How to Fix a HUGE DENT with Only Hand Tools! Eastwood

[@Deanrite]

As a bodyman with over 45 years of experience, I'd like to point out a few different principles. Always look at the damage and look for the point of impact. From there look at the damage furthest from the impact because that's where you should start the repair. That being said, when the damage extends over a high crown (like the edge of the fender) that is where you should begin the correction process. I personally like to rough it out first by using something soft like a rubber mallet from the underside, but only at the sharpest part of the damage. I will only begin using the hammer/dolly process after 90% of the damaged has been roughed out. Sometimes, if I have low spot I may continue using the mallet or dead blow hammer on the underside while tapping the topside rolls with the body hammer. Sometimes even using the mallet or dead blow as a dolly. The whole idea is to minimize damage in correcting the original damage. It's really easy to create a lot more damage than was originally there- especially on a low crowned panel like a hood or roof. After you've hammered and dollied where you believe it's pretty straight, sand it with eighty grit (DA sander). This does two things for you. Besides showing you your high and low places, the heat also spot shrinks the minor high spots. You can then begin picking up the low spots (take it easy with the force) with a pick hammer, bullseye pick, or selected dolly for larger shallow lows. Sand some more (DA sander) and continue until no more low spots seem to be present. At this point, use a nitrile gloved hand to evaluate if your shape overall seems right. If it does, then it's time for the body file. The body file is used with long deliberate strokes. The idea and the most useful function is that it gently files down and spot shrinks high spots. After filing, you should have a pretty straight and smooth panel with some minor low spots. This process helps eliminate those pesky high spots that present themselves after filler is applied (grrrr). At this point you can either work to eliminate all the low spots using the same technique, or give it a final sand and apply filler.

[@michaelkorolev2115]

Thank you for the detailed description of doing the correct process, my confusion comes at where to start to reverse the dent. Like the center of it ? Or the outside edge ?

[@Deanrite]

@@michaelkorolev2115 On all panels there are crowns. The crowns are merely the curvature of the metal, which increases the strength over a flat panel. A lower crown, like a roof panel is lower in strength than a sharper crown on say a fender. Normally, there are lower or higher crowns on a given panel. For example, a roof may have a large low crown area over most of the roof, but toward the edges of the roof it will gradually be formed into a sharper crown. As example of how to begin a repair consider this example. A large dent is on a roof. A small dent is found toward the middle of the damage is the point of impact. But because the actual damage is much larger, it crosses the roof in long valleys in the metal in all directions, crossing various crown shapes as it goes. The places farthest away and over the sharpest crowns is where to begin your repair. Many times, once this damage has been carefully roughed out, most of the remaining damage will largely eliminated or at least reduced. If you start in the middle, you will likely create more damage, and damage likely harder to correct. You just can't beat the damage out and expect good results. Thought, care, and proper technique is essential to satisfactory results. Patience at the beginning will save a lot of time and frustration at the end. Start with smaller damage in areas with easy access to the backside. Try different crown shapes to get a thorough understanding of what works best on given shapes. And remember, this skill can take years to master. You will make mistakes, lots of them. At the beginning, it's little more than a comedy of errors. But you will also learn more and more as time goes by. Patience is definitely a virtue here.

[@michaelkorolev2115]

Dean Wright wow thank you so much for your well versed understandable explanation.. I’ve been starting in the wrong direction. Because I’ve misunderstood everything I read in my research. I thought that the deepest point of impact was the last place to get damaged. I can see now that’s not true. Anyways I have hammers and dollies that I want to learn to use. Also a Eastwood tig 200 I’m trying to teach myself to use. It gets frustrating with my only teacher being the internet. Without a knowledgeable person to show me my mistakes and how to correct them . Like for instance me fighting the tig welder for 3 weekends in a row all day long . Thinking it was defective but discovered it was me grounding to the opposite side of the rusty welding table. Once I grounded to the sheet metal itself it was all different, but now I wanna try doing what you said. I’m determined to learn this because I’ve always wanted to. And I’m a helper in a shop that firmly believes in mig welds and bondo which I understand is cost and labor effective. But I want to learn the quality side of things . Need to learn when to shrink and exactly where and the same on stretching. Thanks again sincerely

[@Deanrite]

@@michaelkorolev2115 No problem. Actually there's a lot more to it, but best to start with the most simple and basic. Understanding whether your damage is shrunk or stretched would probably be the next step in your understanding. Also what a buckle is, the types of buckles there are, and the clues to how to properly rough them out. It's not common sense, it's fully understanding what has taken place. Fully understanding these concepts is what can enable you to properly repair structural damage and frames. But for the beginner, the information you have should be enough for awhile. Good luck, your skills will be a source of pride for you.

[@Deanrite]

@casiotechI There are a few catalyzed primers that can fill considerable imperfections, but by and large primer is only used to fill minor scratches (80 grit or finer, for water based 180 grit or finer). In addition, catalyzed primer is superior because after 24 hours shrinkage is nil. Be sure to wear a proper paint respirator, otherwise it could harden in your lungs (not good and potentially fatal).

[@leynagh]

Now THAT is impressive. I'm 70, engineering background, yet this is the first time I've actually seen it done and, just as importantly, expertly explained as you progressed. Thank you.

[@timsmith3622]

who cares about your engineering background?

[@leynagh]

@@timsmith3622 Well clearly not you or anyone similar who doesn't have that background and who may be too ignorant to see the point I'm making . Then again, why would my comment be so irksome to you ? Any problem is solely in your head sunshine .

[@timsmith3622]

@@leynagh it’s a dent removal…. But yet we have to throw around our engineer background… typical engineer.

[@nicktubara]

​@@timsmith3622dude he's not throwing out anything or to gloat he just said what his work background is to show his unfamiliarity on dent removal. You wouldn't disrespect a 70 yr old man in person so why would you do that online? Be respectful.

[@thegoodearth7]

I really appreciate Eastwood making these and other videos. It pays off because I buy your products. Matt has definitely got some serious skills and solid experience!

[@Harold-si7eh]

I have found that putting this on a set of horses with a flat sheet and a bean bag or even a 25 pound sand bag fender upsidedown it is easier to correct the damages with down blows

[@SuperchiefApache]

So I took to heart your methods and techniques, and even though I’m a rookie and have never done any metal dolly work, I did exactly as you showed, and I have super good results! I didn’t stretch any metal that I can see, but now I need to see how the slapper dolly can help me get those small ripples out. I had the same dent to work as you did, only larger compounded by a deep “V” wedge dent on the lower corner of a driver’s side rear fender on my 59 Apache. It’s right where the lower bottom curve wraps around to the tail light. I kept applying pressure from the inside out of the center of the crease, all the while tapping the outer crease on the outside and badading badda boom! I watched that dent walk itself out. Excellent video!!!!

[@waynewilliams5802]

Basically a hour project pal

[@Coodeville]

Old school without a doubt. Knew an old paisan back home who became a millionaire by doing this. Taught many a kid who had no skills how to do this so they had a trade. RIP Nunzio! You were an honorable man.

[@RWayne-nu2fi]

Magic. If you are trying this for the first time, take your time. This guy knows what he's doing and makes it look easy. Excellent video!!!!

[@E5Bobby]

Very well done! You're ability to explain things in the "everyman language" is excellent. Your skill level is very impressive! Thank You for making such an excellent video! A+

[@MLFranklin]

I appreciate the way you show what you'd doing and the way you talk us through it sharing your thought process.

[@freedomvan2970]

Super impressive man. This was fun to watch. Real skill in action.

[@towbar2]

This is an awesome, thorough demo and tutorial! I learned a lot! I graduated from an autobody repair and refinishing school. This is more useful hammer/dolly work than I got in school. Thank you!!

[@samspade8612]

Very encouraging video for novice bodymen. Thanks

[@tomhalligan7465]

Thanks. This video helped me repair my Indian Chieftian front fender that was crushed while having it towed. Saved me a fortune

[@ColdWarVet607]

I'm only up to 7:00 and I can't believe the huge dent has come out so easy, especially when you where hitting it underneath and the entire fender was rising, I didn't think much of the force of the dolly is left to take out the dent. Well Done, back tot he video.

[@jonjones-v5d]

Thx for stating the actual time spent, and what it would take timewise to completion.

[@simontempler1844]

Incredibly helpful and educational for a body novice. Thank-you so much.

[@eastwoodco]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lass-inangeles7564]

Very good demo from a man who knows what he is talking about. Impressive work! Bravo! I learned a lot. I have several dents to work out in two cars. Phew.

[@raymondsmith6504]

Outstanding video. Matt is a skilled artisan

[@eastwoodco]

thanks!

[@davidstone6819]

Thanks, Doesn't mean I could do it. But an artisan at work is so good. David

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

Thank you, Matt. I was going to comment about sanding the surface first, however you made great sense about not doing it.

[@eastwoodco]

Thanks 👍

[@TheDocrock100]

Awesome. I have been looking for a great video like this to help me with my hammer and dolly work. Thank you

[@eastwoodco]

Glad it helped

[@SamRalls-ti1be]

Hanging some weight off the ends of the fender will help to secure the panel. You can use an adjustable chain or strap. Bricks or scrap metal for the weight.

[@daviddobson8933]

Love the old school body work grate job.

[@JohnSmith-mk8hz]

Great work. I didn't realize so much could be done with just a hammer and dolly.

[@eastwoodco]

The more you know!

[@roberthaynes8467]

Another fantastic video and solid detail from a experienced person.

[@eastwoodco]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@tamishagraves5989]

Great tutorial on how to get vehicle panel dents out using the tools mentioned.

[@pijnto]

Old school panel beating almost a lost art

[@TheKalanTeam]

Excellent video, lots of detail which I like.

[@eastwoodco]

Glad you liked it!

[@jlinkels]

Nothing short of magic.

[@eastwoodco]

thanks!

[@miguelsandoval4410]

Eastwood is the friend of the DIY

[@terrykeithley6183]

Matt, Terry here. Very informative, thank you very much.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Tyre mallet in the back on the lawn, or a sandbag if you are flash enough.

[@pilotlang1]

A true artist! Thanks!

[@ClagwellsGarage]

Impressive work! It’d be great if you could make an equivalent video detailing how to do the same with a large 12” diameter wrinkled and stretched dent in the center of a 70’s or 80’s era car roof.

[@olivedrabgarage6243]

Matt....would it be bad to have turned it upside down and hammer the dent out with a mallet on a sandbag?

[@teamtoyota9048]

Great lesson on how to do it properly

[@lawrencephaneuf2977]

Nice bud, you moving that metal!

[@cadillacescalade1]

Just beautiful super pro work blessed you hands

[@rodmoore1998]

Fantastic! What an artist!

[@philipselman2564]

Hey there friends going to start some body work the truck I am going to work on is a 2007 Silverado doesn't have the same steel as the 40s or 50s it is like a soda can really light taps I assume thanks for all the info an posting !

[@firstmkb]

Those are some mad skills!

[@JDawghasaTruck]

A masterful job! I’m just learning, baby steps

[@eastwoodco]

Gotta start somewhere!

[@markgriffin4888]

Clever self advertising of ITG on the hat😆😆😆👍👍👍

[@tamishagraves5989]

In application of using the tools here your laying the metal dolly weight piece flat underneath the panel and using the radius hammer and tapping around areas of where you pushing up from ?

[@JimmyMakingitwork]

Looks good, great tutorial!

[@scottrankin6133]

Thank You - great video

[@eastwoodco]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@geoffreymills9932]

So can I get that radius guage at Eastwood, that's a pretty handy tool for working on the older cars and trucks

[@joshmyers-nt9dr]

first time i saw a radius gauge being used, makes sense

[@garlandterry1396]

Awesome shop

[@lespaul9078]

I tend to just set my panel on a work table and smack the majority of the damage out, I move the panel around as I do that, and even out the rest with a dolly I also sand the panel to see high and low spots, you can also put on a guide coat

[@guillermonieri4203]

Excellent & helpful video. Thank you

[@eastwoodco]

Glad it was helpful!

[@merritts3515]

Mastering this is great. But then once you combine this with an air hammer. It makes panels look amazing

[@tkirkwood3366]

Great job, thanks Mat.!!

[@earlcousins6635]

Nice job. I agree with others... A LOST ART!

[@E5Bobby]

Can you recommend a good Eastwood hammer and dolly set for a beginner?

[@NanDo-fm2cg]

Great video and perfect timing since I'm getting ready to start working on some dents on my truck.

[@eastwoodco]

Good luck! Hope this helped!

[@flatworm00]

Good video and well explained.

[@ramongonzalez2112]

Great work. Just what I needed.👍

[@heathhenderson7217]

Thank you for making a dent repair video with hammer and dolly

[@eastwoodco]

You bet!

[@healthymixzemason1397]

Well I will be saving this one 😅😅😅well explain

[@eastwoodco]

Thanks!

[@tamishagraves5989]

Is the use of the long flat metal piece you used called the slapper file?

[@johna1160]

Contour gauge very similar to one used by luthiers to determine radius of fingerboards on guitars. The "12" refers to a twelve inch radius.

[@eastwoodco]

Nice!

[@garymarquett7989]

I done a panel beating COS course back from n 1992 and for 2 months we were doing this

[@MJorgy5]

Last time I tried this, I used a 20 oz straight claw hammer and a red clay brick wrapped with a Terry cloth towel. It was an almost flat panel though.

[@eastwoodco]

Nice!

[@almierz4604]

Turn it upside down , put it on the floor and stand on the dent , Geeeeree !

[@myredute]

Absolutely right. It doesn't matter where you start or how you start, it's where you end up that counts.

[@clutch5sp989]

Sounds like a great job for the mother in law. Spend some quality time together n'all.

[@brad9529]

I thought the same thing^

[@janyoung1633]

On this damaged area, can you use the English Wheel after you get the most smoothed out? Just curious? Thanks for what you do. It is keeping me interested!

[@randyholly2594]

what a great job!

[@eastwoodco]

Thank you!

[@ThePerfectSeason1972]

How is the fender actually held and secured from moving around when tooling it.

[@vicferrari9380]

I wonder how many times this fender has been repaired? Good job sir. The tips were good.

[@eastwoodco]

That's kind of a fun thing to think about. Thanks!

[@codo7]

Superb work. Good job.

[@eastwoodco]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@dougtexas9075]

This is a subject that I like to watch. There are always dents.

[@scottkeeney9911]

Could you use the English wheel as long as you don't stretch the metal or do you prefer this method?

[@tykellerman6384]

Nice work definitely not your first time on that type of repair🤠👍

[@eastwoodco]

Thanks 👍

[@charlespartak2435]

might help to explain where exactly behind that big depression where your dolly is and how far off dolly to strike with the hammer. also , why wouldnt you just flip the fender over and hit the dent from the backside with a round plastic mallet. ?

[@FacesintheStone]

Great instruction.

[@TheCobraman45]

I think at about the 15:45 point I would have sanded with a straight board or flexible pad across area and low and high points would have been very apparent.

[@kings3803]

Great video thankyou. It's nice to see this kind of thing do with just normal tools and no big heavy equipment. Cheers

[@eastwoodco]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@dougtexas9075]

Very impressive !!!!!

[@zacinjeni]

When you use the slapper, are you hitting on the dolly or off the dolly? Thanks!

[@1967250s]

All good advice, thought it would be much easier to see the damage if you cleaned off the paint and rust first. A simple wire wheel or scrub wheel would help a lot.

[@waynewilliams5802]

I'm glad you told that rookie how to properly fix it

[@billgroel4463]

Good video thank you for sharing

[@tamarawidrick5177]

Exactly what I needed…

[@shanewright6958]

Great job and video 👍👍🇨🇱

[@eastwoodco]

Thanks 👍

[@JH-yk5se]

Thanks for this vid! Where can I get the radius gauge you use?

[@jasonbuben2708]

How do you fix really sharp raised denta

[@sebastianparker]

This was awesome. I have a fender that looks exactly like that one (1928) and have hammer and dollied most of the dents out but it also has a rip in the fender on the edge that goes through the bead. Would love to see how you handled something like this as it has the compound curve, bead, and needs to be welded.

[@nightfallgrayrs1601]

Awesome video!

[@eastwoodco]

Thanks!

[@moelacasse9403]

Hi Matt due you have any more videos you maid on KZbin. That I can watch

[@bobvansand6346]

Hi mate, do you prefer do this cold? Im a novice, thats why i ask if heath could fascilitate, somehow? Thanks, Bob Belgium, thanks for info!

[@tamishagraves5989]

Can you or are you able to do video of showing how you remove dents in a motorcycle fuel tank ?

[@russthebiker]

That is a black art Sometimes compressed air will help to pop it out Most tank specialists use special pivoted hammers with a bowden cable Or after steam cleaning, they cut the bottom of the tank open, hammer and dolly it then weld it back up

[@jjscustomfabrications8234]

Yeah. Wow. Impressive.

[@eastwoodco]

Thanks!

[@rich3398]

Thanks for the video and the extra effort to do it from your home shop. Is there anything to do differently if there is a style line running through the middle of the damage?

[@festerhairball6588]

I ran across this video & found it very helpful. Especially for body lines. kzbin.info/www/bejne/anOcXpWZi5h8j7c

[@hddm3]

Awsome man!

[@eastwoodco]

Thanks!

[@geradkavanagh8240]

They don't make cars like they used too! Nice panel beating job.

[@geradkavanagh8240]

@@cammy9r Yeah, loads of work in repairing a panel.

[@TradIrishHarper]

What about let’s say when something was dropped on an edge of a door entry (Willys CJ3A) (door entry edge is 3/4” wide) and it crushed the side wall down and out making a 1/2” deep gouge that needs worked out as well? My solution was I flipped the body tub over and am using a pvc doughnut dolly and a body hammer to try and work the bulge back down towards the area of the crushed spot. I have it 3/4 of the way out but due to the severity of the damage and the fact it has the deep gouge I cannot figure out how to work it the rest of the way out.

[@eastwoodco]

You may need a stud welder and slide hammer along with the hammer/Dollie combo.

[@visargent1366]

Where do u get a radius gauge like that

[@edspencer7121]

Does EastWood offer a radius gage?

[@voodooman1320]

Thank you for this

[@tamishagraves5989]

Where do we find the radius gauge?

[@philsmith2346]

"Eastwood " is the name of the volunteer fire department located about 10 miles east of Parkersburg, West Virginia. They do great work. So do you.