Auto body repair & detailing: dent/crease - bond-paint, interior door panel, wet coats

Question
almost got side swiped on the highway and avoided a high speed colision with the other car by favoring a high speed (45mph)swipe at the gard rail.  The result left me with a front right fender ding and a right door pannel gouge(but did not break through the metal.  I want to repair using bondo I think?  there has been a little rust forming on the unpainted metal as well that I will need to clean.  Finally I would like to paint it myself.  What is one to do?  I am very familiar with repairing the body of boats using a similar compound to bondo, Marine-tex. So I am comfortable sanding and smoothing but I would like some expert direction when it comes to cars.

Answer
Hello Matt! Try and bring the metal back up to grade by prying from behind. You can gain access by removing the interior door panel, and the fender liner. Hammer and dolly smooth as possible. Grind damaged areas to bare metal with 36 grit, then DA sand back with 80 grit. Use a high quality filler, like USC Rage, or USC base coat body filler. Sand with 36- 80 grit paper. Finish coat with USC Icing body filler glaze, PN 26006. Sand with 180- 320. Da back around the repair with 180, then 320. Prime with a good 2 part catalized primer surfacer, at least 3 wet coats. Block with 220- 320, the follow with 2 more coats of primer. This will give the best, most level appearance, and minimize waves. Final sand the primer with 600 wet or dry paper, Scuff the rest of the panels with a grey scotch brite. If the primer goes more than half way down the door, figure on having to blend into the next panel. That means just scotching down the entire panel. Clean with mineral spirits, mask, and base coat - paint, followed by 2-3 coats of clear. Blend panels by arcing the spray gun out, and not coloring to the end of the panel. Stagger where you stop the gun passes. then, clear the entire panel. Understand? You only color over the primered spots. Ther is a book available from year one called "how to repair and restore body work, PN MB9030. This may help, if this seems a little too greek to understand. It has over 200 illustrations, I unfortunately have none. Bill