dolly and hammer

[quattrorunner]

On a scale or 1-10 how hard to do this style work on a fender flare for example for a absolute newbie to body work?
1 being changing an air filter and 10 being engine rebuild difficulty.
Thanks.

[mreid]

4 to rough it out where it requires LIGHT filler as long as you put the time into it.

10 to make it perfect with no filler. This kind of bodywork is an art.

[quattrorunner]

Thanks. I will be adding flares but if I can hammer it I might just save the origional flares. Either way I like to rtry stuff.

[jsveb]

I am by no means an expert on this, just a rookie.

I think the main difference between this and I.e. an engine build, is in an engine build you can actually follow a step by step guide. So this you can prepare for really well by reading up on it.

But, body work on the other hand... You definitely want to study up. However, it is really what I'd call craftsmanship.
I kind of think of it like masonry. It takes skill and practice

Not saying it can (EDIT: I mean: can't) be done. It is just more than step 1-10 and you are done.

[quattrorunner]

Jsvb that's a really good point. I hadn't thought of that. I'm a bench jeweler by trade so I understand the skill level thing. Not sure I would posses that particular skill right away but am willing to try.

[jsveb]

If that includes the skills of what we back home call a silversmith, then I guess you got the skills.

If not, I'd just buy some sheet metal and start hammering, cutting bending and welding. It is amazing what you can accomplish.

I have done a lot on my Carrera 3.0 ( gotta update that thread soon) though it is not major work . Just a whole bunch of small things, using hammer, dolly, pliers. wrenches, wood blocks, bench vise and so forth.

It is actually very rewarding making a new piece out of sheet metal. Weld it back in, grind and see it blend in.

Good luck.

[quattrorunner]

A bench jeweler is a bit of a mechanic. A silversmith uses a hammer and torch a lot. Bench jewelers do too but also have to do repairs that might make some squeamish. Silver pieces don't take we'll to repair, so silversmiths usually just fab stuff. Bench jewelers have to repair silver too so they need to have vast skills, not that all bench jewelers do......
The skill level comment reminds me that in my world, there are hacks and there are artists. I consider myself a master mechanic which is somewhere below artist but I'm being very honest.
An artist takes lots of time. I cant afford that. My work always looks exactly like the artist, but I have many routes that I take for various reasons to get there. And I might avoid some actions because I understand how to get the final result another way.

Let me back up a little, I'm actually a jewelry designer as well which means that if the repair costs me more time than a remake, I choose to remake the piece. This costs more and customers don't always choose this route for a variety of reasons, but its almost always better......but a fender doesn't need to hold a multi thousand dollar diamond. So I still like using a hammer to alter its shape. I consider this a hobby so cost and time don't matter as much. So if I can be the artist with my fender, I want to learn that. Seems cool.