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destroyed by collision repair

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TomMull

TomMull

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Does anybody know which bonehead started the practice of drilling numerous holes in dented panels to hold copious amounts of bondo. It makes proper repairs, that would have been relatively simple without all the holes, just about impossible. Please excuse the venting.
Tom
 
My experience is old-time slide hammer.
Drill holes, insert threaded end, slide-hammer the dent, move to next hole.
The ability to hold Bondo was a side-product.
 
realizing this is probably a rhetorical question - my sympathies and how bad is it?
 
This is one of several examples. I got the fender on eBay, about totally rust free but seller acknowledged full of bondo and poorly repaired. It was very cheap so I don't regret the purchase and how bad could it be? Ten inch dish shaped dent in lower part that had been beaten to death, heat shrunk and distorted severely. Finally drilled with 20+ holes and filled with a very thick layer(s) of bondo. Sorry I couldn't find the old piece and don't have a "before" photo.
After removing the bondo and applying every trick I know I just couldn't get it straight (and it looked like Swiss cheese) so I cut off the back half and built a repair piece just because I refused to give up and couldn't take tossing away a rust free TR3 fender (and I might add I'm retired). The seam shows clearly near the top of the red primer.
Depending on the fairness when finished, or lack there of, I'll probably use my original fender, after repairing the usual rust along the bottom.
frontfender.jpg
 
Hey is the front half usable? my dent is there and I need a front half of that fender.
Jerry
TR3 in rust.
 
Jerry,
Here in the Northeast there are lots of good front sections; they rot along the bottom in front of the door. I'll use this one for something but I'm sure you can find a good front piece where you are. If not, pm me with the how much of it you need and i'll see what I have.
Tom
 
TOC is right, those holes are from the old method of using a slide hammer before the electric stud-guns came about. Still sounds like it was a poorly done repair.
 
Banjo said:
TOC is right, those holes are from the old method of using a slide hammer before the electric stud-guns came about. Still sounds like it was a poorly done repair.
Click to expand...

still could have mig welded the holes
 
If it's a large dent and depending on the area, I'll usually heat and cold shrink it before the hammering is done. Shrinking is a good way to bring the stretched metal back to a workable position. Just my 2 cents. PJ
 
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