The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Grill Dents

Do any of you body guys have advice on tools & techniques for straightening out grill dents? I have a chrome '54 grill that's actually in pretty good shape so I don't want to mess up the finish. These dents can be tapped out rather than pounded.

Should I use wood as a dolly? Are there any household dools (sockets?) that can be used to contour the tight bends? Any advice would be great.

Don't beat on the chrome surface. Use a metal or hard object with the original radius on the back side of the grille and tap with a hammer, (use a leather bag filled with sand to lay the chrome surface on,) untill you bring the surface back to the original contour. If there are sharp creases or streached metal you may not be able to restore without damage to chrome.

I found out that the chrome doesn't always stay attached to the metal when you straighten it out! I have seen where they use hand fashioned wooden drifts to accomplish the job.

Thanks for the input. After doing a bit of tapping, I realized I have the capacity to do more harm than good. Some day I'll have it straightened, but for now its got "character and charm".