The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Help the beginner with a big dent

So some [censored] hit my truck while parked in front of my house and put this nice dent in the bed. It's creased down at the bottom and at the top above the two holes you see in the pic. I'm a beginner when it comes to bodywork, much more skilled with a wrench than hammer and dolly.
Is a slide hammer (never even used one of these) my best bet for getting this pulled back out?
I can hammer and dolly the lower portion but, the upper half has the inner bed metal in the way. Don't think I can fit my hand and dolly in there to work that upper crease.
Those holes by the way are from an old tiedown point.
Can I get some suggestions please on how best to go about this?
[img]http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/7808/dsc001757ww.th.jpg[/img]

You can access the inner panel by taking off your tail light - and with a little luck be able to pop the dent out.Other wise you will have to weld on pins and use a slide hammer. My 59 fleet has what i call spear running down the side and I accessed through the tail light housing to pop out the crushed end of the spear.

I'd vote for the slide hammer too. I used a old-fashioned one where you have to drill holes in the metal to fasten it to the panel. After the crease was pulled out, the holes were covered in fiberglass body filler.

Now, they have nice ones that spot weld pins to the metal to affix the slide hammer. When you are done, you shear the pins off. Eastwood carries them (around $400 like this ). You may also be able to rent a set up from a tool rental shop.

Good luck.

Even taking the tail light out, I still have that inner panel in the way and not sure what I could get in there to pop anything out. I could of course jam something between the inner panel and dent and pry on it but, then I risk jacking up the inner panel.
Anything else besides a slide hammer and $400 stud welder? Any clever home brew stuff out there? Weld a piece of metal to the center, attach chain and pull out with my van?

ask around local body shops, maybe there's a guy who does work on the side, for cash and a few beers. doesn't hurt to ask!

Nope mugsy, plan B isn't going to work, because that's what the farmer I bought my '54 from tried.

He drilled some holes in a fender, hooked it to a tractor chain, and pulled. Made a heck of a mess and looked worse than the original wreck. It puckered out the holes (from the chain attachment) and made an outward crease besides. You can fill depressions with filler, but you need to have much better body skills than I've got to smooth down outward imperfections!

You can go the cheapie route like we did, and buy a screw-type slide hammer (maybe $50 or so). You'll have to drill a hole in the fender and then screw the slide hammer in (you've already got a couple of holes that might work anyway!). You'll need to back the holes with mesh and fill the holes with fiberglass body filler when you're done.

It isn't the best way, but it will likely be the cheapest way - and it's a lot better than trying to pull it out with your van. The bends in the steel back there add rigidity to the steel - so it is unlikely that the crease is going "pop" back out like you might see on a more modern vehicle or even in a more accessible panel area.

One word of advice - don't get a screw type slide hammer that doesn't have a replaceable tip. The hammering is going to strip the threads so you'll need to replace it as you go.

Alrighty, thanks for the advice everyone. Turns out my neighbor has a slide hammer and a couple other tools he said he'd let me borrow. So I'll give that a go.
-David

When pulling the dent, don't start in the middle. Work the dent out the way it was put it. Also, don't just put body filler over the holes, weld them up. You will regret it in 6 months otherwise.
Couple qucik tips. Good Luck!

Colin

Good points Colin!

Yep, was planning on welding the holes. The welding will be the only thing during the whole process that I know anything about!

This may sound funny, but try a toilet plunger. Wash the dent and wet the plunger, stick it on and pull.

[Wash the dent and wet the plunger, stick it on and put.]

Hey Barney, you spelled 'putt' wrong. I'd recommend a 9 iron myself. On a serious note are there any magnetic tools to do the trick? The new molydemium magnets are extreemly strong.

Hey, on a related note mugsy. I picked up two fenders and a deck lid yesterday from the junkyard for free (my favorite word) for practicing body work & painting. I plan on doing some repair practice and also giving the 'paint your truck with a roller' a try.

My whole truck is for practicing!