Body work

Toast54 · 03-20-2015, 03:46 PM

Hi..my bracket's "toast" so I thought I would get a few ideas. I have a 924S that I purchased at auction coming up on 2 years next month.It's been a fun ride and Ive replaced fuel pump, fuel filter, battery (a 7 year old wallie world) and the roof gears along with a few other piddlin' things. All in all, it's been a fun car to work with...and drive It was damaged when I got it and now I am thinking of tackling the RR quarter panel. The interior is nearly pristine

As a rank amateur, is this something I should tackle? Body shops are quoting 1500-2200,Considering I paid $1465.10 I think it's a bargain but I don't want to bite off more than I can chew

Thanks for input

honerboys · honerboys's Garage

wow the upside down picture is tough to look at - I've done a bit of body work over the years - the welded in panels are the hardest to work on - that said if you have the time (and I mean a lot of it to et it right) go for it - but in the long run you might not save as much as you think - you'll probably have to buy some tools - then there's the painting issue - I've painted cars in my garage - some come out good, some ok, some are do-overs - paint, especially the reds, is very expensive - add a spray gun and things could get costly fast - but as a hobby it is interesting

Capt Squid · 03-20-2015, 09:44 PM

You can try what I do on my race car. Insert a basketbalol and inflate it. You can push out a good portion of the dents that way. It works very well in the well on the rear quarter panel. Block the ball with pieces of wood and tap the edges of the dent lightly with a hammer as the ball is pushing out the dent.

From there you can buy a stud gun and a lever puller if you really want to get into it.

Bukowski · 03-21-2015, 03:26 AM

Um - did you check the filler neck hose area for any consequences? There's fuel in that area... so welding would be... you know...

VOTS89 · VOTS89's Garage

If you haven't done any bodywork in the past, this might be a challenging first job. If you're willing to stay at it until you get it right, you should be able to get it pretty close. Doing bodywork is cheap if the labor is free, (you).

Getting the metal as close as possible is important to keep the layer of filler as thin as possible. Get some bodywork tools at a pawn shop/Harbor Freight/Craigslist. Google bodywork, watch videos, read up on it. Learn what a "guide coat" and a "skim coat" are and how to block them out.

If you do the bodywork, MAACO or a similar shop will be able to closely match the paint color from an area on the side of the car. Have them paint the entire panel from the rear door-jamb to the seam at the top of the car to the seam at the back near the tail light. Ask them to polish the entire car when they're done. I've heard red can be a tougher color to match.

I used this process on an 86 944 that had damage in the same area as you have. When it was done, you couldn't tell it had been painted unless you were inspecting the car up really close. Total cost was less than $500.

Good luck with your car.

Bruce

grendiers · 03-22-2015, 06:23 AM

My '88 924S track car has a similar 'ding', however not as severe. I had a bodyman friend of mine look at it, and he determined that the car had been hit from behind. He thought it would require a frame rack pull. Since my car has even more dents, (scares the shiny cars away), but still travels straight, I elected to not do anything. I did buy a cheap dent puller welder thingy, might try that if I get bored this summer.