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Body Work Tools & Applications - Body Work Done Right

How To Use Body-Working Tools And Supplies
By MT Staff
Photography by MT Staff
Body Work Done Right Flat Board
1. The first thing to do... 
   
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Body Work Done Right Flat Board
1. The first thing to do is to find out what kind of dent is in the panel, and what is lurking underneath the paint. To do this, you can use a flat board-for the non-air compressor people-or use a Dual Action (DA) sander for those with air. By using 80-grit sandpaper, start sanding the panel, if bare metal shows through at the same time, then the panel is pretty straight and shouldn't need more than a few coats of high-build primer. If you unearth bare metal quickly in one small area, then that is a high spot. If you have to use the edge of the sander to dig out the paint of an area, then that is a low spot. If you unearth a bunch of little holes, then that is rust and will need to be cut out and replaced.
Body Work Done Right Dual Action Sander
2.
Body Work Done Right Bad Damage
3. If you find this under... 
   
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Body Work Done Right Bad Damage
3. If you find this under your paint, then you're pretty much screwed because it's not an easy fix. This area must be cut out and replaced.
Body Work Done Right Low Spot
4. This is a low spot. As... 
   
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Body Work Done Right Low Spot
4. This is a low spot. As you can see, the paint stays in the dented sheetmetal. You can tip the sander up and dig the paint out, but this is exactly what you're trying to find.
Body Work Done Right High Spot
5. This is a high spot. These... 
   
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Body Work Done Right High Spot
5. This is a high spot. These will show up relatively fast while sanding. When you find one, stop sanding because you'll shave away precious metal.
Body Work Done Right Hammers Dollies
6. Here are two basic hammers... 
   
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Body Work Done Right Hammers Dollies
6. Here are two basic hammers and dollies you'll need to manipulate the metal. The faces of both hammers are flat. However, on the other end, one is a pick designed to provide excellent balance for close-in work. While the other is a chisel for work on hard-line areas like body lines or the front edge of a hood. The dollies are used to back up the hammer and come in different shapes.
Body Work Done Right Two Dents
7. Here is a look at two... 
   
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Body Work Done Right Two Dents
7. Here is a look at two little dents. You want to place the dolly on the low side of the dent and hammer down the high side.
Body Work Done Right Removing Dent
8. Don't try and pound the... 
   
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Body Work Done Right Removing Dent
8. Don't try and pound the dent out in one monster blow, just hit it with a medium swing a few times. You'll know when the dent is pounded out because the tone of the hammer blow will change when the sheetmetal and the dolly are flat against one another.
Body Work Done Right Air Grinders
9. Now that you have a few... 
   
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Body Work Done Right Air Grinders
9. Now that you have a few little dings out, let's go over welding up the holes. The first thing you need to do-before welding-is to get all of the paint off the area to be filled. One of these air grinders fitted with an 80-grit Roloc will make quick work of that task.

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