Body work help/advice needed

[GSX26]

Alright, so the shell I bought has some dents that need to be fixed and I also picked up some 2gb bumpers and sideskirts that have a little damage. I have never done any body work, so I need your guys help. I've been reading various threads and googling how to paint a car, and I have the jist of the prepping like sanding, body filler and putty (kind of), taping, spraying, etc. I don't really understand how to get out the dents I have in the pictures below or how to do repairs on bumpers and sideskirts. I think they're urethane (correct me if I'm wrong) so I didn't know what to use to repair it. Also, I have a picture of scuffs on the bottom of the front bumper, those just get sanded smooth, correct? Thanks for helping a newbie out! I appreciate any advice on these problems and the body work/prepping and painting procedure in general. Thanks!

This is the biggest dent in the rear quarter panel. I do have an eclipse that's rear quarter is in good condition if I'd need to cut and weld it in, but I'd prefer not to do that, as I've never welded.

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On the passenger side roof, I have two dents. The one pictured and a smaller one a bit further forward.

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Here's a picture of the tear in the front bumper.

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And this is the slit/cut in the sideskirt.

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This is the scuffs that are on the front bumper, just wondering if they can just be sanded smooth or if there's something else that needs to be done to them.

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Sorry for the long post, thanks again guys!

 

[jesselyons2002]

The dent on the roof can be tooking out if you called paintless dent repair. I don't know about the dent on the quarter panel, but you can ask. The scuff on the bottom bumper has to repainted.

I would still go with the paint dent repair. Search paint repair on youtube and your see what they can do. There also cheap and you don't need to anything with the paint or even stick screws or rivets.

 

[TURBOKIDD90GST]

For the dent in the 1/4. Take apart the trunk interior and see if you can access it from there. If you can just push on it and get as much of it out as you can. They make dent pullers that you can use also. Normally you put in some screws in the damaged area and use a slide hamer to pull them out. Most auto parts carry these for around 25 bucks.

 

[stagen]

+1 on taking out the hatch plastics and pushing it out. I cant tell from the pic, but as long as it isnt creased it shouldnt be too bad. Maybe a little persuasion with a rubber malet from the inside. Just get it to pop out to roughly its normal shape and if you have to, use some filler and repaint.
For the bumper and side skirts you can get bumper repair filler/glue at you local parts store. Its in a little tube. Its some type of plastic filler so it works well on bumpers and such that flex a little bit. It was like $5-$6 for the stuff. Just sand and paint. Same for that scuff on the bottom, just sand smooth and paint. Good luck!

 

[GSX26]

Thanks for the tips everyone, I really appreciate it. I'll try getting to the dent from the interior. The car is getting painted anyways, so I figured paintless dent removal would be costly and not necessary in my case. I'll let you guys know how it turns out. Thanks.

 

[twoTSis]

For the quarter panel dent...it's not as drastic as cutting and welding. Take a small 2x4 and take off the rear interior panels. My buddies' car had the same kind of dent in the same place and that's how he got rid of it.

 

[aikeneclipse]

For the slit in the bumper you dont wnat to sand it all the way out if its deep because you'll have wavy spots.But you if plan to paint it then I'd sand around it with like 180 and then just fill it with a small amount of body filler.It'll take it right out.Also For the bumper if its torn, you can use a panel adhesive and sand agian with 180 on the underside of the bumper clap it back like you want it, then use somthing like fiberglass mat or somthing wide that will cover over the slit and then just spread the adhesive over the mat and let it dry.Then on the other side do just like you do the little slit in the side skirt.Then prime and paint.

 

[Scrymerr]

The quarter panel on the 2g is very difficult to access from the inside, and you will most likely not have much luck, however it is the best option to try first. After you try that, do NOT listen to the guy who said to use sheetmetal screws and a slidehammer- it is not the 70's anymore. Putting holes in the panel is the wrong way to repair it in this case. The better way would be to get a stud welder. It is a very simple tool that you can pick up at harbor freight for around $100, if I remember correctly. After attempting to push the dent out with whatever you have from the inside, use some type of grinder with a coarse (36-50 grit) sanding wheel on it to remove the paint on and around the dent. Then use the stud welder to weld studs onto the panel as needed, and then by using the included slidehammer, and various body hammers, you will be able to finesse the steel panel to look very close to its original shape. The studs can just be clipped off very easily, and will not leave holes. After the metal is straightened as good as possible, apply bodyfiller and sand it to the original shape of the panel. To do this you will need some 40 grit sandpaper and a couple different blocks. Once the shape has been formed fairly well, continually step the sandpaper grit up to 80, and then 180 being your final sand. By then it should have the same shape as it did before. Next, sand the area around the dent with 180 on an orbital sander, and feather out the existing paint so there is a smooth transition between metal and paint. The panel is pretty much ready for primer.

I hope that is an adequate rundown of the general dent repair process to get you started. It is very easy to do. This method should always be used only when paintless dent repair is not possible, but like I said before, I doubt this will be possible in your case. Other cases, it is amazing what some of those good PDR guys can do.

For the bumper, I would ditch it. You will be far better off investing in an aftermarket one for around $150. It will come ready to scuff and shoot.

Let me know if there is anything else you need.

 

[GSX26]

For the slit in the bumper you dont wnat to sand it all the way out if its deep because you'll have wavy spots.But you if plan to paint it then I'd sand around it with like 180 and then just fill it with a small amount of body filler.It'll take it right out.Also For the bumper if its torn, you can use a panel adhesive and sand agian with 180 on the underside of the bumper clap it back like you want it, then use somthing like fiberglass mat or somthing wide that will cover over the slit and then just spread the adhesive over the mat and let it dry.Then on the other side do just like you do the little slit in the side skirt.Then prime and paint.

Thanks for the advice... the slit in the sideskirt goes all the way through. Is the body filler special for sideskirts or the same filler used on the rest of the car?

 

[GSX26]

The quarter panel on the 2g is very difficult to access from the inside, and you will most likely not have much luck, however it is the best option to try first. After you try that, do NOT listen to the guy who said to use sheetmetal screws and a slidehammer- it is not the 70's anymore. Putting holes in the panel is the wrong way to repair it in this case. The better way would be to get a stud welder. It is a very simple tool that you can pick up at harbor freight for around $100, if I remember correctly. After attempting to push the dent out with whatever you have from the inside, use some type of grinder with a coarse (36-50 grit) sanding wheel on it to remove the paint on and around the dent. Then use the stud welder to weld studs onto the panel as needed, and then by using the included slidehammer, and various body hammers, you will be able to finesse the steel panel to look very close to its original shape. The studs can just be clipped off very easily, and will not leave holes. After the metal is straightened as good as possible, apply bodyfiller and sand it to the original shape of the panel. To do this you will need some 40 grit sandpaper and a couple different blocks. Once the shape has been formed fairly well, continually step the sandpaper grit up to 80, and then 180 being your final sand. By then it should have the same shape as it did before. Next, sand the area around the dent with 180 on an orbital sander, and feather out the existing paint so there is a smooth transition between metal and paint. The panel is pretty much ready for primer.

I hope that is an adequate rundown of the general dent repair process to get you started. It is very easy to do. This method should always be used only when paintless dent repair is not possible, but like I said before, I doubt this will be possible in your case. Other cases, it is amazing what some of those good PDR guys can do.

For the bumper, I would ditch it. You will be far better off investing in an aftermarket one for around $150. It will come ready to scuff and shoot.

Let me know if there is anything else you need.

Thanks for the tips on getting that dent out... I will try from the inside, but like you said and what I thought, is that it's tough to get to from the inside. As for the bumper, I bought an aftermarket one for my last car and the fitment was complete crap. I thought the OEM would fit a lot better. I might consider scrapping it though because the area where the fog light bezels screw in has been shaved off, so I can't think of a way to mount bezels in that space (no screw hole anymore) and I don't want to leave them open really. Anyone have a suggestion for that, or new bumper?

 

[TjPhillips36]

I would get a OEM bumper from eBay. I have heard really good things about the fitment on them. And have one myself that fits really well. Just get the non-painted one though.

 

[Scrymerr]

I would get a OEM bumper from eBay. I have heard really good things about the fitment on them. And have one myself that fits really well. Just get the non-painted one though.

When I said to get an aftermarket bumper, this is what I was referring too- an OEM style, but aftermarket manufacturer. I bought one for my car, as well as my brother's RS eclipse. You can see fitment in my gallery pictures. A Mitsubishi cover will fit better, but other than a few minor imperfections, I am very happy with my aftermarket bumper cover.

 

[GSX26]

When I said to get an aftermarket bumper, this is what I was referring too- an OEM style, but aftermarket manufacturer. I bought one for my car, as well as my brother's RS eclipse. You can see fitment in my gallery pictures. A Mitsubishi cover will fit better, but other than a few minor imperfections, I am very happy with my aftermarket bumper cover.

Yeah, I know what you meant. I had an OEM style 97-99 on my last talon, but from an aftermarket company, and I thought fitment was just ok. The bottom seemed to be warped once it was on (which took a lot of pulling and maneuvering to even get on) and I had to ziptie the bottom up to various points on the car. Maybe I just got a bad one, I don't know. I'll try repairing this one and if it looks bad, I'll junk it and go for an ebay one, hopefully getting a good one this time.

 

[GSX26]

So much for getting to the dent in the rear quarter from the inside. I ripped apart the whole interior and there's no way to get to it. I'll have to wait until I get that tool I guess...