According to statistics, every day one in 200 cars gets into an accident. Most often, after that, it can be repaired, including by yourself. And an important role in car repair is played by the ability to determine the complexity of a dent on the body and apply punching and straightening techniques to it.
Necessary
straightening and chased hammers, mallets, straightening files, putty, grinder
Instructions
Step 1
When repairing the front or rear fender, first remove the corresponding wheel and headlight (taillight). Before repairing a damaged door, remove the interior trim and door trim. Before straightening the rear, remove the bumper, install a 4 cm thick plank in the trunk. Use a hydraulic jack with a wooden support.
Step 2
General advice: start to remove large dents in the body from the edges. Small - from the middle. When working with a straightening hammer, place a support on the other side of the sheet to be cut. Hold it with a slight deviation from the point of impact. Alternate support and hammer strikes. Make sure that the dent you are fixing does not turn into a bulge.
Step 3
Large dents are more than 10-20 mm deep and more than 20 cm2 in area. When repairing it, use a support or stretch to squeeze out the dent. Perform the drift with frequent blows, tapping the edges with a gradual approach to the center. Do not try to repair the damage with one blow. This can only break the metal. After the initial processing of the boundaries, check the results of the work performed.
Step 4
Remove small dents with light hammer blows from the edges to the center on the back of the dent. If several dents are close together, first stretch them into one large dent, which will be easier to make using the one-sided straightening method.
Step 5
To repair the dent in the back of the car, place a jack in the trunk and use it to squeeze the metal out to its original state. Do not remove the jack immediately. Remove any remaining dents with a soft blow with a supported hammer. To remove dents on the stiffeners, place a wooden block wrapped in cloth under the rib.
Step 6
Begin straightening after the initial definition of the indentation boundaries. Tap on the back of the dent and hold the support on the front. With frequent blows, straighten the metal in the areas where it is stretched. Start one-sided straightening at the edges of the dent, directing efforts from the edges of the defect towards the center. If the metal is severely deformed, first perform a rough straightening and then a fine finish. Straighten out protrusions at the edges of the deformed areas with light, frequent blows from the sharp end of the hammer.
Step 7
Make sure that the metal does not stretch further. Knock out the appearing bumps on the face of the part to be repaired with a chased hammer using light, frequent blows. Apply the blows themselves just above the undamaged surfaces. Remove small irregularities formed after straightening with a straightening file with a large arcuate notch. Keep the file in the same direction throughout the entire work. If possible - along the part, starting from the deformed area.
Step 8
After sanding, cover the straightened area with several coats of putty. Smooth out the surface of the bodywork after the putty with an electric sander.
