DIY bodywork
 

Been looking around for a cheap, bodywork kit. Something like the links at the end. Just to pound out a few dents and dings. Has anyone else done much of this? Is it something that takes alot of practice or is it fairly simple? I grealy prefer doing the work myself over paying someone to do it, not only because I can't afford it but also because its nice to be able to say that you fixed it yourself.

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Get a good sanding block and a really good da orbital.

3M™ Finishing Systems - Random Orbital Sanders

Body work is 90% made by the sanding.

What Ben said... Also get some high quality body filler if you're using any, DO NOT use Bondo- it's crap to sand. Evercoat makes excellent professional body filler, it can be found on many auto body supply websites.

if you use bondo.. use light weight bondo!!!

I would like to stay away from filler as much as I can. When sanding would it be ok to do it with just a handheld piece of sandpaper? Or should I always use a block?

I was planning on a few cans of duplicolor primer spraypaint, and trying to find something that will match the current color of the car as best as possible. Then having the car painted at a later date.

ALWAYS USE A BLOCK seriously, unless its a place you cant get to with the block (i.e. not a flat surface or highly visible), you should use a block. It is amazing what shows up after the car is painted. things you thought were filled in nicely and perfectly flat will show up once everything is painted. The only real way to avoid this is to use a sanding block for leveling. DA can be used for finer grits, but don't go too hard or you will create a slight dent which you will never see until it is painted and you will be kicking yourself. Which brings me to my final point: USE A GUIDE COAT seriously, if you dont know about it, do a search and learn because it is a great tool.

what sort of paint job are you looking for down the road? Those rattle can primers will not have very good adhesion and I personally would never use them for a paintjob. I used transtar primer for my car which is a cheap 2 part paint. For $20 it was plenty of paint to go over my body work and could have maybe covered the whole car with a few light coats.

+1 for Evercoat. It's light and flexible. Easy to work with.

+1 ALWAYS use a block unless you can't where it's located.

Keep any fill used very thin. It should only be used to smooth out imperfections in the metal after the metal is close. Also take it well outside the area being filled. Only way to get it smooth. Google is your friend here. There are lots of websites and information on doing body work.

Patience is key to getting it right. I never had enough. I usually ended up cutting corners thinking it was good enough and I was saving time. It wasn't good enough and half ass ends up costing you far more time and effort than doing it right in the 1st place.

Im trying to keep this as low budget as possible, so Im not going to buy a grinder. I would like to do all the sanding by hand if possible. What grits should I have and how much of it would I need to do the entire car?

If there are parts where it would be better to use a grinder I have access to one but I would rather do as much as possible by hand.

HF has a few good hammer/dollies. However, let me re-emphasize few. You have to look for the good ones.

All my dents need to be heat shrinked. I'm pissed. If they pop in and pop out, you need heat shrinking.

Using a sanding block prevents "hotspots", or spots where you might apply too much pressure with a finger and gouge the paint. In other words, it makes it more even, also saves your fingers and wrist from fatiguing too soon. If you do it all by hand, you will be tired and sore from the shoulder down, your back too from bending over so long.

I expect to be tired, I dont mind hardwork. Im more worried about digging into the metal with a grinder.

Buy a DA, i refinish bumpers all day and you will hate your self for not buying a DA.

And you have to block it, you will not get it right with just your hand enless you have alot of practice.

Ive been doing it for over a year now doing 20+ bumpers a day and still use a block to get trouble spots perfect.

I dont do finish painting though only to primer, but we supply everybody shop around.

Make sure you buy a shrinking hammer (has grooves on the striking area) because when you create a dent its streching the metal and you need to shrink it back down some to level it back out.

You will always need to use a really really light coat of Body filler to get it perfectly smooth followed by some High build primer, a guide coat and blocking till its perfect.

Look, ive done two paintjobs now. First one i prepped and sprayed it myself, looked ok but could have been better. Second one I prepped and had a shop spray. What I have learned is that it is a lot of freakin work to get it done right without a DA (which is how I did both). I got tired of all the sanding but it can be done. Just watch out because those sand scratches will show up a week after your paintjob if there is even the smallest bits left over from that 100 grit you used to smooth out the filler. On the flip side, not sanding enough the areas where you dont need body work can cause poor adhesion.

Just go ahead and do it, its worth the learning experience. It will probably end up looking better, and you will learn a hell of a lot more than you could ever learn through reading by making an attempt at this.

Had no idea what a DA was so I goggled it. Would this one be ok?

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I still dont know what grits and how much sandpaper I would need. Ive never done anything like this and I dont know much about sandpaper. Googling that now.

how much you need= lots. don't cheap out it'll make your life easier by using fresh paper. it does loose some tooth fairly quickly. keep an eye on the paper getting loaded up. this usualy happens more on fresh filler or sanding through the outermost layers of paint. keep a wire brush handy to knock off any build up from the paper and change often.

I usualy use 80 grit for filling and shaping.
180 grit for blocking and priming using high build primer.
then I go one more layer of primer and block with guide coat. (powder type works the best) and use 400 grit. it's a little over kill to block primer down to 400, but the smoother the primer the better the paint will turn out. just make sure it still has a dull toothy finish before actual paint goes on.

Thats how i would do it.

Your first paintjob, by all means do it all by block.

Keep the water flowing, it will not only lubricate but it will help clear the grit.

How much paper to use depends on you and the job. The type, I typically use an assortment from 100-2000, you'll catch on to which one to use and when by trial and error.

Even if it looks smooth and perfect before you paint doesn't mean it's smooth and perfect. Take your time, keep the body wet and rub your fingers over it to check for waves in the surface.