Ever wonder how a body shop pro repairs dented sheetmetal? Especially when you can’t access the inner side of a damaged fender? It’s actually a little simpler than you might expect.
The process starts with using a disc sander to take the paint off, right down to bare metal. Then a copper pin is welded to the center of the spot, using a stud welder, also called a Uni-Spotter. This gives the bodyman something to grab onto with a slide hammer, which he uses to pop out the dent. A bit of elbow grease and a few extra pulls might be needed for deeper dents.
Once the indent is raised to more or less the level of the surrounding area, the copper pin is cut off, and a sanding block smoothes out any imperfections before body filler is applied. Once the filler dries, additional sanding is required to feather the edges of the spot so the surface is as smooth as the adjacent sheetmetal. Then it’s ready for primer and paint. That wasn’t so hard, was it?
Source: Toby Goodman, Liberty Collision, 1675 Ormand Court, Reno, NV 89502, (775) 329-3368
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