Tips On Backyard Bodywork - Home Study

After the filler was ground away on the front of the hood it was obvious the area around the emblem had been damaged and filled. Double panel construction made it impossible to reach the back of the dented portion for repair.

To pull the dents, Jake used a “stud gun” that spot welds “nails” to the damaged area.

Here the nails have been attached to all the areas that are low. When the damage is repaired the nails are trimmed by cutting off the stem and the remainder is removed with a grinder.

A special slide hammer grabs the nail; the slide is then used to pull up on the damaged area. In some cases when a dolly or spoon can’t back up the damaged area the slide hammer is used to apply upward pressure while the surrounding area is knocked down with a body hammer.

Some telltale rust bubbles on the leading edge of the hood led Jake to some rust damage hidden under some filler.

To make the necessary repair the rusted outer skin was cut away with an abrasive wheel.

An electric shear was used to cut a patch panel from 16-gauge sheetmetal.

With the outer skin cut away rust damage to the inner panel was apparent. It would also have to be cut out and patched.

The rust in the inner and outer panels was cut away. The marks on the outside of the hood indicated the size of the patch needed for the inner panel.

The inner patch was cut for a flush fit. It was put in position and tack welded from the front.

The finish welding on the inner patch was finished from the back. The welds were later ground smooth.

The outer patch was cut to fit flush, it was then tack welded in place.

Repeated tack welds were made, and then the areas between the tacks were filled in until the patch was welded solid.

With the metal work done the repaired areas were given a skim coat of filler.

After an initial light sanding with a dual action sander with 80-grit, the repaired areas were sprayed with flat-black paint to act as a guide coat.

The key to getting sheetmetal straight is block sanding. Here the guide coat is sanded to indicate any high or low spots. Minor imperfections can be fixed with the application of primer/surfacer and more block sanding.

After grinding the welds and applying a thin coat of filler the patched area looked like this after blocking. Note the bare metal areas, indicating those are high spots. Another thin coat of filler was all it took to make the repaired area flat.

Some filler was required in the area around the emblem. First, it was sprayed with guide coat. Then, to preserve the peak in the hood and keep it straight, Jake applied several layers of tape to the right of the peak.

Using a flexible block, Jake sanded the filler on the right side of the hood up to the edge of the tape. With one side done, the other side of the peak was taped and the left side of the hood was sanded to the tape. The end result was a perfectly straight peak.

To fill any minor imperfections, such as pinholes, a coat of finishing glaze was applied to the repaired areas.

With the repairs made the entire hood was sanded with 320-grit paper in preparation for primer.

Sanded and wiped down with prep solvent, the entire hood was then primed.

With the hood repaired Jake can now turn his attention to the rest of the body. Eventually the hood will receive more primer/surfacer and the entire truck will be block sanded in preparation for paint.