1971 Plymouth Satellite Dent Fix - How To Fix A Dent

This '71 Satellite shows the... 

   

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This '71 Satellite shows the wear of its 37 years of use with a few primer spots and dull paint, but the body is nearly mint and solid, making it a sound basis for a project.

Learn the secrets of the bodywork trade and you become one step closer to the goal of automotive self sufficiency. It's no secret that paint and body related repairs are among the most expensive aspects of a project, but in terms of many of these tasks, the bulk of the expense is for time and skill, not necessarily for materials. Mastering some of these talents can dramatically affect the costs involved in a project. In fact, with a proficiency in bodyman's techniques, you will look at a prospective project car in an entirely different light.

An example here is a 1971 Plymouth Satellite that I recently acquired. This classic Mopar body style has been on my watch list for years, and an opportunity presented itself when an excellent example showed up for sale locally. A careful examination of the 340-powered machine revealed no trace of rust, and a body that is virtually pristine, with one glaring exception: a significantly kinked right front fender. The deep crease and buckling of the fender just over the wheel well represented a difficult repair. This wasn't a simple dent that could be lightly worked back to shape; here we had distorted and stretched metal, and it ruined the otherwise clean appearance of the car. Although it is possible to replace the front fender, finding a good example would require a significant investment in time, effort and money, since there are currently no reproductions. Despite the damage, the car was purchased with confidence that the fender could be fixed. Here's how it was done.

Even a passing glance to the...        read full caption Even a passing glance to the passenger side of the car draws the eye straight to the creased and buckled right front fender. Rather than look for a replacement for this vintage sheetmetal, we decided that it could be repaired.	Since most of the damage can...        read full caption Since most of the damage can be accessed from inside the wheelwell, the car was jacked up and firmly supported with heavy-duty jackstands under the framerails, and the wheel removed to gain access. The minimal trim was then unbolted.	To help visualize and assess...        read full caption To help visualize and assess the damage, the dent was eyeballed at a low angle and it was marked-up to map it. I use lines or circles to mark depressions, and a series of X's to mark high spots or ridges. These marks will be helpful later in hammering out the dent.
Step one is to rough-out the...        read full caption Step one is to rough-out the damage with a hammer and dolly. The dolly backs up the hammer blows and focuses the force, allowing the metal to be reshaped by the hammer blows. The outer edge of the fender sets the critical line, and lends support to the adjacent metal.	We knocked the lower line...        read full caption We knocked the lower line to rough shape, and rough-worked the creases, banging out the metal from the inside, but with damage like this, you will never get the metal to sit right because it is stretched and work-hardened from the hammering. The low spot pointed out here will not come out without "oil-canning," or wanting to spring back down. The area just forward where the main crease was hammered out is stretched, and sits proud of the surrounding metal.	Getting the metal to cooperate...        read full caption Getting the metal to cooperate requires heat-shrinking. This will pull in the excess metal, allowing it to sit flat, and anneal the steel, relieving the stress so that it can be worked. There are many variations of hot-shrinking, and the effect will vary depending on the extent of the heat zone, and whether it is cold-quenched, with a wider heat zone. (Quenching increasing the effect, though control becomes more difficult.)
The "heat and hammer" technique...        read full caption The "heat and hammer" technique was used on all the shrinks done to this fender, using the hammer and dolly quickly after heating a spot to dull red, and allowing it to air cool. Note that the metal is coming into shape.	At this point, all of the...        read full caption At this point, all of the heat shrinks have been completed, and all that is left is to finish massaging the metal. A homemade slapper is used against the dolly to planish (hammer it flat) the metal.	With the hammer and torch...        read full caption With the hammer and torch work finished, the area was sanded with a D/A sander to remove the paint and burnt primer. The metal can be checked for any remaining defects and bumped with more hammer work as required. The quality of the repair will depend on your metal working skills. Other than a few hammer marks, this is virtually a perfect metal-finish.
With the metal work done,...        read full caption With the metal work done, a light skim of filler will follow to fill any minor imperfections. We used Evercoat Rage Xtreme, which is a very good, smooth filler, making it ideal for thin applications. When hardener is added to the filler, a little more or less can vary the cure time. It is best to mix it a little slow when covering a large area.	The mud was skimmed over the...        read full caption The mud was skimmed over the whole area. It was slopped on and then worked to a smooth thin layer using a plastic spreader. The spreader can be flexed to match the curvature of the panel for a nice, even, coat of filler.	An air file with 40-grit was...        read full caption An air file with 40-grit was used to rough the filler. Work in long diagonal strokes, keeping the file moving with the flow of the body panels. Any low spots will quickly show up, and sometimes a re-application will be required to get the filler perfect.
The air file is followed by...        read full caption The air file is followed by 80-grit, and then 180-grit on a long board by hand. This eliminates the deep sanding scratches that can resurface later in the paint as the topcoat and primers shrink back. Although the entire repair area is coated in filler, it is paper thin, actually no thicker than the old paint in most areas.	After the filler, an additional...        read full caption After the filler, an additional step is to glaze the entire surface with glazing filler, to fill any pinholes or rough edges in the base filler. We used Evercoat Metal Glaze, which is essentially very fine, thin filler. The glaze was hand-sanded as the filler was, with 80-grit followed by 180-grit, again using the long board.	Next comes the primer. We...        read full caption Next comes the primer. We used Evercoat Feather Fill, which is an inexpensive polyester primer surfacer, with good filling and sanding qualities. It mixes with the same hardener used in fiberglass resin.
The panel was given three...        read full caption The panel was given three medium coats of primer using an inexpensive touch-up gun. Make sure the primer goes on wet and smooth to reduce the amount of sanding needed later.	Our repaired Satellite fender...        read full caption Our repaired Satellite fender is a far cry from the mangled mess we started with, and thanks to the metal work, even the inside of the panel doesn't show the tell-tails of the previous damage. The repair will be left in primer for now, and little by little the rest of the car's body will be prepped for paint.