Hot Rods Paintless Dent Repair

Had a senior moment the other day and put a small dent into my 38. Didn't break the paint so I'm wondering about trying the Paintless Dent repair method to pull it out. My question is we all know that the old metal on our cars is much thicker than on the new cars of today. All the videos that I see on youtube are of modern cars and the thinner metal. Has anyone tried to pull out a dent using this method. I would rather leave the small dent than break the paint and have to try and match it. From prior experience it's impossible. Thanks for any input

 

Depends a lot on where the dent is located. Is there access behind the dent ? I'd rather push than pull when working with dents.

 

I have a buddy that's an unbelievably good PDR guy, he does a lot of collector cars for the very reason you mentioned. Generally it's better if there is access from the back side, small dents can be usually be massaged out because the metal has "memory".

 

It can definitely be done, but a little tougher on the old cars and depends a lot where it is at as mentioned. I would try to find a recommended paintless dent repair guy and have him take a look at it.

 

I couldn't find anyone to do a '65 Impala; they all said the metal was too thick and it wouldn't work.

 

Assuming the dent will come out I will offer a warning about old paint. It may not be cracked now but after being pried around it happens. I had a dent in the hood of my 68 Olds (it was under the hood supports so I couldn't access it) that came out but now I have cracked B/C. Not too noticeable tho.

 

Saw a PDR guy take a crease outa 57 Chevy front fender. Now some 20 years later you still can't see it.

 

It all depends on size of dent , location and if the send is a dimple or a sharper crease , older mental is harder to do and if a car has been repainted there is a good chance the paint will pull off . 13 years as a body shop appraiser have seen it happen .


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I just had two fist size dents pushed out of the top of my 52 Belair hardtop. Sorry, but the guy runs his own business here in Texas, south of Houston. He started with pry tools he normally uses on modern cars for hail dent repair but the 52 roof metal was too tough so he went to his toolbox and pulled out a heavy-duty version of the tool he started with. He tapped around the perimeter (high-point) of the dent with a soft tip, broad nose punch then pushed around perimeter from underneath. Tapping and pushing gently, back and forth, repeatedly. using fluorescent light to illuminate the profile of the dent and to provide a visual guide for his progress. Cost me $200 for 2 hours work but well worth it.

I say if you have someone near you that does it for a living, it should be no big deal for them and will potentially save you paint work.

Additionally, He told me they don't use various methods to pull dents out (epoxy, suction cups, etc) if the car has been repainted. He says those methods sometimes pull paint off. He recommended pushing the dent out if the car has been repainted.

Good luck! It worked for me!

 

I put a small dent in my front fender and had a guy in Bellevue here fix it. Came out great and I can't find where it was now. Wasn't real cheap but a lot less than sanding it down pounding it out and mixing paint to match. It's original '41 chev truck metal.

 

Metal may be thicker on old cars but it’s also softer.
Older paint can also be more fragile than new. This could lead to cracking of the paint but it’s gotta be fixed anyway.

 

I asked a PDR guy that has 15years experience he said he's tried a couple times but not had any success due to the metal thickness. He also said he doesn't know any other PDR guys who do it either.

 

Marv... where are you in SoCal... there’s a guy in Huntington Beach on Warner Ave. that’s really good. I’ve seen his work on 5O’s cars.