191 Chapter 9 Nonstructural Panel Repair
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
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 9-44. 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 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 picking, while supporting the panel from
underneath with a dolly. Do not hit the dolly when
picking.
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Figure 9-43. 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.
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Figure 9-42. The body line is the strongest part of the
damage. The shaft of a slide hammer is shown pulling
the body line.
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Figure 9-44. Raising a dent with a pick hammer also
shrinks the panel.
Gang clamp Slide hammer
Dent
Dolly