184 Section 2 Nonstructural Repairs
picking. Be very careful using this method. The picking
will reduce the surface area of the dent.
2. Picking and filing—File across the dent. Bright shiny
areas indicate high spots. There may be a high spot
surrounding the dent. Lower the high spots by pick-
ing, while supporting the panel from underneath
with a dolly. Do not hit the dolly when picking.
Two-Sided Repair, Body Line
When performing a two-sided repair that involves
a body line, the body line is the strongest part of the
damage and, therefore, must be corrected first. Most of
the damage in the low-crown area will be raised with the
body line.
The steps in performing this type of repair are as
follows:
1. Raising—Raise the body line with a body chisel. See
Figure 8-45. The body line will resist movement, so
hard blows on the chisel may be required to raise
the body line. Make sure to raise the body line to its
proper height.
2. Stretching—Damaged body lines are often upset. To
correct the upset and false stretch, place the chisel
on the back side of the body line and push out. From
the outside, lightly hammer on the chisel to stretch
out the body line.
3. Picking and filing—File across the damaged areas
adjacent to the body line. Look for shiny spots that
indicate high areas. Lower the high areas by picking,
while supporting the panel from underneath with a
dolly. Do not hit the dolly when picking.
4. Shrinking—Make a shrink fence around the area
to be filled to prevent “chasing the dent” across the
panel. The shrink fence will tighten up the metal.
Arrowheads
Arrowheads are caused by lateral force on a high-
crown panel. The arrowhead is an area of upset. The
strongest part of the damage is the area at the point of
the arrowhead. See Figure 8-46.
One-Sided Repair, No Body Line
The steps in performing a one-sided arrowhead
repair that does not involve a body line are as follows:
1. Raising—Remove the paint from the repair area.
Weld draw pins in the low spots at each arrowhead.
See Figure 8-47. Starting with the upper left pin and
working clockwise, pull each pin out slightly with the
slide hammer. Repeat the sequence, gradually pull-
ing up each pin. Continue working the pins up, being
careful not to pull the damage too high. Once the
damaged metal is raised to within 1/8" of its proper
height, begin the leveling process.
2. Leveling—While pulling out with the slide hammer, tap
down the ridge around the arrowhead with a flat-faced
Chisel
Figure 8-45. A body chisel is used to move the body
line out. Note that the face of this chisel is covered with
green masking tape to prevent it from cutting the metal.
Figure 8-46. These are the parts of an arrowhead. The
point of the arrowhead is the strongest part of the damage.
Figure 8-47. This damage has several arrowheads. Draw
pins are welded at the low areas of each arrowhead.
Arrowhead
Shaft
Arrowhead side
Arrowhead point
Arrowhead side
Draw pins