Auto Collision Repair and Refinishing, 1st Edition Page 170 (170 of 880)

170 Section 2 Nonstructural Repairs
the screw heads. After removing any caps, remove the
screws from the trim panel. After removing the screws,
carefully pop out the clips that secure the trim panel to
the door. These clips are located along the edge of the
door panel.
On doors with manual windows, the window crank
handle must be removed before the panel can be taken
off. Figure 8-11 shows how to slide the handle removal
tool into place.
On vehicles with power door locks and/or power
windows, the doors contain a wiring harness. You must
disconnect the harnesses connector from the lock and
window switches before removing the door trim panel.
Remember that the plastic clips on the connectors can
be easily broken, especially if they are old.
The front portion of a quarter panel on a two-door
vehicle may be accessible from inside the passenger
compartment. It may be necessary to remove the rear
seat. The trim panel is removed by locating and removing
the screws that hold it in place. Instead of screws, some
vehicles use Velcro pads to hold the trim panel in place.
For access to the rear portion of the quarter panel,
you must remove the trunk lining. Look at the arrange-
ment of the lining to determine what needs to be
removed first. Often the trim panels are overlapped.
Center stud Clip removal
tool
Figure 8-8. To remove a plastic rivet, raise the center
stud.
Figure 8-9. Removing the headlight assembly will
allow access to the back of this damaged fender.
Clip removal
tool
Figure 8-10. Hood insulation pad clips can be removed
using an upholstery tool.
A
B
Window
crank
handle
Handle
removal
tool
Figure 8-11. The window crank handle may be secured
with a clip. A—Slide the handle removal tool under the
handle as shown to release the clip. B—Pull the crank
handle from its shaft.

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170 Section 2 Nonstructural Repairs
the screw heads. After removing any caps, remove the
screws from the trim panel. After removing the screws,
carefully pop out the clips that secure the trim panel to
the door. These clips are located along the edge of the
door panel.
On doors with manual windows, the window crank
handle must be removed before the panel can be taken
off. Figure 8-11 shows how to slide the handle removal
tool into place.
On vehicles with power door locks and/or power
windows, the doors contain a wiring harness. You must
disconnect the harnesses connector from the lock and
window switches before removing the door trim panel.
Remember that the plastic clips on the connectors can
be easily broken, especially if they are old.
The front portion of a quarter panel on a two-door
vehicle may be accessible from inside the passenger
compartment. It may be necessary to remove the rear
seat. The trim panel is removed by locating and removing
the screws that hold it in place. Instead of screws, some
vehicles use Velcro pads to hold the trim panel in place.
For access to the rear portion of the quarter panel,
you must remove the trunk lining. Look at the arrange-
ment of the lining to determine what needs to be
removed first. Often the trim panels are overlapped.
Center stud Clip removal
tool
Figure 8-8. To remove a plastic rivet, raise the center
stud.
Figure 8-9. Removing the headlight assembly will
allow access to the back of this damaged fender.
Clip removal
tool
Figure 8-10. Hood insulation pad clips can be removed
using an upholstery tool.
A
B
Window
crank
handle
Handle
removal
tool
Figure 8-11. The window crank handle may be secured
with a clip. A—Slide the handle removal tool under the
handle as shown to release the clip. B—Pull the crank
handle from its shaft.

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169
Chapter 8 Nonstructural Panel Repair
Determine if an assistant is required to make the
needed repairs.
Make sure all the required materials are on hand
(sandpaper, filler, etc.).
Decide which buckles will be worked first.
Identify the area that will be filled.
Determine how long the repair will take.
Accessing Damage
Before you can begin the repair of a damaged panel,
various components, such as moldings and trim panels,
must be removed from the vehicle to allow access to
the damage. Look closely at the part to be removed.
This will generally give you clues as to how the part is
attached. Always think about how a part was installed.
Work carefully when removing parts. Plastic parts are
easily damaged if handled improperly.
Body side molding can be bolted, clipped, or glued
in place. For bolted moldings, simply access the back
side of the panel and remove the bolts. To remove
clip-on chrome moldings, push up on the bottom of
the moldings. This will release the clip at the top of
the molding. Then pull the top outward to remove the
molding. Remove the clips from the welded-on studs by
tapping the clips sideways. See Figure 8-6.
Glued-on plastic moldings can be removed with a
special attachment on an air chisel. The flat attachment
cuts the glue between the molding and the vehicle.
Another way to remove glued-on moldings is to heat a
putty knife and use the hot edge of the knife to cut the
glue. The putty knife can be heated with a propane torch.
Make sure the putty knife’s edge is straight. A ragged
knife edge may cut into the molding or the vehicle.
Be very careful when cutting metal-backed or metal-
containing moldings. If the molding is undamaged and
is intended to be reused, bending the molding will ruin it.
If the molding is metal backed and the metal backing is
damaged, carefully grind off the metal from the back side
of the molding. This will allow the molding to straighten.
Plastic moldings may curl up after removal. To solve this
problem, put the molding outside in the sun to heat it.
This will help restore its shape.
Metal wheel opening moldings are screwed into the
wheel openings. Rust often locks the screws tightly in
their holes. To make removal easier, use an air chisel
to vibrate the screws before attempting to remove them.
See Figure 8-7. Do not use the chisel to cut off the
screws; just make them vibrate. The vibration will free
the screws, allowing them to be removed easily.
For access to the back side of a fender, the fender
liner can be removed. In most cases, these plastic liners
are held in place with plastic rivets or bolts. Figure 8-8
shows how to remove a plastic rivet. Bolts are removed
with a socket and ratchet. The wheel may have to be
turned to access all the fasteners. On some vehicles,
the back side of a fender can be accessed by removing
the headlight assembly. See Figure 8-9.
Some hoods have insulated pads that must be
removed to access damage. These pads are held in
place with clips. Use a clip tool as shown in Figure 8-10
to remove the clip. After the clip is removed, the pad can
be easily removed from the hood.
Doors can be quite frustrating to take apart. The
door trim panel can be difficult to remove. Screws may
be hidden behind caps that must be removed to access
Clip
Figure 8-6. The molding has been removed from this
clip. Pushing up on the molding released the molding
from the clip. To remove the clip, push it to one side to
release it from the rivet.
Air chisel Screw
Wheel opening
molding
Figure 8-7. An air chisel can be used to vibrate
stubborn wheel opening molding screws.

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171
Chapter 8 Nonstructural Panel Repair
To disassemble, remove the outermost trim panel first.
Then remove those that are underneath.
In some cases, the headliner must be removed to
access damage. The headliner is held in place by attach-
ments on the roof and by the roof trim. To remove the
headliner, remove the roof trim first. The roof trim consists
of plastic panels that cover the A, B, and C pillars and
outline the door openings. The trim may be held in place
by screws, clips, Velcro, or a combination of these items.
Begin by locating any screws holding the trim in place. In
some cases, covers are placed over the screw heads to
help conceal them. Remove any screws that are found.
If no screw heads are present, pull on an edge of the
plastic panel with your fingers and try to look under it. Do
not use a screwdriver or other pry tool when removing the
trim. Prying on the plastic panel with a tool may distort
the plastic and leave a stretch mark. A stretch mark is a
visible white band in the plastic panel. If you can see clips
under the panel, pull the panel off by hand.
With the roof trim off, the headliner can be
accessed. Carefully detach the headliner from the roof.
The headliner may be attached to the roof with Velcro.
Most headliners have a semi-rigid backing. Folding
this backing will permanently crease the headliner.
The left and right edges of headliner may be able to be
rolled together slightly and removed from a hatchback
vehicle. In regular-cab pickup trucks, the headliner can
be taken out through a door. In other vehicles, the back
glass or windshield may need to be removed. If the
headliner cannot be easily removed, drop it down on
the seats and leave it inside the vehicle while the roof
is being repaired.
Roughing Out
The panel repair process can be divided into
two steps: roughing out and finishing. Roughing out
restores the damaged panel to its approximate contour,
and finishing completes the repair by restoring the
exact contour of the panel. Several operations may be
involved in the roughing out phase, including pulling,
pushing, stretching, leveling, raising, edge alignment,
and shrinking, as well as picking and filing.
Pulling
Longitudinal force can shorten a panel’s overall
length. A pulling operation can be used to lengthen the
panel. Pulling will remove folds, restoring the panel’s
overall length. If a corrective force is applied at the point
of impact, folds from longitudinal force can be removed
as the panel is lengthened. See Figure 8-12.
Lateral force can also shorten a panel by drawing
the edges inward. A pulling operation relies on the lift
reaction to restore panel dimension as the damage is
pulled out. The lift reaction means that as the panel
lengthens, the buckle unfolds, or straightens. A pull will
always try to form a straight line between the pull loca-
tion and the anchor location on the vehicle.
The lift reaction has the greatest effect when there
is a small angle between the attachment and the pull.
When the angle is large, the lift reaction has less effect.
See Figure 8-13.
To set up a pull, an attachment is needed. An
attachment, or hookup, connects the vehicle to the
pull. The quickest and simplest attachments are hooks.
See Figure 8-14. Hooks are placed on the back side
of the panel and a corrective force is applied to pull the
hook and the panel. The surface area of the corrective
force is the same size as the contact end of the hook. If
the metal where the contact end of the hook is attached
is weaker than the damage, the corrective force will
bend the contact area instead of pulling out the damage.
A large contact area is less likely to cause damage and
is preferred to a small contact area.
Bolts, washers, and nuts placed in existing holes
can also be used as attachments for pulling. The vehicle
shown in Figure 8-15 was hit in the rear corner and
Anchor Corrective force
Point of impact
Figure 8-12. Folds can be removed from longitudinal
damage by exerting a corrective force that restores
panel length.
Figure 8-13. A—A small angle gives a large lift
reaction. B—A large angle gives a small lift reaction.
Pull
Pull
Anchor
Anchor
Small angle
A
B
Lift reaction
Large angle
Lift reaction

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Page 16Section 1 Introduction to Collision Repair click to expand contents

Page 136Section 2 Nonstructural Repairs click to expand contents

Page 302Section 3 Structural Repairs click to expand contents

Page 436Section 4 Mechanical and Electrical Repairs click to expand contents

Page 572Section 5 Refinishing click to expand contents

Page 784Section 6 Estimating and Certificaton click to expand contents

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