185 Chapter 9 Nonstructural Panel Repair
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Another way to raise metal is to use welded-on
draw pins. This method does not require access to the
back side of the panel. In this method, the low area is
stripped to bare metal. Draw pins are then welded to
the low area as shown in Figure 9-27. The pins can
then be raised with a slide hammer or a T-puller. This
method is fast and effective. However, it is easy to pull
the metal too far, creating a high spot. The high spot
will be work hardened and difficult to lower.
If the draw pin welder’s trigger is held down too
long, the pin will be welded deep into the metal. This
may make the pin weld so strong and the surrounding
metal so weak that when the pin is pulled, the metal
surrounding the weld will break. When this occurs, the
hole must be filled. A MIG welder can be used to fill
the hole. After filling, the built-up weld is then ground
flush. Another way to fill the hole is to use waterproof
filler. The filler can be applied to the low area, filling the
hole from the outside of the panel. The filler can also
be applied from the back side of the panel. If the hole
is accessible from the back side of the panel, remove
the paint from the back of the panel. Then apply filler
to the back side to bridge the hole. With either filler
method, the back side of the repair should be sprayed
with epoxy primer and rust proofing.
If a crease must be raised, several draw pins can
be welded close together along the crease. Duckbill
locking pliers and a slide hammer or a gang clamp
can then be used to grab onto the pins, as shown in
Figure 9-28. The clamp can be pulled with a slide
hammer or a come-along. After the damage has been
raised, the pins are removed by clipping them with
side cutters and then grinding off the remaining heads.
Instead of pins, washers can be welded to the panel
and then pulled. W-shaped wire can also be welded
onto a panel. The W-shaped wire can be welded to
a body line or a crease. The wire is then raised with
a claw handle. See Figure 9-29. For greater pulling
power, a 10-pound slide hammer can be attached to
the claw handle.
A damaged body line can be raised with a body
chisel. This requires access to the back of the panel.
The chisel face, if sharp, should be covered with
masking tape. This will prevent it from cutting into the
metal. To raise the body line, find the lowest point,
place the chisel on it, and hit the chisel with a ball peen
hammer. A body line is a strong area. A damaged
body line is even stronger. Light blows will probably not
move the body line enough to make a difference. Hard
blows are generally needed to move a damaged body
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 9-29. W-shaped wire can be welded in a
gouge. The wire is then pulled to raise the damage.
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 9-27. Draw pins are welded to this panel to
raise a low area.
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 9-28. Several draw pins can be raised at one
time.
Slide Sl Sl S S S S S id d d d d e e e e e
hammerrma h ha ha h ha h h h mm mm mm mm mm m m m mm m e e e er er er er er er r
Lockingi L Lo Lo Lo L Lo Lo Lo Lo Lo Lo Lo L o o o o L o o ck ck ck ck ck ck ck ck ck c ck ck ck ck in in in in n in in in n n n g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g
plliersi pl pl p pl pl pl pl pl pl pl pl pl pl p pl pl pl pl pl pl p p pl pl pl p p p p p p pl pl pl p p pl pl p pl pl l l p p p l p p pl pl p p p p pl p p p p pl pl p p p p p p p p p p p p p ie ie ie ie ie ie ie ie ie ie ie ie ie ie ie e ie ie ie e ie ie e e e ie e ie e e e ie e i ie e e ie e ie ie e e e e ie e e ie e ie ie e e ie ie i e ie ie ie e e ie e i i ie e e e e e e ie e ie i i ie r r r r r r r r r rs rs rs r r r r rs s r r r r r rs rs r r r rs r r r rs rs s s
W-shaped wire
Hook-type puller
Draw pin
welder