Saving dented grilles and trim

[Bert Poliakoff]

A very old school body man taught me a useful trick for getting dings and not so small dings out of trim and metal.. While watching TV, use the round end,back side, of a large spoon. Tap across the ding at a very slight angle and keep tapping. Eventually you will see the ding/dent start to rise up as you slap away. Finish with appropriate sanding and polishing. I learned this doing headlight rings for an old model A Ford and it does what it is supposed to do.

There is also a tool called a slapping file, known as a “slapper” that will work the same on body dents, but having never done this, you will have to experiment. Tool should be available at a body shop supply store

 

[Sooner]

Spoon

Wow, forgot about this technique, when I was a kid I used to make rings out of quarters and half dollars this way! Obviously the silver ones, showing my age...

 

[Bert Poliakoff]

I forgot about that also. Used to make anyone who would listen crazy in my search for .50 pieces

 

[Stevehose]

So you tap it from the front of the ding or behind, pushing it back out?

 

[DaSurfa]

Hmm, I've never seen this. How exactly is this done?
My center kidney grill has small dent from someone backing into it and would love to learn how to pop it back out.

 

[Administrator]

I've repaired dents in beltline trim on 2002's by tapping them out. I didn't use a spoon, just patience. You can either sand and polish them out and leave them exposed aluminum, which requires repolishing from time to time, or you can get some Jam-it clearcoat paint at an automotive paint store and clearcoat it. This is usually better but you have to be completely done with your repair before painting.

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

pictures would be quite helpful

 

[inovermyhead]

Some great videos of ding repairs on YouTube look for polishing stainless steel trim, works the same on aluminium trim, I did mine and they came up great, I don't have a polishing wheel but did it by hand finishing with 1500 and then 2000 grit paper then Solvo autosol Polish.
For what it's worth after first clear powder coating, no good too thick and wavy, then two different clear coats, necitating in having to remove all three coatings, I'm sticking with just regular polishing of the clear aluminium.

Cheers. John

 

[Bert Poliakoff]

Hmm, I've never seen this. How exactly is this done?
My center kidney grill has small dent from someone backing into it and would love to learn how to pop it back out.

A downward and sort of sliding motion is how I do it. You are not “popping” the dent out, but, rather stretching it back to shape. The sanding will remove any tiny high spots you may have. Find an old piece of trim etc and practice with it. You will find thebtapping pretty much brings the low spot up.

 

[bill]

Tap from front or behind?

 

[John Buchtenkirch]

A very old school body man taught me a useful trick for getting dings and not so small dings out of trim and metal.. While watching TV, use the round end,back side, of a large spoon. Tap across the ding at a very slight angle and keep tapping. Eventually you will see the ding/dent start to rise up as you slap away. Finish with appropriate sanding and polishing. I learned this doing headlight rings for an old model A Ford and it does what it is supposed to do.

There is also a tool called a slapping file, known as a “slapper” that will work the same on body dents, but having never done this, you will have to experiment. Tool should be available at a body shop supply store

Bert, just to keep things straight for someone intending to buy these tools. A slapping file has teeth and will make the metal look something like a corn flake after pounding on it. A slapper (the Brits call it a flipper) has a smooth polished face and radiused edges and generally will not mark the metal when used by someone experienced. They both are getting harder to buy new now, they are sort of “old school” tools that have fallen out of favor with modern body men. ~ John Buchtenkirch

 

[Bert Poliakoff]

Makes sense to me. I have always, on the rare occasion I used it, gone with the slapping file. On an older car where the body was made of “real” metal, I was always able to bring it relatively smooth by finishing of the bare metal with a vixen file

 

[Bert Poliakoff]

Tap from front or behind?

Front. I don’t know the physics involved, but for whatever reason it pulls the metal up/out