What is this going to cost (your best guess)?

[Harlow]

I hope to get the body on my satellite worked on in the next few months. Heres a few pictures of the dents. Luckily no rust anywhere. I can put the vinyl top on myself. I just want to know what I'm in for. Hopefully its enough info and pictures for you to make a ball park estimate.

There are a few light dents on this rear quarter, besides those this side is fine.


Now heres the worst of it. The front fender is rolled in (no creases). Would I be better off trying to find a nice front fender, rather than having this one fixed? The rear quarter has some damage as well (a few light creases)


Heres two pictures of the front fender damage.


Sorry this one is so dark.


So what do you guys think?


- Scott

[hemi-hampton]

I think I'd get a new Fender, This car & damage looks familiar, Was this question or car picture in here before? LEON.

[Harlow]

yeah, I was asking if some of these dents could be worked out by a complete novice. I think I'm just going to have a shop do it.

- Scott

[Silver R/T]

new fender would be better, 1/4 is fixable

[Charger-Bodie]

both can be fixed ! if the fender is rustfree , you have to buy another used one which is also going to need work so by the time you buy another it will be cheaper to repair the one you have......the prob nowadays is that alot of bodymen are lazy and just want to replace eveything and if it were on a newer car and you could buy a new one for a couple hundy then yeah but thats not gonna happen....pull down ...heat n beat ..... pick n fille light skim of filler ...good to go!

[Silver R/T]

from the picture it looks kinked, your better option would be replacing it. It would be very hard to put it back into shape. $45 hr body guy x whatever hours to put it back into shape (it'll distort and be all oil canned so you'll need to heat shrink it) Remove old paint, bondo work, refinish back side of it, (paint it also) undercoat it.

[Charger-Bodie]

from the picture it looks kinked, your better option would be replacing it. It would be very hard to put it back into shape. $45 hr body guy x whatever hours to put it back into shape (it'll distort and be all oil canned so you'll need to heat shrink it) Remove old paint, bondo work, refinish back side of it, (paint it also) undercoat it.

its really not as bad as it looks i fixed a fender on a 69 rr that looked almost just like that about 3 years ago ...i know this cause sometimes i fix cars instead of just talking about it!

[TUFCAT]

Sorry Harlow, I have to disagree with 1hot68 because that poor fender is rolled pretty bad. It will be badly creased, stretched, and warped (especially over the wheel opening where its stretched) . Now, ...if it was the last fender on Earth - I'm positively sure it would be fixable. But factoring in the costs (and questionable end result for that type of work) you'd better better off looking for a replacement.  I know this sounds really stupid.... but hey... sometimes I try to think outside the box,  I'd even consider looking for a replacement fender with some minor rot (that only needed a patch panel or two) and use the good metal from that one for patch panels - - save some money.  But whatever you decide, please do that car justice - - it really deserves it 'caus it a Great Satellite!   

By the way, the  quarter panel will buff right out  - - no problems 

[Charger-Bodie]

Hey Harlow do youreself a favor and unbolt the brace that goes from the bottum of the fender to the bumper bracket , put youre knee against the part of the damage thats sticking out and pull on the bottom of the fender you will be amazed how much better it will look after that 15 minutes of work! and then again maybe you will need a differant fender but just try that first, its not like you will be out anything then let us know how you turn out! later and good luck Brian

[Silver R/T]

you can always try, if it wont work get yourself another fender. Also depends how much bondo you want on it lol

[Harlow]

thanks for the input guys. I really have not even made an attempt at working on the body yet. My dad seemed to think that the front fender would not be too hard to just pull out ourselves for the time being, and have it look alright. The front fender is really not even creased, I'll try pulling it out and show you guys what I get. Anyone have a ball park estimate for what this could cost me to have done? I would really like to learn how to do body work, so maybe I should just buckle down and learn to do it on my own. Does this look like a complete novice could pull off a pretty good job?

- Scott

[Charger-Bodie]

you can always try, if it wont work get yourself another fender. Also depends how much bondo you want on it lol

maybe if hes lucky he can have ton of"filler" in it like the 1/4 panel on youre unit! "lol" the funny part about you silver is that you talk the talk and heck maybe you even walk the walk but ive yet to see any proof that you do anything besides type, and oh that one day you ran an air chisel chewing off youre mud bucket 1/4 panel

[mikepmcs]

Scott
I think you can fix them all, including the fender.  I've seen my buddy at the body shop perform miracles with some dented fenders and quarters, man he is good.  Invest in a stud welder for the rear quarters and be patient and study the whole dent before you start sticking the studs on there and pulling.  Don't just go right for the middle of that big one on the right side  start on the outside and work your way in.  You'll want to grind it down to the metal so the studs will stick and also use the flat hammer to flatten the panel out(you'll have some raised areas from the pulling) as you are putting light pressure with the slide hammer(part of the spot welder kit)  work the whole thing little by little and you would be surprised at what you can do. You'll see as the dent starts coming where you will need your next stud after a little practice.  Search the eastwood site and buy yourself some quality body hammers and dollies.  Your goal here is to straighten that metal back to just about it's original shape and use as little filler as possible with the a skim coat of final on top after you are satisfied with the shape.  Sand her down and prep her right and prime it up for now.  You planning on painting the car yourself as well?


I'm like you, I've wanted to do body and paint for a very long time now and finally landed a job managing at my local body shop my buddy owns.  Get in to it, it's like art work to me, and I can't draw so.........
It's a small town and I ain't gonna be rich but I'll be happy doing what I want to do finally. 


If i'm wrong these guys will be quick to correct me and put you in the right direction as I'm still in the learning process myself.

My final vote is use the existing metal and fix yourself.
You have no rust so save it!

http://www.eastwoodco.com/index.jsp

just my .02

v/r
Mike

[hemi-hampton]

Sure, I could fix that Fender, And when I'm done you'd probably never know it was hit. Thing is by the time you pay me to fix it you could have bought a solid non rusty non dented one for same price, SO, On one hand you got a solid rustfree fender & on the other hand you got another solid rustfree Fender only this one is loaded with Bondo after being wasted.   Hmmm, Now they both look the exact same in Primer & both cost the same but one is Full of Bondo & one isn't? Hmmm   Which one should I pick? LEON.

[Charger-Bodie]

Sure, I could fix that Fender, And when I'm done you'd probably never know it was hit. Thing is by the time you pay me to fix it you could have bought a solid non rusty non dented one for same price, SO, On one hand you got a solid rustfree fender & on the other hand you got another solid rustfree Fender only this one is loaded with Bondo after being wasted.   Hmmm, Now they both look the exact same in Primer & both cost the same but one is Full of Bondo & one isn't? Hmmm   Which one should I pick? LEON.

do you really feel that you couldnt get that fender worked out without it being full of mud cause of all the other body techs on here im surprised that you feel that way?

[Charger-Bodie]

one other question i have for some of you guys where do you get 40 year old body panels that need no work? id like there # i need a few parts like that

[hemi-hampton]

That buckle runs almost all the way to top of Fender & more then halfway back in middle over top of wheel well. Thats makes about 2/3rds of the fender Bondo. Just my opinion. I'm not the best body man out there, I'm sure others could do a better job then me, maybe needing a little less bondo. LEON.

[hemi-hampton]

I'm sure Tony Stephens at Stephans Performance in Rogersville Alabama has plenty. I've been to his Junkyard & you will see Acres & Acres that go on forever of these type of cars. Probably 10-20 of these Fenders you'll find. Price is Pretty steep though. Or Try Desert Valely, ect.

[Charger-Bodie]

I'm sure Tony Stephens at Stephans Performance in Rogersville Alabama has plenty. I've been to his Junkyard & you will see Acres & Acres that go on forever of these type of cars. Probably 10-20 of these Fenders you'll find. Price is Pretty steep though. Or Try Desert Valely, ect.

" price is pretty steep though" This is why i think its worth a try to see what this fender could do !

[hemi-hampton]

Could be, But only one way to know for sure, Have a Pro Bump it & give you a Price, Then after that Call Stephens or anybody else that may have a fender & compare prices. But, to late then. Or call for Fender Price then have a Bodyman quote price to fix & hope it dont go up afterwards & compare. Or do it yourself & be happy with what you produce. Lots of different ways to go about it. Pick a winner. LEON.

[Harlow]

Before I had to go to work at five I was able to take off that support and pull on the fender a bit. Man its already made it look much better. Tomorrow morning I'll work that fender a little more and show you guys what I get. Right now I'm leaning towards trying to do as much of the work as I can, as long as I can do a nice job on it.

As far as the damage to the quarters, how should I go about fixing it?
Mike, I'm thinking I might not try to paint this one myself, although I would like to learn how, so maybe I will. Not sure yet.

Thanks for all the input.

- Scott     

[mikepmcs]

Scott ,
take lots of pictures and post while you are doing it.  That will assist the Body Techs in helping you along the way.
Besides, doing it yourself will cost you nothing except materials and you will learn a great deal in the process.  No better car to learn on then your own.
v/r
Mike

[Harlow]

Well I wasn't able to work on it this morning, but I took some pictures of the fender to show you guys. I'll try and do some more on it when I'm off work. Mike, you've talked me into doing it myself. Plus, now I can save some money that I would have spent on labor etc...which is good because I had decided to do a simple rebuild/cam swap and I'll also be able to afford all new interior all at once. By the way how is your cam swap going? Which cam did you go with?

Heres a few pictures of the fender from this morning:

[Charger-Bodie]

it looks alot better already when you gonna get a chance to work it some more ?

[Harlow]

I'll be able to work on it some more tonight.

- Scott

[mikepmcs]

Scott
That looks sweet!!!  You're on your way.

My cam is an engle grind k56 i'll advance it to 106* as Ron has instructed and it should give me the right power now that my 383 should have.  It goes in next saturday. was supposed to go in 2 thursdays ago but the rain halted that.  Since I cut my finger I really can't wrench like I want to so I traded some stuff to my buddy(local mopar freak) and him and I will do it in a week at his shop(parks performance in winthrop maine)

keep those pics coming. maybe take the wheel molding off to get a better look and then you could straighten the molding up as well, but it actually looks like it's almost right there now.

v/r
Mike

[hemi-hampton]

You can probably get to 1/4 from inside or behind, Just open trunk & take a look. I have pry bars, body hammers ect, but if you dont have these a Rubber Malat or smack from 2x4 from behind will help. Keep going on Fender, If got got access behind fender push more out from there. LEON.

[TUFCAT]

WOW!!! Good work. You'll make a fine young Jedi.

[Harlow]

alright guys, heres a few more pictures after working on it a bit more. I put the chrome back on, but it still needs to be pulled out a little bit more near the bottom and there are some small issues near the start of the wheel opening. I'll if I can't work them out with a hammer and a piece of a 2x4.

[mikepmcs]

be careful if you decide to go behind a panel and start banging.  My buddy Jason says that is a no no.  If you have no choice just be careful you don't go beyond straight and create a lump to the bad(outward) if you know what I mean. 
looking good so far!
v/r
Mike

[Todd Wilson]

You are doing good. Now get in the trunk and push that other one out!




Todd

[Charger-Bodie]

be careful if you decide to go behind a panel and start banging.  My buddy Jason says that is a no no.  If you have no choice just be careful you don't go beyond straight and create a lump to the bad(outward) if you know what I mean. 
looking good so far!
v/r
Mike

mikr its ok to tap it from the back if you use the same technique you would with a nail gun , slow and easy!

............now Harlow work that wheel lip out some more!!

[Harlow]

For the wheels lip should I just use a hammer and a block or something?

[Charger-Bodie]

For the wheels lip should I just use a hammer and a block or something?

that sould work get that molding off of there first thou , also id take the molding off the other side too so you can kinda referance that one since its not bent!

[Ghoste]

Dick Landy just used to use a baseball bat between the tire and the lip. 
You may want a slightly more refined technique.

[Todd Wilson]

Dick Landy just used to use a baseball bat between the tire and the lip. 
You may want a slightly more refined technique.

What ever you got that will work!!


Todd

[Ghoste]

True, but I'd bet old Dick was more concerned with tire clearance than a correct contour. 
Now I just wish I could find that pic of him doing the re-radius of the wheel opening with the bat.

[TUFCAT]

Looks like you just saved yourself a bunch of money bro! Good work. 

[Harlow]

Alright guys, I haven't started working on that lip yet. How should I go about doing it? I also took some pictures of the damage to the pass. quarter, I want to see what you guys think about that one and how I should go about starting it. Thanks for all the help so far!

- Scott

Inside of the trunk:


Outside:


Heres the damage to the lip:

[mikepmcs]

Scott
looks good.  I really think you should get one of these for that quarter and start at the front of the dent on the quarter that is smaller and work your way back. Use the flat body hammer to straighten any high spots while you have pressure on the slide hammer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/H-S-Uni-Spotter-Pin-Welder-Kit-Factory-Sealed_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ43996QQihZ009QQitemZ190069522140QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/H-S-5500-STUD-WELDER-UNI-SPOTTER-NEW_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ63702QQihZ014QQitemZ330125369627QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

I know it's a little bit of money but money well spent IMO.

v/r
Mike

[Todd Wilson]

Scott
looks good.  I really think you should get one of these for that quarter and start at the front of the dent on the quarter that is smaller and work your way back. Use the flat body hammer to straighten any high spots while you have pressure on the slide hammer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/H-S-Uni-Spotter-Pin-Welder-Kit-Factory-Sealed_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ43996QQihZ009QQitemZ190069522140QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/H-S-5500-STUD-WELDER-UNI-SPOTTER-NEW_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ63702QQihZ014QQitemZ330125369627QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

I know it's a little bit of money but money well spent IMO.

v/r
Mike

I wouldnt use a stud gun on that dent on the rear 1/4.   You can get to behind that dent. I would push it out from the trunk and then hammer and dolly until you get it as straight as you can. Probably have a perimeter around the dent that is high. If it oil cans in and out on you I would get someone to hold the dent out and then lightly tap from the outside on the edge of the dent in to get it to say out.  Then worry about hammer and dolly the small stuff to get as straight as you can. I think you may find once you get that big portion to start to come out it will pop back into place pretty good.

Right now I think you can probably get that 1/4 to look fairly good and then when its time to strip the car and repaint it then you may want to do some more work on it and maybe some filler. I am under the assumption that we are learning here and want to get the car to look as good as we can now and worry about paint later?!?!

Todd

[Harlow]

todd, I'm going to try and get the car in for paint in the next few months. I was hoping to do what I can for now without having to strip the car etc... when I find a shop that wants to paint it, I will strip the car and do the finishing touches. Do you guys think I definitely need a hammer/dolly set now? Do you guys all suggest the eastwood set?

- Scott

[hemi-hampton]

I agree with Todd, Get it from behind. The stud gun I usually use when I dont have access or easy access from behind.. You have easy access to the back off this 1/4. Mike, I have a Question, How many years have you been doing Body work or paint? A legitimate question, no insult intended. LEON.

[mikepmcs]

Leon,

No worries, I've got thick skin.

back yard all my life(doesn't mean I knew what I was doing), been hanging at a body shop for the last 2 years and helping the owners son(Jason) in his off time painting Harley tin.
I manage that shop now after my retirement from the Navy.

I learn quick and am just trying to help where I can and regurgitating the knowledge I have learned.  I guess everyone has different methods and I'm sure there are some better than what i'm saying as well.  I don't think I've given too bad of info yet..when i do you guys are quick to correct which is welcomed.

v/r
Mike

[Mean 318]

That car looks damn nice Harlow! Way to go!

[gordo1968charger]

sometimes its just better to get your BALLS OUT and do it yourself,well done.

[jaak]

I tend to agree with 1hot68 on this subject, that fender is totally repairable and you've done a good job so far.

My Pass fender on my charger was like that not as bent but similar.  I was looking around on ebay etc, looking for a replacement, I guess because of my laziness  , I bought a new hammer and dolly kit and went to work, its almost perfect now, just needs a skim coat to finish.  Someone earlier mentioned Stevens Performance, I live 10 minutes away from him,  just for the heck ot it I called, a fender would cost me 800 bucks, so 800 bucks or a few hours of my time??? Thats a no brainer, thats 800 bucks that can go elsewhere on my project. One more note I never buy anything from Steven's, his prices are way to high and he's an a**hole to boot.


Jason

[hemi-hampton]

Yeah, He buys up all the old Mopars out of every corn field in Alabama for $50 for whole entire car then wants $800 for a fender. To much for me. LATER

[terrible one]

I would get into the trunk and push it out with my shoe, then go from there with a hammer and dolley.