Today I tackled a little dent in my rear fender. A body shop wanted $250 to pound out a little dent. So I bought a bodywork hammer for $5, took off the rear tire, got out my lantern to light up the inside of the wheel well to see what I was doing, picked up a short piece of 1 by 4 from the wood pile to hold on the opposite side of the dent, and pounded out this little dent. Gently with little taps and patience. I could not find my bondo and needed only a thimble full so I sprayed on my touch up paint to prevent rust and tomorrow off to Pep Boys for some bondo. I've done a lot of body work over the years. You would be surprised at the wrecks I have restored with a piece of 2 by 4 and a sledge hammer. This little dent was a piece of cake and took me 5 minutes. Taking off the wheel took longer. If anyone is a perfectionist like me I encourage you to dedicate a few hours to tap out those little dents and learn the art of bondo work. The trick is to use as little bondo as possible. My final repair will take less than 1/2 thimble full of bondo to fill in the little creases I could not tap out. William |
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