2017 by dang

[TobyB]

I have actually worked around professionals, and have done a bit of bodywork-

 

Dan nailed it (heh) with the SpritzNagel.  The welded studs can pull creases-

and there are enough creases there that it's going

to take pretty aggressive metalwork (heating, shrinking, annealing) to reshape it. 

A thin spoon can get up under there (you deform the support structure a bit if necessary,

then re- shape it, too.

It'll be better to not cut and weld that- it'll pull out, and be a 'better' repair

in the end.  And yes, it should be about 97% metal, 2% filler, and 1% primer-surfacer.

 

But what makes me wonder is that any experienced metalworker knows this better than I do.

Heck, they tell me that there are now even YourTuber videos available out there....

 

t

 

[Son of Marty]

Your tuber videos are restricted to Potatoes only. that won't help here.

['76mintgrün'02]

(nt)

Edited August 15, 2017 by '76mintgrun'02
too silly

[vacca rabite]

Sectioning that roof should be the last resort.

 

I doubt PDR will get that, but I have been wrong before about what those guys can do.

 

If it were me I'd break out the stud welder and slide hammer.

 

Zach