how hard would it be to fix this?

[DDualan]

I have a body shop at my disposal just gotta do the work myself, haven't done this kind of work before but the guys at the shop will lend me a hand when there not busy.

I want to fix it myself just so I can learn there is also a dent in my rear bumper is it possible to pop a dent out of a bumper?

Thanks for the help

 

[AKeclipseGSX]

Yes, it's possible to pop out or pound out a dent and it's fairly easy.

It looks like you just have to respray the bumper cover and that one fender with the scraths on it, the other you want to grind it up, hammer it out and bondo it to smooth to the body line.

If you have a body shop and people that work there willing to help, that would be really easy.

 

[TSIturbo91]

Take the fenders off and secure them to a saw horse for a easy way to pound out the dents and do the work for a first timer. If the one is just scratched leave it on. But if it's your first time it can really help to have it off the car.

Don't grind it down till the dent is fixed. Use a hammer and dolly. The light and reflection from the paint will help you see your high and low spots. Once the dent is as close to factory as you can get it then grind the paint off. Clean it off, apply bondo as needed. Less is more with bond so get the metal as close as you can. Sand down the bondo to match your body lines and once your happy it's time for primer. Always prep the surface your putting primer on or painting. Then block sand the primer, wet sand it and check your work if you don't have to fix anything then scuff your primer and I use a sealer before paint. Seal it then throw on your base coat, finish painting it and clear it. Let dry, wet sand dirt spots(if any) then buff

That's the general idea. Id say your looking at a whole day maybe 2 time wise. Depending on skill level it could be 3. Let me know if ya have any questions or want more detail. I'm an open book if your will to learn. I was taught by a master painter for about 3 years. And I'm a master detailer so I got lots of info on body shop tech.

 

[DDualan]

if you want to break it down more that would be great

I appreciate the heelp

 

[supermario300hp]

this is just my suggestion. If i were you instead of doing this and having the possibilty of it looking like shit when your done. why not buy two oem fenders, and a front bumper and have them sprayed. body parts for our cars can be had for dirt cheap via ebay, vendors, or classifieds. If your looking to brush up on your autobody skills youll still have your dented up fenders to practice on. youll save yourself alot of time and headaches. keep in mind this is coming from someone who hates doing body work.

 

[2GbTalonGuy]

A trick to getting dents out of bumpers is to use a heat gun and heat up the plastic. That helps it return to it's original shape. Heat it up and push it back to shape. You should be able to get it pretty close, then use a thin layer of filler and some sanding to get it smooth.

 

[DDualan]

Alright sounds good
I am very confident that I can get the body work done and looking amazing if not then ya I'll buy the parts but I want to try first.

Just needed some tips on how to get it done which is why I turned here

 

[TSIturbo91]

Well first wash the car good. The less dirt the better. If you plan on leaving your fenders on just drop all the plastics in your way and hammer and dolly it out. Get it as close as you can and remember no High Spot should be higher then your fenders original body line. After the dent is as good as it will get you move to Bondo. Bondo is a finishing product for metal work. So less is better. Plus less bondo less sanding.

Now to apply Bondo just grind the paint off the dented area and in a big enough area your bondo won't be spread on paint. Bondo is for metal and may not stick to paint as well leading to flaws in the work that could cause cracks. Before applying your bondo clean the surface off to get rid of grease and general contaminants. Then get your bondo mixed with the catalyst and sparingly apply it to the bare metal filling the low spots. Once your dents low spots are filled add a little bit more to the top. This should be as easy as buttering toast. But get it done quick. Once your bondo is mixed it's starting to dry and harden.

Now while it's hardening on your fender you can use a body file to grate the excess off. Looks like a cheese grater. If you shave off the excess sanding won't take as long. So once you get the excess off just let it finish drying and use a long sanding block to smooth it out to your fenders curve. I would suggest hand tools over power tools. A DA sander is faster but not if you sand to much and have to put more bondo on.

Once your dent is fixed and you can't feel damage it's time for primer. Once again clean your surface. Spray your primer on in sweeping motions. You want the edges of the primer to be soft. Hard edges will cause an undesired result in the paints appearance. Once your primer is dry check for high and low spots by dusting over a coat of black paint. Just so its spotted on lightly. It will be a guide coat. Once the guide coat is dry block sand it down and if you have a low spot pain should still be in it and let you know where, how big and another coat or two of primer should help fill in a low spot if it's small. After your primer is dry and all your low spots gone its time for paint.

If your all set for paint it's time to clean the surface (see a pattern yet?) Prep work is the most important key to a good paint job. Even the natural oils from your skin can cause the paint to lift. So gloves on for your final wipe down. You can either tape off the cars fenders and bumper or do it right and blend the paint into the doors. Blending the paint, when done right will make a transition from old paint to new paint more gradual. This is done because a panel to panel match up will be very easy to see work was done.

I left out the sandpaper grit ratings and other technical data that can be found on line and you tube. There's many different sources out there on that but seeing as your doing the work in a body shop just pick the brain of the best tech there. It will first of all show your interest in the trade and second doing the job right. Most seasoned techs will help that guy more than the guy that's says generally how do I do it fast and cheap. Because that guy will only put a minimal amount of effort and then have a million questions why sh!t goes wrong. So most guys avoid the nuisance of helping "that guy" in the first place. If you take pride in your work it will show.

 

[zArlen]

The dent in the rear bumper can be heated with a heat gun and gently pushed back into place. Try to use as little heat as possible. After that it can be sanded down with 180 and you can spread a thin layer of mud and BLOCK SAND it out. Search on amazon for durablock brand sanding blocks. Its like 40 bucks for a kit from amazon if I remember right. You're going to want to use a sanding block to sand down any filler to get it straight and smooth. As for the front. I'd just remove both front fender because they're going to need paint work and whatnot anyway and you'll be able to save yourself from having to mask off the entire car, as well as make it easier to work on. TP tools sells Martin hammers and dollies if I remember right, or you can borrow a hammer and dolly from someone else... just make sure to take your time and use light taps to take that dent out of the front fender. A lot of lighter hits > just a few hard smacks. It's tricky but get it as smooth as you can, sand or grind the paint off and make sure any paint edges around the bare steel are feathered out and transition into the old pain smoothly. After that, you're ready for mud on the fender as well. Apply a layer and block sand it out when dry. For block sanding I usually knock most of the filler off with 80 grit, and then switch to 150 to make it smooth enough for primer. The front bumper may be a little different... it's hard to see just how deep the scratches are, but they might be able to be sanded most of the way out and then prime and paint the bumper.

Also, guys use the term "bondo" loosely. I do NOT recommend using Bondo brand fillers at all. They sand like concrete and are just garbage. For your body filler I recommend Rage Gold. Just do a search or contact your local paint/body supplier and you'll find it. It's a popular mud.

TSI Turbo had a good point as well. If you have any questions at all go pick the brains of the guys at the shop. They're one of your most valuable resources.

I will say though if you have never sprayed paint before, while blending into the door is the best way to make the car look like it was never repaired, I think it might be too difficult for someone that's just learning to pull off correctly. It could become a mess in a hurry, and in NO way am I trying to insult you I promise. Another option is to do all of the bodywork and prime and sand the area yourself and take it to the shop for them just to base/clear it.

 

[TSIturbo91]

I used "bondo" because I didn't want to write Body filler every time. Didn't mean to suggest a specific brand. It's like saying Q-tip or Klenex.

 

[zArlen]

I used "bondo" because I didn't want to write Body filler every time. Didn't mean to suggest a specific brand. It's like saying Q-tip or Klenex.

No no, that was the point i was making. I do the same thing when I talk to people in person. I say bondo all the time as just a general term. I only pointed it out because more often than not when someone tries body work for the first time at home and they here "bondo", they go to the auto part store and buy the actual bondo brand product. Just didn't want him to do the same thing. That stuff makes learning body work a real challenge. haha

Sorry if I came off wrong TSI

 

[TSIturbo91]

No no, that was the point i was making. I do the same thing when I talk to people in person. I say bondo all the time as just a general term. I only pointed it out because more often than not when someone tries body work for the first time at home and they here "bondo", they go to the auto part store and buy the actual bondo brand product. Just didn't want him to do the same thing. That stuff makes learning body work a real challenge. haha

Sorry if I came off wrong TSI

No worries, I was only noting the band name thing.

 

[DDualan]

Thanks guys should be starting this sometime in the next week or two, will post a build thread, definitely painting the whole car the clear is starting to fade in some spots and I want it to look mint all around.

I appreciate the help, I'm trying to ask them as little as possible cause I want to enlist one of the guys help to spray the car =D that is why i turned here first.

Thanks again guys!