Chevrolet Nova Forum banner

any a+ body guys i got a bad dent!!!!!!!

2386 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  TechNova
its on the very end corner..the slope'ing body contore line is smashed down...and i was hope'ing to pound it with a sledge hammer...mabey torch it get it bright red and smack it straight......and the 2 rear wheel well lips have rust holes in it....anybody have tips in repair...im hopeing to avoid cutting them out and welding panels in...and im going to take the rear window out cause i see rust...so im hoping to just braze it and grind it smooth...i have alot of expierience in bodywork...but these are next level bodywork tasks...im sure i can handle it but i was wondering if anyone had first had expirience in doing these jobs before...thanx!!!
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/subli...lbum?.dir=/1b68
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
Can you post some pics. I'd stay off that body line with a torch. I'm kinda thinkin that if you have rust around the wheel well openings, and a nasty dent that you might want to think about qtr replacement.
I agree with Ken, heat is a last resort.

Don't beat it with a sledge, gently massage it back out slowly with smaller hammers. you have high spots around the low areas, they need to be removed simultaneously with the low spots.
With the amount of damage there, along with the rust you mentioned you may be further ahead with a new 1/4 or at least very experienced help.
Your rear body panel is also bent. I can see 2 areas of direct damage and 2 of buckles related to the direct damage. Also looks like maybe the deck lid was hit so maybe there are some gap/alignment issues.
It is so hard to tell from pictures.
Has something been welded over the damage before??
If so, it has made it much worse.
yea,,thanx...i was thinking about getting a one of those plasma nail deals to pull the dents out..but i think the dent is to major..ive fixed worse..but im hoping to do this job with next to no bondo..all metal finishing is what im shooting for..ive never owned a ''classic'' like this so i want to do it perfect..its not as bad as it looks..i pick up the car hopefully tonight..or this weekend..and after a couple hours that dent will look alot difforent..im picking up a set of 15x7 rallys with rings and caps for 200.no tires..there black so ill be scraching the surface and spraying some silver on um...and the guy has a new fender...so im just gonna strip the whole front end and sandplast the firewall and suspension and framerails..and spray some semi gloss black then put it back togather and primer ..the whole front end would take less than a week i think...doors are straight..ill sand and primer them..same ass the roof..at this point i havent even attempted to fix that rear dent...but like i said.couple hours and it will look alot difforent..ill have to make some type of mold matching the other side...cause the dent is right on the contore line,,,and plus it is kinda concave on the top..it will turn out good....my goal is to fix it without bondo...the metal is really warped so chances are there will have to be some bondo..
See less See more
You may want to consider cutting out that area and replacing it with a section from a donor car. I had put full quarters on my 74 and the one was a tad too long and I made marks where I wanted to cut it at and then slowly trimmed down the metal on the car and the part that I had cut off until everything lined up properly. I then beveled the edges on both sides and then tack welded it together and then slowly started stiching it all the way together with weld. When I got done grinding down the welds it took very little filler and by placing the cuts where I did I was able to detail out the backside of the panel also even though on my hatchback it's covered with an interior plastic panel.
I have seen guys shrink metal but if it's stretched too far then it might be more work than just replacing it with a patch.

As far as the rust holes in the rear lips it's probably just the beginning of what will appear later as that area normally rusts from the inside out. With the lip having holes you also need to check the lip of the outer wheelhousing. If it is gone then a new outside lip has nothing to attach to so then that has to be repaired before the lip is.

I would really look and see if maybe a half quarter would be better to install as this would take care of the damage on the wheel lips and back by the trunk opening. There's nothing worse than doing all kinds of rust work only to have another spot pop out later after it's all painted. If it was me I would be checking the area's that normally rust and also start poking around with a sharp awl to find any thin spots.

The only way to get to the next level of bodywork tasks is to either try it alone or get guidance from someone that is at that level. Reading and writing about things does not always work as you need to actually do it so you can learn. I learn stuff everyday and hopefully forget less.

Jim
See less See more
I thought those addys were your home page. Now I see. Yes someone has scab welded on that lft rear qtr, and Greg's right. The tailpan is tweaked. Also looks like the right qtr has issues beyond patching on the wheelhouse. Right frt fender took a good hit too. Otherwise she looks like a good builder. Is that a white vinyl top, or painted?
its factory paint......tail pan tweaked??..huh?...ur scaring me ...whats that?..the very rear corner where the truck closes?.....btw..thanx for all the good advice....im more worried about the wheel well lips......is it possible to get behined those?....how can i check or change the rear wheel wells?....id love to change those rear panals..but there alot of money for me...and shipping...but i swear to all the people who like novas...i will not butcher this..or ruin it....im going to fix everything one time...paint it one time..lol....
The area around the tail light is bent. It looks like damage caused by by impact in another area. It doesn't appear to be a dent from something hitting it directly.
The dent in the 1/4 is stretched and work hardened. Straightening it without filler while possible is going to be very difficult and probably not practical.
You'll have to do some shrinking as well as straightening.
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top