Eagle Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I'm sure we have a few members who are professional auto body workers. I need some advice/instruction. We have a 2000 XJ Classic, that I managed to keep completely pristine and unmarked for several years. Then I remarried, and turned it over to my wife. She doesn't really care about cars, and she doesn't like to walk, so she refuses to park any farther away from a store entrance than she possibly can. The result is a bunch of door dings, and it makes me ill just looking at the poor XJ. I can't afford to hire Dent Wizard to smooth them all out. I'm hoping somebody can clue me in as to the general procedure involved. I assume the drill is the remove the inner door panel and tap out the dents. Do I put a dolly on the OUTside and tap from inside with a long-nose body hammer? Or do I hold the dolly on the inside and tap from the outside? Whichever goes on the outside, what's used to protect the paint? Cloth? Thin sheet or rubber or plastic? What's the secret to the wizard's wizardry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 You're going to get a dozen answers but here's mine. Use the dolly inside the door. Place it on the low point of the dent.Using light taps go around the outer edge of the dent. I use a brass mallet with a leather covering. Where most guys screw up is they try to do it with one big smack. Don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philbert001 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Is the paint Undamaged where the door dings are? If so, I'd say go ahead and give Jims advice a shot. You can get a decent hammer and dolly set at Harbor freight for $25 or so. They are steel, so in order to protect your paint, I'd say wrap 2-3 layers of duct tape over the head of the hammer. Jim is spot on though on being gentle and patient. The metal is already stretched inward from the dent. Flattening it back out is actually gonna stretch it out even more, so be careful, or you'll end up with a dentless door that's wavy from end to end. I'm a painter, so I would just as soon fill the dings to keep from further stretching the metal, block sand it, prime it and paint it. I realize this isn't a viable option for a non painter/bodyman, so I'd say the next best bet is the hammer and dolly option! Good luck and let us know how it comes out! My wife also used to park her Jeep as close as possible to the store, till I started pointing out new dents! Either she got tired of listening to me yell, or she realized how stupid it is to allow unnecessary damage to occur! Either way, she quit parking like that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 How much would the divorce cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Then I remarried, and turned it over to my wife. She doesn't really care about cars, and she doesn't like to walk, so she refuses to park any father away from a store entrance than she possibly can. The result is a bunch of door dings, and it makes me ill just looking at the poor XJ. Yeah, I don't get it. I think all wives are like that. Mine's into physical fitness; water aerobics and jogging around the neighborhood while I watch her go by sucking on a Miller. But she's GOT to park as close to the store door as possible. I don't get it. :fs1: Anyhow, I got one of those Ding King dent pullers awhile back and they actually do pop out about 50% of the dents. It's definitely paid for itself several times over. For dents it doesn't work on I wait until they accumulate then get them all done at once locally for not too many $$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philbert001 Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Anyhow, I got one of those Ding King dent pullers awhile back and they actually do pop out about 50% of the dents. It's definitely paid for itself several times over. For dents it doesn't work on I wait until they accumulate then get them all done at once locally for not too many $$. I am an automotive painter, and I have one of those! (Don't tell anyone!) As long as there is no crease to a dent, they do work surprisingly well! Sorry to hijack, but have you run out of the black glue sticks yet? Just curious, because when I ran out, I tried regular glue sticks. (I figured they'd be the same thing, but they aren't.) Just wondering if you have made the effort to find more or not! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 What's the deal with putting dry ice on a ding? Does it work? Has anyone tried it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Anyhow, I got one of those Ding King dent pullers awhile back and they actually do pop out about 50% of the dents. It's definitely paid for itself several times over. For dents it doesn't work on I wait until they accumulate then get them all done at once locally for not too many $$. I am an automotive painter, and I have one of those! (Don't tell anyone!) As long as there is no crease to a dent, they do work surprisingly well! Sorry to hijack, but have you run out of the black glue sticks yet? Just curious, because when I ran out, I tried regular glue sticks. (I figured they'd be the same thing, but they aren't.) Just wondering if you have made the effort to find more or not! I figured for the cost it was just cheaper to goto harbor freight and get a whole new set just for the replacement sticks. And yes those work really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepdoggydogB Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 What's the deal with putting dry ice on a ding? Does it work? Has anyone tried it? X2 on the ding king for $15, the dry ice did not work for me and if you try to heat it up then apply dry ice you will cloud your paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I am an automotive painter, and I have one of those! (Don't tell anyone!) As long as there is no crease to a dent, they do work surprisingly well! Sorry to hijack, but have you run out of the black glue sticks yet? Just curious, because when I ran out, I tried regular glue sticks. (I figured they'd be the same thing, but they aren't.) Just wondering if you have made the effort to find more or not! http://www.amazon.com/Ding-King-Refill-Glue-Sticks/dp/B0007N56KO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philbert001 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Wow! I think that's what I paid for the whole kit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 What's the deal with putting dry ice on a ding? Does it work? Has anyone tried it? I tried it once, couple years ago on a '68 Caddy. Small dent on the left rear qtr panel where a kid hit it with his bike. Dry Ice, heat. It worked almost perfectly. Hold a light flat on the panel and look level across the panel you could see where it was but over a foot away under normal conditions couldn't tell a thing. I tried it over a half dozen times after that and never did get it to work again. Still ain't figured it out. :dunno: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knever3 Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 If they are just door dings and not a cave in don't waste your time and the paint on those fixes. My friend worked for a company paintless dent removal. He works on his own with his soon to be wife driving to all those hail damaged areas. He took 7 dents out of my Baby, '00 Grand Prix GTP and I can't tell they were even there. It is a miracle in my book because I thought I'd have to pay to get them fixed. If you need more info on this let me know. He uses stainless steel tools only from the inside so the paint won't be harmed. I couldn't imagine using dry ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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