In detail: DIY wing repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.
Fenders of a car often suffer from an accident, and are also exposed to stones flying out from under the wheels, as they are located near the roadway. The main way to restore the body elements of the car is straightening followed by repainting. The next step is how to align a car wing with your own hands.
The straightening equipment includes, first of all, hammers. There are several types of such tools, differing in shape and purpose. Flat head hammers are used to straighten flat surfaces. Variants with a convex striker are used for processing convex surfaces. Notched tools are designed to work on elongated surfaces. Smooth models are used for anti-aliasing. The named types of straightening hammers are made from tool steel.
In addition to these tools, files with large notches are used for car straightening. Small surfaces are leveled with them. Hooks squeeze out the dents from the back. They are also made from tool steel. Anvils and supports are used to support the metal from the back during straightening work. They are composed of brass. Usually, all equipment is purchased in kits, the cost of which is determined by how many tools they include. You can buy them separately, but this is more difficult, since you need to know how many and what tools are required for straightening.
Do-it-yourself straightening of the car should be carried out in protective equipment, represented by overalls, glasses, gloves.
Video (click to play).
You need to work in a well-lit room. On the net you can find a video about the preparation of equipment and premises for straightening.
A distinction should be made between straightening and stretching. The second type of work is the initial stage of body repair. It is performed using hydraulic and screw jacks. Then the skews of the body are pulled out on the slipway. Finally, the car body is measured with a specialized ruler and the values obtained are compared with the factory parameters. They switch to straightening only by completely eliminating the distortions.
There are three types of straightening work, allocated on the basis of implementation technology.
This method is characterized by a high speed of performance of work and compares favorably with other options in that in this case the paintwork of the car is preserved. However, the main condition for the use of this straightening technology is its integrity. It should also be borne in mind that these works require expensive specialized equipment, although there are technologies for straightening dents without painting with improvised means.
This technology is much more widespread. It implies the elimination of defects remaining after stretching of the deformed material. When doing such work with your own hands, careful calculation and distribution of the impact on the metal is required in order to avoid the formation of flaps, which are understood as excess material formed as a result of excessive stretching. Therefore, when carrying out such work, smooth hammers are especially relevant.
This technology is used in cases where the stretching of the metal is so significant that it cannot be eliminated by other means. The essence of the work consists in shrinkage with the use of smooth hammers and support of fragments of the working surface heated by a gas burner with an area of about 1 cm². Seated in a spiral from the edges to the center. Due to the fact that such straightening leads to a violation of the metal structure, it is used only in extreme cases. There are videos about each of these types of jobs and they can be easily found on the Internet.
First, the wing is removed from the vehicle. Then it is cleaned and the damage is examined. Based on how many defects there are and of what type, methods of restoration work are determined.
Straightening the car involves removing the stress of the deformed metal. At the same time, in the process of work, it is necessary to avoid the formation of new areas of compression and tension. Therefore, it is worthwhile to first decide on the straightening technology. It is chosen on the basis of what damage is present on the car parts, and how many there are.
Large dents are removed with their own hands with a straightening hammer, transferring light blows gradually from the edges to the middle of the defect. In this case, it is unacceptable to find a counter support, displaced from its center, on the same axis with the hammer. Competent execution of straightening with your own hands will allow you to restore the geometry of the car part and remove deformation stresses. However, this requires skill and experience.
Small indentations remaining after the restoration of the car body geometry are smoothed out by spiral straightening using the direct forging method, which involves the use of an aluminum hammer and counter support with flat working surfaces. In these works, the stress is concentrated at the points of interaction of these tools when straightening small depressions. Usually, when leveling a dent, several of these areas are removed. The voltage decreases as the distance between the impact points increases. In the case of their close location, it is worth using the thermal method of stress relief, since in this case, under mechanical stress, the surface may bend. The essence of the work consists in deposition in the middle by straightening a deformed area with a preheated welding torch or a carbon electrode in the center. At high voltages, the heated section of the car is cooled with water for the purpose of compaction, which allows a larger amount of material to be deposited.
To remove small car dents with your own hands, use an automatic pulling tool. Its glow plug is welded to the center in 0.3 seconds and the traction is activated by presetting the height. You need to measure how much the depth of the dent is, so as not to drag it into a bulge. The repaired car surface should be cooled. Finally, the electrode is disconnected and its location is leveled. Also, small dents in a car can be aligned with a magnet. The heat method is suitable for repairing dents up to 1 cm in diameter and up to 2 mm deep. This technology consists in shifting the heating source from the edges to the middle of the defect and cooling.
On the basis of any of the considered methods, straightening of both the front and rear wings can be carried out. However, how exactly to carry out the work is determined on the basis of how many and which defects are present on the damaged wing.
Despite the fact that the defect may be completely simple, in a car service you still have to spend a certain amount, which, depending on the class of car, can be rather big. However, if a motorist has a theoretical base and knows how to use some types of tools, he can do it himself to repair a car wing with his own hands.
Devices, tools and materials necessary for the repair to be of high quality
Hydraulic jack with pipe cut-off extensions. Although a rack and pinion is suitable, in extreme cases, such a jack is included in the repair kit of many Russian-made cars. The tube for the extension to this jack must be square so that it can be slid onto the rack.
Straightening hammer or rubber mallet.
Leveling paw, spring, wooden block.
Several types of sandpaper, ranging from No. 80 to No. 600.
Before work, it is necessary to remove the wheel from the side of the damaged fender.Place a piece of wood under the jack extension and use it to squeeze out the wing indentation from the inside. When the main serious dent has decreased, you can try to remove the small and smooth ones with your hands. Remains of dents and creases are removed with a hammer. If necessary, bend the edge of the arch with pliers. Serious creases are straightened with a metal hammer, which must be tapped directly into the crease.
Work must be carried out carefully, with minimal effort applied to the wing surface. Try not to overdo it, otherwise the metal will stretch, up to the formation of a through hole, after which you will have to use electric welding. Measure your efforts and, most importantly, learn to "feel" the metal. The technology of the final stage of straightening is the methodical elimination of large defects, gradually reducing them to smaller, minimal ones.