Filling dents in hood

[sc2_ct]

Well, I've started doing a little of the body work in preparation for painting my car once it warms up, and I was wondering what suggestions people had for smoothing out a couple of shallow dents in the hood (right along the front edge in the center by the latch). I was thinking of just pulling them out a bit and then smoothing with body-filler, but I am concerned about cracking since this section of the hood will probably be prone to a lot of forces from the hood opening and closing. I figure there might be someone out there who has had to do this that can tell me how this method has held up over time.

 

[Gary 420A RS]

this is what i did... first i drilled a whole where the dent is. and i pulled it to par with the rest of the car.. used a ball point hammer to get it right after i pulled it and the used a tig welder to weld in the whole.. bondo and sanded after that.. and it came out smooth... but if you never done it before be careful and practice makes perfect.. i know i left out some steps but i dont want to be the cause of your down fall.. damb well in that case i realy didnt help... haha soryy..

 

[sc2_ct]

Thanks, that's what I was looking for. I've got plenty of body work experience from previous cars, I was just worried about the stresses on that area and whether it would cause the filler to crack over time. I'm going to spend a lot of time on it so that I can use the thinnest layer of filler possible (Rage Gold most likely).

The car I got has a couple of dents (hood, fender, a couple little door dings), and shot paint, but the thing that sealed the deal for me is that there isn't a hint of rust on it anywhere (and this is a 93 car that's been in NJ since it rolled off the lot ). I've got lots of work ahead of me, but this is the only part that really had me wondering if I needed to replace a panel. Thanks again!

 

[SurgeGT]

ummmm...for what its worth i would try to avoid drilling a hole. you should be able to get behind it with a pick and different size body spoons. you should even get a better result that if you did drill a hole and pull it that way (hard to explain in detail..but its the nature of metal. its easier and more desireable to 'iron' out a dent from the edges of the dent than to try and pull it from the stretched metal...)

a unispotter would be youre best bet...followed by getting behind it with decent tools. i'd avoid any drilling unless ALL your options have been exhausted.

 

[sc2_ct]

On the 1g hood and where the dent is, I can't get behind the panel to do it that way since the only thing I could fit in there would be a skinny screwdriver (there's no openings in the hood frame under where the dents are, so I'd have to cut a big hole in the metal in order to get in there. I may try JB-welding a screw to the metal and pulling it out that way and then just grinding it down, since I myself don't like drilling holes much either.

 

[zachakagoat]

If you do decide to use body filler and you're worried about cracking you could use the kittty hair bondo that has fiberglass built into it, it is quite a bit stronger than normal bondo, also if you think it wont stick real well you can drill a few small holes for the bondo to seep down into and get a nice hold so it wont crack. just a few ideas it all depends on how perfect you want it to be, show car or daily driver ya know

 

[SurgeGT]

sorry zach..if you like your car NEVER drill holes for filler to 'hold onto' filler is porous. water and moisture WILL seep into the holes you created...rusting in time and finnally cracking and falling out even with no pressure.

if thats the case...try and get your hands on a unispotter. they spot weld pins onto metal and you make your pull using...geez..im forgetting the name...anyway it grabs the pin...and a weighted handle slides along a rod taht slowly and safely 'hammers' out the dent.

thats what you should do..if youre sure you cant get behind it (you do know they make tools that message the metal flat from behind through a hole as small as half and inch or so?) if i rememebr correctly theyre called picks...they heavy steel rods with an angled, rolled and rounded tip. you stick em into little holes, reach over and find your dent and slowly message the dent flat.

trust me...try those first if you like your car and are concerned with a good job.

 

[Defiant]

There's too many dead DSMs around. I'd not fiddle with bodywork on a hood, I'd just grab another. What's your time worth?

 

[97GS-TSpyder]

Or you can always go carbon fiber or fiberglass. That seems like an awful lot of work for such an easy piece to replace.

 

[sc2_ct]

The dents are only about 2" in diameter and 1/8" thick, so since I will be repainting the car anyway, it's just a bit of the bodywork I need to do. I'm not real interested in CF on this car since other than brakes and suspension bushings, the only performance modification will be a boost gauge and manual lo/hi MBC. I could go and get another hood, but I'd end up having to re-paint the new one anyway to make it match. I started in on it today and hit it with dry ice on top and a propane torch underneath and it popped out most of the way, so now I just need to sand out the high spots and fill the lows -- should be pretty easy from here.

Thanks for all the great suggestions everyone.