QuestionOuch! You really know how to hurt a guy. I suppose I'll have to swallow my "I can do this myself" pride and seek a professional. My dad seemed pretty pissed at the dent too -- now I know why -- probably more work than he'd like to take on (he's busy on a 55 t-bird anyway). Thanks for your assistance (just wish you had easier/less-costly answers). Maybe now is the time to start looking into customizing with decals...
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You are correct. I don't know anything about refinishing. My dad owned a body shop in LA a long time ago, so I don't think he is up on the newer finish technologies, but he would certainly be able to assist with some of the basics. Yes, the paint is chipping off -- not just where the bb impacted but also around the impact. I am missing about an inch-wide circle. Could this patched using touch-up? I guess I should also ask if you can provide an estimate for this type of repair. By the time I buy all the materials, it may just be easier for me to take it to a shop. If I do end up taking it to a shop, whould I take it to a dent wizard first (they won't be able to completely repair the dent) and then take it to a shop for fill/paint?
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I think my 2004 Dodge truck was hit with a bb and I'd like to attempt the repair myself. I plan on using bondo to fill the dent then sand, hit it with two primer coats, then three base coats and two clear coats. My question is, how much should I sand around the bb dent (one inch all the around, etc.)? The dent is in the middle of the door, so when I end up painting it, do I have to repaint the entire door or just the immediate area around the dent. Any recommendations on blending? Any problems you can foresee with my process? Thanks for offering your recommendations...
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I have a question of my own- is the paint broken? If not, call your Dodge dealer and have them recomend a dent wizard to repair the spot. It only costs about 50-75 bucks, and takes less than 20 minutes. You will have more money than that in paint and materials. Even if the paint is broken, I would suggest that you still have the dent wizard pry out the dent, and just touch up the chip with touch up paint and a brush. I strongly recomed you don't attempt the repair yourself. It sounds like you don't really have much practical experience with paint and body repair, and honestly, do you want the door on your 2 year old truck to be your first real repair project? If it all goes horribly wrong, you will wind up paying a body shop to refinish the whole side of the truck. They will wind up painting the entire door to repair the fouled paint job, then blending the fender and ext. cab or bed side to match. That is about 500.00 in pocket terms. Have this nice truck professionally repaired, and try repairing something that is not so new and nice. You need to swing the bat at a few balls before you can hit a home run. Bill
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Wow, it sounds like you have a small caliber bullet strike, not a BB strike. You need to have a body shop do it start to finish, forget the dent wizard. Call your Dodge dealer, they will have a body shop, or someone they send body work to. If the dent is in the middle of the door, and the truck isn't painted with a fancy tri-caot paint job, they may be able to just paint the door. That would be nice, and save you some money on blending out into the adjacient panels. Look to spend no less than 350.00 for this repair, perhaps as much as 500.00 if blending out is incolved. This should include removing the outside door handle, mirror, and glass weather strip. Believe me, it's well worth the money to have a pro fix it. Our body work is straighter,If the paint color is off, we can tint it, and moreover, our work looks better and lasts longer. Even if this truck is on a lease, you WILL be penalized for shoddy body work. Hope this helps. Bill
AnswerIf you really think you can fix it, and your dad helps paint it, do this. DA sand the dented area with 150 grit paper. Feather back all the chipped paint, but keep it small as possible. Purchase a tube of USC Icing, PN 26006. Its a finishing body filler that sands easy. Apply a thin, even coat, without heaping the filler, over paint, dent, and all. This filler is designed to stick to paint. Block sand the filler, carefully, with 150 grit paper. Keep the area small as possible!! Skim coat, and block the final coat with 180 grit on a block. Once again, it's okay , even preferable, if the filler extends over onto the paint. This technique actually helps keep the area small by not requiring that you feather back the paint around the repaired area. Pretty slick, huh? Mask the area around the repair very closely, then prime. Keep the primed area small, only extend beyond the block scratches maybe an inch or two. Wet sand the primed area with 600 grit wet or dry paper, then proceed to paint as you have outlined in your first email. Having someone who knows how to paint will help IMMENSLEY. Thank god for Dads. Bill
