Technical Dent removal basics, metal memory

have to show us that tool,now that you talked about it!

 

speaking of oddball tools...I've been reading this thread and wondering if the door frame isn't tweaked? Different model car still I can't help but think a similar tool would be useful?

 

I believe it was at one time. Prior to the last owner.

 

I'm thinking (hoping) that tool is an overkill for this job. This looks to be a combination of a couple simple issues.

 

OR, you could do it the fast and easy way. Remove the whole door skin. Cut about 2 inches up the A and B pillars, just through the outer skin. Drill all the spot welds out, and remove the door skin. Now you have complete access to the skin. You can replace the bad spots, or the whole skin. Cherry it all out, then put it back on the car.
Now you only have a couple inches to weld on the A and B pillar to put it back on, and some spot welds around the perimeter, plus you are able to paint the seams and repair any rust that was in the pinch weld.
I used to try to repair doors without removing the skin. I got this tip from Lyle Vass. It take some about an hour to remove a door skin, and only a few hours to fix the damage. I don't try to fight the damage through the small access holes now.
Oil cans. That's a whole different issue. My experience with them is that there is usually a place around the perimeter of the door where the pinch weld has been bent inward or outward. Before you do any shrinking or stretching, run your hand all around the perimeter of the door. If the pinch weld is dented inward or outward even a small amount, it can cause an oil can in otherwise perfectly good metal and not necessarily close to where the dent is.
I have worked extensively to remove oil cans on the back of a 37 Chevy truck cab. Spent a week working for free on one several years ago, as I couldn't charge the guy as I was learning this. Most of the damage on this particular cab was from tiny dents along the bead below the back window.
A dent the size of a pea, pushed inwards along the bottom of the bead would make the panel oil can a foot or two below that tiny dent. I could barely feel that little dent. Once hammered out, it made the oil can go away.
Its sort of like a fulcrum, where there is pressure caused by the dent. Hard to explain and took a long time to learn, but I fix most oil cans now by fixing all the dents and metal finishing the panel out, then worrying about shrinking or stretching the middle of the panel in the middle of the oil can, if the aforementioned doesn't do the job.
Most times I don't spend any time on the oil can itself, but look for minor dents and such that put pressure inward or outwards into the middle of the panel. You will be amazed at how easy it can be to fix oil cans this way.

Easiest way I can explain it is this. Take a vice grip or pliers etc. and grab the pinch weld on the door. Bend the pinch weld outwards. As the inner door structure acts like a fulcrum, if the door is a very low crown panel, I guarantee you can make an oil can in the door by doing this. Bend it back outward, relieves the pressure and the oil can would probably pop back out again.
I wouldn't actually do that, but I'm hoping for the uninitiated that this makes sense. And when you run your hand around the perimeter of the door, you will feel if there are any tiny dents in our outwards. It doesn't have to be a large dent.

 

Pretty fancy tool, I've always seen those adjustments done with a 2x4 between the door and frame, after door frame has been straightened.

 

Dude; From what I see your talking Mega Over Kill!!

 

Guys, you have given me information overload. I appreciate all the replies.

I just want to do the best I can with the tools I have. I am no fender man , by any means. I just try to minimize the filler if possible. I'll play around with it and see what happens. The worst that can happen is it gets filler put back in it, just like it was for 20+ years.

I wish I had the skills some of you have, making fenders out of anvils etc.

 

This is exactly the way I was taught to repair metal. Repair all the damage first, do heat shrinks last, once all the metal is back where it needs to be the oil can will often go away on its own. I like the idea of removing the skin vs cutting out the inner structure too. It looks like the entire door skin has damage, in the long run it would be a faster easier less intrusive repair to just peel the skin off and do it right.

 

Ok guys. Update on the door. So, I basically used advice from just about everyone.

I removed the door, scraped the tar sound deadener, repaired the crease on the lower skin first. Hammer dollied around the edge of the circle that was drawn on and I would say 85% less dent now. I still have some dollying to do on some areas that I welded up. Thanks for all the advice. I didn’t even have to use heat.
Crappy pic for reference.

 

Looking much better, many ways to get metal to move, just start doing it and find what makes sense to you.