Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Showcase and Stories, Petroliana ROTM - FIXING A LARGE DENT

This is the first ROTM, of what I hope to be many. This month we will be a feature on fixing a large dent on the side of a Tokheim 39. This is a project I just finished so this is what you get. HAHA. I am by no means an expert in body repair, but would just like to share what I have learned for the benefit of everyone who belongs to this site. Anybody can do this stuff, you just have to go do it. I am still taking volunteers for other ROTM. Just email me and let me know what you want to do. Here it goes. ~Jason

This is a side to a Tokheim 39 pump that I just finished for my daughter last week. I wasn’t even going to restore this pump. I got 2 Tokheim 39’s and I was just going to use the best parts from both to make one really good pump, but instead I decided I would take the worst parts from both pumps and make a unique pump especially for my 4 ½ year old daughter. I got the skins back from the sandblaster 2 weeks ago and this is what I found. I knew there was a small dent looking from the inside before it was sandblasted, but it was worse than I thought. So a little more work on my part. That’s why I love doing this. You never know what to expect and you have to work your way out of problems sometimes.


Another view of the dented area. Luckily it looks the guy who repaired this last time already pounded it out a bit. I’m not a big pounder because I like to make sure that the skins will still fit when I’m done. I’ll get too carried away and warp the thing beyond repair. So my advice is to be careful when pounding and if you do pound, always make sure the skins fit again before painting.


Since the pump has been sandblasted, there is no need to roughen up the surface for the bondo. The only thing that I find helpful is to cover the back side of the surface you are repairing with some masking tape (see above photo) to prevent a Bondo mess on the inside of your pump skins. If you are fixing a dented surface that has already been painted, then it will be necessary to roughen up the surface to the bare metal with coarse sandpaper in order for the bondo to adhere properly.

As you can see in the top of the 2nd picture, I use Bondo. There are other body repair fillers out there, but this one seems to be the most readily available in my area. And it’s pretty cheap. $7 for that can. As you can see, I’m real technical here. I mix the catalyst and base on a paper plate with a small spatula and I apply the mixed Bondo with the large spatula pictured above. This stuff is real messy and it gives you 5 to 7 minutes working time depending on the temperature. I find it easiest to apply a little at a time and let it set and apply another layer in 15 minutes. Fill the deepest areas first and work your way to the shallow areas. I am by no means an expert in body repair. I have only been doing this a year and picked up some tips from a guy who works at an auto body repair shop. I’m just sharing what works for me.


So here is what it looks like after 2 layers. I am trying to get the basic shape of the pump at this point.


I use an orbit sander. If you have ever used one of these sanders you will probably never want to go back to a traditional sander. The bottom is circular shaped and the sheets of sandpaper stick extremely well with a Velcro backing. No more trying to fold the rectangular piece of sandpaper over and clip it in and then have the sandpaper rip after 5 minutes of sanding. The guy who invented the design for this sander deserves a Nobel Prize. It takes 5 seconds to change sandpaper sheets. You can buy a box of 25 sheets for les than $10 and an orbit sander will run you $40 to $60. Well worth it in my opinion. This sander will give you a nice smooth finish and it takes the corners well.

After getting the basic shape, I will run the sander over the surface to see where I need to add more Bondo.


This is what it might look like after the first pass with the sander. Now I will add more Bondo to fill any voids. I will keep doing this until I can get a nice natural smooth finish. I usually sand with coarse(60) and medium(100) and that is sufficient for primer.


This is a side view to see the contours. You want the edge where the Bondo and metal meet to be as thin as possible where you can’t even feel a transition from metal to Bondo with your finger tips. That way when you paint, you won’t even know that there was ever a dent.

Another view.


Another view. Probably not as good as the professionals out there, but I won’t be able to tell after its all base and clear coated.


Last shot primed. I primed just as I started losing light so the paint is still wet. So that’s it. It took a couple of hours from start to finish and I was priming the rest of the skins while the Bondo was setting so I didn’t waste any down time.


Last shot restored. Looks decent for a guy who just does this in the backyard.
Well I would like to hear your thoughts or opinions. If any of you guys do it differently or have any tips that make body work easier, please feel free to share your secrets. I hope this helps someone out there or inspires someone to get one of their projects finished. ~Jason




[This message has been edited by pollyman (edited 10-24-2004).]

This is great! Exactly the kind of thing a lot of us need to see. I'm just getting started and this and future installments will help me tremendously!

Thank you so much for taking the time!

Don

Wow!
Fantastic post Jason. I have several large dents in my side panel as well. I can't wait to see more posts like this. Very helpful to see the process. It's definitely a confidence builder.
Thanks again and nice job on that pump!.
Dave

Pollyman - it takes a lot of time and effort to assemble the step by step photos, and set the presentation to share with others.

Thanks for "extra" commitment to Oldgas.

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Ron Bettin
740-774-OHIO(6446)
bettin@bright.net

POLLYMAN, SUPER JOB, WELL DONE.......CJ

Great job Jason, I do it the same way. If you have small dents and are able to pop them out, or even some of the larger dents I take them out before I sandblast. The sandblasting will sometimes smooth out the edges so you don't have to bondo them. Keep up the good work Jason. Richard

I like this feature and cant wait for other How-to's like it.

I have a couple tips along these lines that I'd like to share. Learned these from an old bodyman. When using bondo, after you've shaped and sanded the material, let it sit for a couple days. Bondo tends to shrink, so I like to be sure its completely set before priming.

When using high build primers, I like to let the parts sit a couple days before final blocking. Again it all goes back to the shrink thing.

If you think the panel is perfect, take a clean piece of cloth lay it flat on the panel, place your hand on top of the cloth and run it over the panel. The piece of cloth kind of amplifies the feeling your hand gets with any low or high spots that may be left in the panel.

Some guys dont allow the excessive cure times and get good results, maybe for a variety of reasons. I tend to be a little more cautious when doing this. After all whats an extra day or two when you want the finished product to look flawless.

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-Dave-
Slowly progressing on a '54 Tokheim 39

Great Work Jason...Thanks again. Youre the Best

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Hubba: GAS GEEK , OIL FREAK and humble moderator

Jason great presentation,I am sure you stimulated everyone.Big Thanks.

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REX
KYSOILMAN

Jason, I agree with everyone else, GREAT JOB!!!! Thanks for the lesson, keep 'em coming, this is a real learning experience for me and I'm sure many others.

I love this feature.It is and will be so
helpful to many of us.Thanks Jason

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JERRY