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Chapter 8 Nonstructural Panel Repair
line to within 1/8" (3.2 mm) of its proper height. Try
pulling first because the force is more controllable.
If a gang clamp is not available, weld a draw pin
to the lowest part of the body line and pull up the
body line. Continue this process, working the next
lowest portion, until the entire damaged area has
been raised to within 1/8" (3.2 mm) of its proper
height. Be careful not to raise the body line too high.
If this does happen, support the surrounding metal
as shown in Figure 8-43 and tap the body line down.
2. Leveling—Use a dinging hammer to tap down the
high spots around the low area. Pulling on the draw
pins holds the panel in place, preventing it from
moving down while tapping with the hammer. This
is similar to the way a dolly supports a panel while
hammering off dolly.
3. Stretching—The heat of the draw pin welder may
compound the problem of upset on the damaged
body line. If false stretch is present, lightly tap on
the straightened body line. This may eliminate the
problem.
4. Shrinking—To prevent chasing the dent, tighten the
metal around the area to be filled with a shrink fence.
The shrink fence may also correct a false stretch.
If false stretch is still present after the shrink fence
is made, try raising the body line. If the body line
cannot be raised further, use the draw pin welder to
shrink the false stretch.
Two-Sided Repair, No Body Line
In a two-sided repair that does not involve a body line,
both the inside and outside of the damage are worked.
The main concern is to prevent additional stretch to the
panel. This type of repair is performed as follows:
1. Raising—Use a dolly that is large enough to span the
dent and that has the same contour as the outside of
the panel. See Figure 8-44. If the dolly spans the dent,
it will prevent raising the metal too high. Tap the dent
with a pick hammer. Do not hit the dolly hard enough to
make it ring. Light blows are best. Gradually raise the
dent. If a dolly is not available, raise the dent by blind
Gang clamp Slide hammer
Figure 8-42. The body line is the strongest part of the
damage. The shaft of a slide hammer is shown pulling
the body line.
Figure 8-43. The body line on this panel has been
raised a little too high. Pulling on the draw pin with a
slide hammer will help support the panel while tapping
the body line down.
Dent
Dolly
Figure 8-44. Raising a dent with a pick hammer also
shrinks the panel.