I was wondering how feasible it would be to to just cut the points off of some steel nails and weld them to sheet metal using a mig welder. I was then going to just use a piece of steel rod to fashion a slide-hammer, using a bunch of heavy washers taped together for the weight. Just weld a slotted piece of metal on the end of the rod to fit behind the nail heads to grip and pull them. Is there any reason using nails and mig instead of commercially available studs and stud welders a bad idea?
I have a cheap dent puller that I modified the end to hook on , and cut little chunks of steel coathanger welded to the offending dented area (like a half loop)works great for me!
Same here a coathanger works good. I welded a pair of vicegrips to a cheap HF slide hamer. Clamp it to the hanger wire and bump it out.
Have the HF special. It has an end that is similar to what you're talking about but of course is cheap and broke on the first pull. I got a coupling nut and a handfull of bolts to fit it. Ground the bolt heads down to blunt points and now I just tack the bolt in place, pull and cut it off. Can use them over and over again
hey, Of the times I've tried to use nails as pull studs of late, they've been very sad! The high scrap content of nails today (made in china) make the failure rate high. I like to use cut washers, tack welded into the deepest area of the damage, and pulled with a hook tool made up of 5/16" round stock, with a tee handle welded on the end. Pull the cut washer with the tee handle, and tap around the dent whyle it's still under tension. This method of repair works well for box construction where you can't get access to the back of the panel, but doesn't take the place of the proper use of a dolly, spoon or pry rod.
i use 6 common nails with the head out . then place a piece of 1x1 tubing at the edge of the dent . then use a cruved claw hammer to pull on the nails better controle than a slide hammer
I'm putting this trick into my tool bag. Thanks It's hard to beat the speed and easy of a stud gun welder though. Plus with a tip change you can get pin point heat shrinks.
On deep dents I have also used #10 or 1/4 inch bolts and a crow bar. You have to be very careful not to do more damage to the surrounding metal with this method though. Have also used the bolt, a short loop of light chain and the big slide hammer.
I bought the HF kit. Works great. Make sure the metal is clean before you weld on the studs. Don't grind much metal off the panel or it will be too thin. Be gentle on the pins or they'll break off or worse, leave peaks. Sheet metal work is not about force. Finesse the metal. I've tried a lot of crazy tricks for pulling dents, but a real stud welder is SOOO nice. If you do a lot of bodywork, get one.
I've had the HF stud welder for years. The welder works great but the knurled wheel on the slide hammer gave up it's grip long ago, replaced by small vice grips.
I also have the HF stud welder. Got it for about $90 with a coupon. Even if you only use it a couple of times, it's paid for itself.
I've tried the mig/nail method before. Although it does work, it does more damage than necessary. The stud guns are better but still leave some to be desired. A "Pro-spot" type dent puller is so much better. They're pricey but man are they nice. No pins to grind off. Much quicker and easier to use with minimal heat/warpage. The electrode is built right in to the end of the slide hammer. Hold it in place, hit the button and it welds it in place. Tap tap tap to pull as much as you need and then a little twist and it pops free. Move to the next spot. Did I mention they're pricey?
Hey, Price out a ''real'' stud/dent puller from one of the many on-line autobody tool sellers. I've seen them in the low $200.00 with shrinking tip. If ya buy the one from ''Horribly Fucked'' be sure to buy the'' instore warranty cuz you'll need it!
I did exactly what you describe. I have a 38 that needs some serious metal adjustment. I had two buckets of nails, so I started cutting them down and welded them to the car as needed. Luckily, I have a spot on the car that I haven't had time to finish yet, so the nails are still on it. I then bought the big Harbor Freight dent puller/axle puller slide hammer and made a jig to screw on the end of it. The big slide hammer has some serious ass, and I don't think anything smaller would have done the job in my case.
I need to repair some damage on my trunk lid & was considering this method, because there is no way I can justify the cost of a real stud gun. Evidently I should forget about the H.F. one as well. But my inner panel has damage too, so I'll probably just cut it out, finish both & patch it back together.
Here's a real old trick I learned from a mechanic who learned it in 1920. To pull dents out of a motorcycle gas tank, tin the dented area with solder and solder on roofing nails. Clamp the nail in a vise and pull out the dent. Melt the solder to release the nails, and the repaired area is already tinned for leading. Do the same on a car but use the slide hammer to pull the dents. I'm sure this was a well known trick that went out when bondo replaced lead body solder. Then got revived when someone invented the spot welder.
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