jonahdeich

I am currently restoring a 1965 mustang C code. It has 69,000 original miles, its caspian blue and white interior. I am planning on doing a thread that progresses as I build it, but I was wondering would it be worth it to try an do the body work myself or should I definitely take it into a shop? It has several dents in the fenders and in the roof (7-10) that are golf ball size but no rust! Is it that hard to pull dents? and what tools would I need? Thanks so much! If pictures are needed I can upload them thanks!

creaky

Bodywork is an art, requires a passion for it and lots of hands-on experience to get really good at it. Do a web search on DIY bodywork and paintless dent repair, lots of info.

Boogie's_AutoRama

Do you have any paint & body experience?






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jonahdeich

I have painted many cars, but I don't have the setup at my new house so either way I will have to take it to a shop to get it painted. I have pounded out as best as possible and bondod it perfect a few times on older cars, when I took it in the guy said he would just fill the dent with bondo and I was hoping for as little bondo as possible.

clowe1965

How long do you want to take? There are lots of tools/tricks do getting the dents out, it just depends on what kind of workmanship you want put into it. Basically more work/money equals less bondo. There are a few welder tools like below that you could use to pull the dents out, then invest in a good set of body hammers and dollies. Pictures of the dents maybe?
http://www.harborfreight.com/stud-we...kit-98357.html

jonahdeich

I want to take this project nice and slow. If I could have the car finished in 1 year I would be happy. This is my on the side project. Thanks for the info, is that stud welder any good? I know thats one of the cheaper ones. Will post pics of the dent soon

clowe1965

Well the reviews seemed ok, only complaints were about the slide hammer. Honestly for 100 and a 1 year warranty you should be golden, not like you are going to take on project after project after project. O wait you own a mustang, maybe you will.

1 year seems pretty fast to me, I was thinking closer to 3-5. That's about the pace I'll end up taking, as dictated by my wallet. But mine is in a bit different condition than yours. Pictures! If you can't post them send the links to me and I'll do it.

Stangatic

Jonahdeich- I'm in the same boat as you (I have full panel replacements though). Honestly, I think if you do your research and take your time you can do it yourself. However, if you don't have the tools already, you might want to get a quote from a dent repair shop before you go out and spend $$$$ on the tools. It would suck if the tools cost more than what the repair would cost from a professional shop!

groho

I'm not going to vote because its a preference. A good hammer/dolly set like Martin will set you back $200-300. I think I have 4-5 hammers, and half doz dollies. The diff between Martin and H/F is immediate, in both feel and balance. I enjoyed hammer/dolly work. But there are several hammers and dollies you require to do it correctly, diff shapes for diff repairs. You can't just beat on a panel. With a good hammer/dolly and heat/cold to stretch & shrink the dent, you can bring a panel back and only need a skim coat to finish the work. This takes time and labor, and most shops prefer the blop of bondo and sand vs the labor intensive hammer/dolly work. Just food for thought.

Jetfixr

I am more of a mechanic than body guy. I just had a MAACO job done on my daughters car. It came out fine for a quick job designed to just get paint on the car. They filled in a couple of dents and drilled holes for $1300. Better than driving around in grey primer for four years. But we don't plan on restoring this car for at least that long (while shes still in College). Then we will be looking seriously at bodywork. So it depends on how much of a restoration you are doing. I myself wont be doing bodywork, I plan on spending seven to ten grand for body and paint. If I was a decent body guy I might have done the MAACO job myself.