11 replies to this topic

[rowanxx]

Starting sanding my shell down to bare metal, and started rubbing away what I thought was just primer. Turns out it was actually Approx 0.5mm of filler covering the small dents in the roof. Any suggestions for removing the dents?

[Tamworthbay]

Gently tap them out from the inside. If you have t already got any, machine mart do a reasonable set of bodywork hammers and dollies cheap.

[sonikk4]

Be very careful with the roof as its a compound curve and you can easily go the opposite way. If the metal has stretched then you wont achieve anything.

[rowanxx]

I have a feeling that the dents have stretched the metal, as they are fairly large but not very deep. Any way of shrinking the metal?

[sonikk4]

There are ways of doing it BUT its a skill set that few people have. Personally i would go for a skim of filler rather than trying to sort it out. The roof on the special i have been welding is badly distorted and i feel beyond saving however the owner Will feels he may be able to do something. Me personally i would bin the roof skin and fit another.

[Tupers]

It is possible to shrink steel by heating, quenching and planishing the stretched areas. It takes a lot of practise and expertise and on a panel as big as a roof you're more likely to destroy it that fix it. 

[Daz1968]

I wouldn't think 0.5mm of filler over the roof dents is not a lot, if you try removing them may need much more than 0.5mm thickness to hide them again.

Edited by Daz1968, 22 October 2014 - 09:12 PM.

[Cooperman]

High build primer can be built up to over 0.5 mm with no problems.

It is not worth fitting a new roof panel for dents as small as that.

[sonikk4]

There are ways of doing it BUT its a skill set that few people have. Personally i would go for a skim of filler rather than trying to sort it out. The roof on the special i have been welding is badly distorted and i feel beyond saving however the owner Will feels he may be able to do something. Me personally i would bin the roof skin and fit another.

 

The last statement by the way is not about the OP's car but the one i have been working on.

[Coxie]

Had a specialist in to straighten my roof as much as possible. He first went all over the roof knocking down the high spots before straightening from the inside.
Did a fantastic job considering how dented it was but even he said it would be impossible to get perfect and still need a skim here and there.
Nothing wrong with a tiny skim of filler.

[Ben_O]

When repairing dents like this, i would never recommend tapping the dents out from the inside.

 

Instead, use your dolly to gently push the dent up from the inside whilst planishing around the edges of the dent with your panel hammer from above. This reduces stretching a great deal but obviously only suitable if the dent is shallow.

 

Anything more than a shallow dent should be left to a pro if you don't want to use filler. As has been said, it takes many years of training and practice t perfect the skills required to do it properly.

 

Unfortunately these skills are dying out and the latest generation of panel beaters are getting very little actual panel beating training as the trade no longer really requires that skill.

 

Shame.

 

Ben

[167ade]

the new generation of panel beaters probs wouldnt have a clue where to start if they were asked to pop dents out of a roof they would just reach for a tin of filler lol