I thought I would just share a lesson I learned last night while working on the car. Awhile back I scored a really nice used front fender for my 70, totally rust free but had some damage on the front due to my guess is that the front bumper swung around and smacked it. It was cheap and being that Im a body man for a living pounding out that dent would be a piece of cake.

Its a pretty big dent in the front the fender so the old hammer and dollies and body file come out. As Im working out this dent its coming out so much nicer then I ever thought it would. Ive got a few hours now in this fender, picking out the low spots and using the file to find the high ones. Iam just amazed how nice this fender is coming Im thinking that maybe I might be able to fix this without any filler or just skim coat. All that remains is just a few low spots and its perfect.

I get done picking up the low spots and then I hear that horrible sound of an oil can, I stretched the metal. No big deal Ill just shrink it down and be on my way. Well it dindt want to be shrunk down using my first method so I tried another way I know of. That didnt work either, and now Ive got a bump about 3in around and its work hardened. And about the only way to fix a work hardened piece of metal is too remove and weld in a new piece. So now thats what Im doing cause I got greedy.

So I guess the moral is dont try and over work things cause you never know when its going to bite back. In my case I tried to get it perfect so I wouldnt have much filler and now Im gonna have much more.

sevt, I hope I'm posting soon enough to save you a lot of work! There's this "secret" shadetree method of correcting work-hardened metal like your's that I've perfected over the years. What you do is take a pick hammer and dolly, tap that that 3" outty lump until it becomes an inny. Slap a glob of bondo on that sucker before it can even think tin-canning and sand 'er down. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif Nobody will ever know unless the sneaky devils use a magnet. Works every time!

Seriously, I admire you dedicated sheet metal artists. I usually take the easy way out since I rarely do body/paint work on autos other than my own. I figure if God hadn't intended bondo to be used, he wouldn't have allowed it to be invented. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

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58 Impala & 96 Imp SS
67 Elco
72 Monte Carlo
78 Vette
92 Camaro

Hard to believe you couldnt shrink it. Did you use a torch, heating in small circles then cooling with a very wet rag? I've never failed to get good results this way. Make several small circles with the torch (one at a time)spread out just a little from each other.
Ron

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70 Chevelle SS396 (427)M21
66 Nova SS 327 M20
95 Z28 Convertible T56
Aces 3081, TC #54 Gold

Yep my first method was just using a shrinking hammer, then I tried the torch and the hammer and the wet rag. No good, I tried one last method and that failed. It was like the thing was trying to punish me for wanting it perfect, just to teach me a lesson that nothing in this world is perfect.

Vettefella Ill have to remember that on the drivers side fender. If God didnt intend for it to be used he wouldnt have invented it...thats a good one...Ill be thinking of that while Im welding in a new piece of metal...Later and have a good one Eric

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by vettefella:
What you do is take a pick hammer and dolly, tap that that 3" outty lump until it becomes an inny. Slap a glob of bondo on that sucker before it can even think tin-canning and sand 'er down. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thats what we call the Cave and Pave technique.Cave it in and pave it with mud. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/eek.gif

[This message has been edited by 70isfine (edited 12-02-2001).]

I thought of using that "Cave and Pave" method. But its not the way to go, those areas are under pressure or tension and sooner or later its gonna pop back out thus blowing out the bondo.

I wasnt really mad that I f***ed up my fender more mad that I should have known better. Its times like these I question my efforts, is it all gonna be worth it in the end...all this time and money will it pay off in the end? Its just a minor setback and I love a good challenge, everything that car from hell has thrown at me Ive conquered so I wont let some little bump get me down. Thanks for listening to my ramblings I appreciate it and have a good one...Eric