need a bit of bodywork advice

[bmw9818]

got an e36 and its got a ding in the back (no rusting) which i need a bit of help with, posted it up somewhere else and someone said to replace the section by welding however i dont want to do that cause il cock it up not that experienced,

pretty much first time with bodywork i like to learn on the job best way i pick things up, no one i know works in a bodyshop or does bodywork everyones a mechanic soo

just need some advice on what to do my plan is to -

pull dent out and correct best as possible using hammers/chisel/reverse hammer

grind down with... angle grinder???

apply body filler seen loads on ebay metalised body filler?

grind down again,

sand down,

prime x 3

paint x 3,

try to blend in with rest of body with tcut and polish,

okay remember this is my first time so please dont laugh


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd26 ... C03648.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd26 ... C03653.jpg

any help much appreciated

[harry_p]

ouch. you're going to struggle to DIY that for a first attempt. tbh, it'll be almost impossible to get any tools behind it to get enough of a swing or leverage to push it out.

i'd go to machine mart or similar and buy a slide hammer. you drill a small hole in a low spot, screw in an adapter, screw that to the shaft on the slide hammer, then holding the handle of the shaft in one hand you bash the slide weight towards you to pull the dent out.

sure, youre left with a few holes to fill, but you're going to be bunging a ton of the stuff into the area anyway, the holes can actually help the filler to grip the pannel.

ideally you want to pull the metal out to a mm or so bellow the level it needs to be. if you pull it proud tap it back down with a hammer. you don't want to be grinding any metal away as it's not much more than 1mm thick and you'll end up grinding big holes in it! you also don't want to have to put too much filler in. the thicker it is the more likely it is to sag and crack / fall out in the future.

i did something similar to the above method on an awkward dent on a camper van, but as i have a welder i welded on some nails and used a slide hammer on those, then ground them off to leave an unbroken surface much closer to where it should be

[bmw9818]

yeah ive been looking at this one off ebay -- http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/9pc-Dent-Puller-S ... 483a804c56

that nail trick is pretty cool never seen that before,

the main concern is like when i pull it out its gonna be all wonky liek little lumps and that and theres still a thick layer of red paint on it, so dont i need to grind it or sand it down before i apply the filler?

or do i just leave the grinding pull out the dent straighten as much as possibleapply filler sand it down and paint?

cheers

[harry_p]

i doubt there are many people in the country that could pull of knock your dent smooth, the best you can hope for is roughly the right shape, then do the rest with filler.

i'm no expert but i'd pull it out as best you can, then sand the paint off with a fairly rough grit so you're putting the filler onto clean metal. build up the layers of filler, make it roughly the right shape with something like 80grit paper, then put a thin top layer of filler and sand to a smooth final shape with progressively finer paper untill you get a seamless blend into the good bodywork, then prime, again building up the layers, sand with something like 800grit, apply a couple of layers of paint, sand these back with 1200 0r 1500, then do a final couple of coats of paint. leave it to set for a week or so, then cut it back to a shine with a decent compound / polish.

the nail trick was something robbed / made more affordable from watching too much american hotrod. they have a special tool that spotwelds a metal slug to the bodywork which they then use a slide hammer on

[e30mtec]

id personally cut that sect out and weld a new/salvaged one in..and grind it down with a sanding disc and just fill if needed.itll leave a better finish and most bodyshops /mobile welders will do it with ease and quite cheap if u just make sure its just the welding they do..u do the rest if ur confident enuf....and then use filler..trust me ive had this problem before on an e30 in the same place.jsut go to a scrappy and cut off bit more thn u need..match it up as best u can..spot it ,fill,sand prime and paint...u cud do it in a day or two if u take ur time ..i find slide hammers are quite hard for novices to use..if i cud do it for ya ii would pal

[bmw9818]

thanks man, i dunno ive ordered a slide hammer i might as well have a go at it, its really dodge that dent i need to try and tap it in line also with the boot lid, and theres the light as well to try and line up if get it wrong im screwed !!

think il just give it a go with the slide hammer, and try and fill it in with some filler, il be back with the results or further help if i cock up!

[drewjak]

for what youd spend on tools and time id just take it to a body shop, with out the correct skills and knowledge(and equipment) you`ll struggle im affraid a body shop will probly repair it for £150 if that,try getting them to just repair it and you paint it
im a panel beater / sprayer with 20yrs experience and id be very doubious about some peoples repair techniques!!!!!
to be honest its an easy repair for a body shop and if they cant have it repaired ready to paint in few hours then theres something sadly wrong.
if you attempt to do this with a crappy slide hammer you`ll just put big holes in it every where as its a quite a strong area so it`ll just rip the mental and make the job worse.
trust me just price it up at a body shop and save yourself the hassle

[Banjo1981]

You should have good results with a G-clamp and a couple of blocks of wood. It's a bodge that's worked well for me in the past.

[bmw9818]

allready done it, i used the slide hammer it broke in 5 minutes! just ended up using a using a chisel and a hammer! i bashed it out pretty good allready applied the filler and wet & dry sanded it down it lines up with the light and boot and is smooth right around, just waiting for the primer and paint from bmw.... thats after i bashed it out-
didnt take too long done it in about a day wiped down and applied filler, started on sunday

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd26 ... C03666.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd26 ... C03660.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd26 ... C03664.jpg

[EVIR]

buy a can of blending agent to help the paint on the repair merge into the existing stuff, and make sure that is well keyed with a scotchpad.

[bmw9818]

yeah ive allready primed it and that, you mean key the primer right? done two coats of primer how many of the red paint should i do 3?? thanks

[EVIR]

I mean key any surrounding area you can expect to get fresh paint on. Once you have primed it twice, flat it and the surrounding area with 600 wet, make sure it is as smooth and blemish free as possible, add more filler primer and repeat the 600 until you are happy, if you sand through to the steel make sure you seal it with an etch primer as they don't need sanded before colour. When you come to paint the colour, first lay a very fine wet bed of blend agent over the repair and into the existing colour a bit, let it flash for a few minutes then 3 or 4 thin coats of colour, the first two try to cover the repair and then start to blend your next coats further each time into the existing color, let each coat flash for 10 mins and tack off dry overspray around the edge before each coat. after the final coat do two passes of the blend edge with blending agent, let it flash, then do a fine mist of the agent over the whole lot and leave it to dry. If your blending a clear coat over that, plan to go at least 6 inch past the colour blend or just do the whole panel.
Just go slow and take your time. 22degC is good to paint rattle can.

[nickso]

22degC is good to paint rattle can.

no wonder mine always turn out shite, not often it's 22 degrees up here.

[EVIR]

I've learned the hard way myself.

[nickso]

well my efforts are improving, going to do the arches on mine again this winter maybe.

the way you were talking i thought you were trade.

[EVIR]

well my efforts are improving, going to do the arches on mine again this winter maybe.

the way you were talking i thought you were trade.

oh no, DIY only. I still make mistakes as I'm a idiot and need to do things again. The rear arch on my E30 is flatted ready to get done again, metallic is harder to get perfect and rattle cans can be a lottery.

[nickso]

your right about the lottery, the match for our cirrus blue is shocking everywhere i go. my shite prep probably doesn't help.

[bmw9818]

errmmm, okay i gave that a go it started bubbling for some reason? there was also a line where i taped it off to avoid primer getting everywhere, i had to do it again cause there was a line aroudn the edges and it looked dodgy, fillered and primed it again, sanded the primer with wet and dry this is what its looking like now, is it a must to use blending agent ?

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd26 ... /photo.jpg

but yeah should i sort of heat the primer with a hairdryer for a minute or 2 give it a break and then again to ensure its dry i left it for a full day to dry wet nd dry wiped then tryed to paint but it bubbled up? gave it a clean with a lint free cloth before the coat, am i doing anything wrong..

ive spent quite alot on the car allready dont want to spend a penny more really... cause ive got like £3 in my account if i have to where can i get a small cheap bottle of the agent

i sprayed primed it the other day and sanded it a bit, etched it slightly, is there any reason as to why it should be bubbling?

[pacerpete]

errmmm, okay i gave that a go it started bubbling for some reason? there was also a line where i taped it off to avoid primer getting everywhere, i had to do it again cause there was a line aroudn the edges and it looked dodgy, fillered and primed it again, sanded the primer with wet and dry this is what its looking like now, is it a must to use blending agent ?

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd26 ... /photo.jpg

but yeah should i sort of heat the primer with a hairdryer for a minute or 2 give it a break and then again to ensure its dry i left it for a full day to dry wet nd dry wiped then tryed to paint but it bubbled up? gave it a clean with a lint free cloth before the coat, am i doing anything wrong..

ive spent quite alot on the car allready dont want to spend a penny more really... cause ive got like £3 in my account :.: if i have to where can i get a small cheap bottle of the agent

i sprayed primed it the other day and sanded it a bit, etched it slightly, is there any reason as to why it should be bubbling?

The paint match is a bit out !

[DanThe]

Its probably the wrong primer for the paint you are trying to use, crackin job BTW, pacer will be loving that, imagine what he could do with 'worn out' E30 panels pete

[bmw9818]

Its probably the wrong primer for the paint you are trying to use, crackin job BTW, pacer will be loving that, imagine what he could do with 'worn out' E30 panels pete

cheers man took a while but i got there! im just using simoniz acrylic paint normal primer and painting with bmw spray can,

[EVIR]

loads of video on the net, here's one good one

looks like you are half way there, a blend agent will help to disguise the edge where new paint covers over old.

[bmw9818]

loads of video on the net, here's one good one

looks like you are half way there, a blend agent will help to disguise the edge where new paint covers over old.

where can i get the blend agent? looked on ebay found one for £16 for a 1 litre, dont want that much tryed a parts/spares shop they didnt have any...

[drewjak]

take a look below

http://www.airbrush-shop.co.uk/index.ph ... L_Productslast one on the list, try looking round though you may find it cheaper or a better brand , dont ever use the clear cote its totally rubbish and goes white.

found a better site here though i think.....................http://www.bodyshop-tools-supplies.co.u ... p?cat=2025

[Bob_S]

you'll need a guide coat on the primer to see high and low spots.
also don't paint upto your tape line. put the tape further up the panel and let your primer naturally run out. sanding an edge will cause a ripple in the paint later on.
You want high build primer and flat that back until it's smooth.
then quick scotch and get on with some colour.

[drewjak]

you'll need a guide coat on the primer to see high and low spots.
also don't paint upto your tape line. put the tape further up the panel and let your primer naturally run out. sanding an edge will cause a ripple in the paint later on.
You want high build primer and flat that back until it's smooth.

then quick scotch and get on with some colour

.

most people wont know what scotch is, they`ll think you mean have a quick glass of it... then paint it half cut

to explain scotch, http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/e ... /Hand-Pad/

[EVIR]

where can i get the blend agent? looked on ebay found one for £16 for a 1 litre, dont want that much tryed a parts/spares shop they didnt have any...

I use u-pol fade out spray. a handy rattle can! bought from online auto paint place.
this is the stuff these smart repair folk use and is the same stuff as you get with paint chip kits. The best description I can think is that it kind of melts the paint and helps it lie flat. Using it as a tack coat for the colour coat helps the colour sit the same on the new primer and old paint.

[bmw9818]

http://www.bodyshop-tools-supplies.co.u ... p?id=15437 , is that the one what do i just spray on a thin coat, leave it for 2 mins then get on with the respray

[EVIR]

http://www.bodyshop-tools-supplies.co.u ... p?id=15437 , is that the one what do i just spray on a thin coat, leave it for 2 mins then get on with the respray

That's the stuff, yes. some call it laying a wet bad, some call it a clear undercoat/basecoat. It will eventually flash off like the thinner in the paint. If you can spare the materials, practice on some scrap first. You use the same stuff to blend the edge of the new paint, just don't use too much or it'll make the paint run.

[drewjak]

dont apply it like paint, just apply in a fine mist over the blended area 4,5 or even 6 times if you put it on to heavyit all goes mottley and wont polish in very well

best advice as above by evir........ PRACTICE first

[Loony]

As above.you should not paint up to the edge of the masking tape.Rub it down now and the mask of and reprime.With each coat slightly overlap the last edge leading closer towards the tape but no where up to it.