Repair of minor damage to body parts
Removal minor scratches
If the scratch is superficial and does not affect the metal of the body panel, its repair is extremely simple. To remove particles of peeling paint and wax coating, lightly rub the scratched area with a fine grinding paste. Rinse the treated surface with clean water.
Using a small brush, paint over the scratch with exterior body paint. Continue applying coats of paint until the surface inside the scratch is flush with the surrounding panel paint. Allow the new paint to cure for at least two weeks, then sand the transition surface flush with the rest of the panel using the finest sanding compound. Finally, wax the treated surface.
If the scratch has penetrated the paint layer, reaching the metal of the body and causing its corrosion, another repair technology should be used. Use a penknife to scrape out the powdery rust from the scratch, then treat the surface with a corrosion inhibitor to prevent the development of corrosion centers in the future. Use a rubber or plastic spatula to cover the treated
inhibitor the damaged area with putty. If necessary, and this is especially useful when filling narrow scratches, the putty can be diluted with solvent to form a fine paste. Before the putty hardens inside the scratch, wrap the tip of your finger in a smooth cotton cloth. Then, after wetting your finger in solvent, quickly run it along the filled surface of the scratch - this will make the surface slightly concave. Now, after the putty has hardened, the treated scratch can be painted in accordance with the instructions given for cases where the scratch does not affect the metal.
Dent repair
When repairing dents, the primary task is to pull out the deformed surface to bring it to the initial level. Attempts to achieve a 100% match to the original make no sense, since this is still impossible due to the damage to the internal structure of the body panel metal upon impact. The optimal solution is to bring the concave surface to a level approximately 3 mm below the surface of the surrounding undamaged section of the body panel. If the dent is not deep, its complete pullout does not make sense at all.
In cases where the concave area can be reached from the back of the panel, you should try to straighten the dent from the inside by hitting it with a hammer with a soft material (rubber, plastic). When tapping out the dent, press a wooden hammer firmly against its front side to dampen the blow and avoid excessive outward bending of the deformed metal of the panel.
If the dent is on a two-layer section of the panel or if access to it from the back is impossible for some other reason, another pulling method should be used. Make several small holes in the concave section of the panel, trying to make sure that they are in the deepest areas of the dent. Then screw long self-tapping screws into the holes, leaving their heads sticking out enough so that you can grab them with pliers. Now start pulling the dent out with pliers by the screws.
The next stage of dent treatment is to remove any remaining paint from the damaged surface and an area of approximately 3 cm around it. This work is best done with a wire attachment or a stripping disc mounted in the chuck of an electric drill, but hand sanding is equally effective. The final stage of preparation for puttying is scratching the area cleaned of paint
metal dents with a screwdriver or a broken file, or drilling small holes in it to ensure maximum adhesion of the putty to the metal surface. Then you can move on to puttying and painting.
Repair of through corrosion damage and holes
Using a sanding or wire attachment clamped into the chuck of an electric drill, remove all traces of paint from the damaged area and an area about 3 cm wide around it. If you do not have access to a drill, the job can be done just as effectively by hand sanding.
After removing the paint, you can assess the extent of metal damage from corrosion and determine whether it makes sense to start repairs or whether it would be wiser to completely replace the panel (if this is possible in principle). New panels can be purchased at a low price, as many car enthusiasts believe. It is often much faster and even more economical to install a new panel than to repair extensive damage to the body.
Remove all body trim from the damaged panel, except for those that can serve as a guide for recreating the original shape of the deformed areas (such as the headlight trim, etc.). Use metal shears or a hacksaw blade to remove all loose, loose, and hopelessly corroded metal. Then use a hammer to bend the edges of the hole inward to form a recess that will be filled with putty.
Use a wire brush to remove powdery rust from the damaged metal. If the back of the damaged area is accessible, treat it with a corrosion inhibitor.
Before you start filling, plug the hole. This can be done by riveting or screwing a piece of tin to the back of the damaged area or covering the hole with wire mesh.
Once the hole is closed, the damaged area can be filled and painted.
Puttying and painting
There are many body fillers available, but it should be noted that the best choice for this type of work is the filler paste with hardener that comes with body panel repair kits. To achieve a smooth and accurate contour of the filled surface, the paste should be applied with a flexible plastic or nylon spatula. Strictly following the filler manufacturer's instructions (failure to follow these instructions may result in the filler mass not setting properly), mix a small amount of filler on a clean wooden or cardboard surface (use the hardener carefully).
Apply the filler to the pre-prepared surface of the damaged area of the body panel using a spatula. To achieve the desired surface contour and filler level, each stroke of the spatula should go through the entire repaired surface. As soon as the contour of the filled surface becomes close to the required one, immediately stop applying the filler, as it will start to stick to the spatula when hardening, forming lumps and leaving tears on the treated surface. Continue applying layers of paste at intervals of about 20 minutes until the level of the filled surface begins to protrude slightly above the surrounding metal of the panel.
After the putty has hardened, its excess can be removed with a file. Then begins the stage of sanding and grinding the putty surface. Waterproof sandpaper is best suited for this purpose. You should start with coarse-grained paper No.180 and then, gradually reducing the graininess, finish with No.600. In order to achieve adequate flatness of the treated surface, you should first wrap the paper around a block of dense rubber (wood or foam) or stick it to it. During the processing, the paper should be regularly and frequently moistened with water. This technology allows you to get an absolutely smooth and even treated surface at the final stage.
The treated surface should be surrounded by a ring of clean metal, ending with a gradually fading layer of paint. Rinse the treated surface with clean water, washing off all the dust that formed during grinding.
Apply a thin layer of light primer, the so-called developer layer, to the treated surface from an aerosol can. This will reveal all the defects made during sanding, which can be eliminated by covering them with a new layer of putty. Repeat sanding and sanding. Repeat puttying, processing and priming the surface until a satisfactory result (in terms of the quality of the resulting surface) is obtained. Upon completion, rinse the treated surface with water and dry it.
Now the surface is ready for painting. Painting a car from an aerosol can should be done in still, dry, warm and dust-free air. The conditions of a spacious, closed and heated room meet these requirements best. If circumstances
if you are forced to paint the body outdoors, you should take the selection of suitable weather conditions very seriously. When working indoors, remove dust by spraying the floor with water. If you are painting only one panel of the car body, cover the surrounding undamaged panels. This precaution will minimize the effect of a slight difference in the tones of the old and new paint. Trim elements such as chrome decorative strips, door handles, etc. should also be covered (or better yet, removed completely). To protect surfaces that are not to be painted, use special adhesive tape (masking tape) and old newspapers, which should be applied in several layers.
Before you start painting from an aerosol can, shake it thoroughly, then apply paint to a test surface, practicing the painting technique. Cover the surface prepared for painting with a layer of primer. The required layer thickness is achieved by repeatedly applying the primer in thin layers. Do not spare water, with moisture-resistant sandpaper No.600, process the primed surface, achieving its absolute smoothness. Before starting the final painting, let the primer dry completely.
Apply a layer of paint, again achieving the required thickness by applying it multiple times. Start painting from the center of the area being repaired; make circular movements with your hand holding the can, increasing their radius, moving in a spiral until the entire damaged area and part of the old paintwork to a width of about five centimeters are covered. After 10-15 minutes (no later, so as not to damage the edge of the fresh paint that is starting to harden) after applying the last layer of paint, remove the newspapers and adhesive tape that covered the surrounding body panels. The paint will completely polymerize in about two weeks, after which, to smooth out the transition from the fresh paint to the previously applied one, treat the restored surface with the finest sanding paste. Finally, apply a layer of protective agent with wax to the panel.
Repairs for significant body damage
Repair of serious body damage should be carried out in a specialized auto repair shop that has all the necessary equipment.
If there is extensive damage to the body, first of all, you should make sure that there are no displacements of body elements that could affect the controllability of the car or cause increased wear of any of its components.
Since most body elements (hood, fenders, etc.) are parts that can be replaced separately, replacing them in case of serious damage does not seem advisable. As a rule, it is much more reasonable and cheaper to find a suitable replacement element, which can be found not only in spare parts stores, but also in car junkyards, which, naturally, allows you to significantly reduce costs.