Fix small dents and rust spots - before painting

[masta shark]

now im no expert on this, but i have done it a few times to a few cars:

you'll need:

-some body filler and a creme hardner, when mixed together they'll fill in the dents
-sand paper, 80 grit, 200, 320 and 400 (or 600)
-spot filler (glaze, whatever it is, i'll edit this later)
-a sandable primer
-if the dent is big enough, a dent puller with a slide weight preferably
-and if you wanna be a little more careful, than a sanding block will help a lot


sand down the area around the dent with 80 grit sand paper. get it down to bare metal

then sand an extra few inches around the dent with 200 grit, the make it smoother and feather it out to the regular paint

if the dent is large enough, drill a hole and use the dent puller to pull the metal even. hammer the edges of the hole inward

clean the surface, and spray a rust remover/sealer if there is any evidence of rust forming

mix the body filler and creme hardner, but make sure you do it in the right proportions.

take a putty knife and put the body filler over the dent, making it smooth but making sure it is higher than the body (so it can be sanded down)

let it dry, and then sand it even. if there are still any rough spots or uneven spots, mix more body filler and put another layer on. if the layers are more than 1/4" thick, drill small holes to let the filler bond a little better with the layer underneath

sand it sand it and sand it...the better you sand the better it will look afterwards. if you dont sand it smooth and even, you will see it when the paint is applied

when its all sanded down and even with the metal, apply a thin layer of glaze to smooth the surface and cover any imperfections.

sand that even, and when done coat it with a thin coat of primer.

sand the primer with 320 grit sandpaper, clean it and apply another coat or two of primer. (two if the coats are very thin)

sand it with the 400 grit sandpaper (wetsand it) and maybe with the 600 grit if you want a REALLY smooth surface.

the spot should be ready for paint...




doing body work is easy, but you do have to pay attention to detail, because if you dont you will notice it after the paint is applied. if you take your time (lots of time) you should end up with a nicely covered spot.

and as i said, im no expert, but i have done it several times and it turned out nicelt for me.

[lemonrex]

I'll add one more thing...

DO NOT PAINT OVER RUST!!!!!!  IF YOU DO, IT WILL CONTINUE TO RUST!!!!!  THEN YOU WILL SELL YOUR CAR TO SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO HAS TO FIX THAT RUST ON THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR QUARTER PANEL AND I WON'T BE HAPPY!!!!  

Not that anything like that will happen to me.

Oh yeah, all you Si owners, the tubes going from your sunroof to drain the water away goes to the rear of the car.  They will get clogged up if they aren't already.  This causes all sorts of rust problems.  OK?  OK.

[UltimX]

I found this, its for paint chips but this also might help.

Considering restoring a classic car or just polishing up your car? Here’s how to repair a paint chip:

1. Purchase touch-up paint for your car. (For the correct paint, see your Owner Manual.)
2. Purchase a small amount of automotive clear coat.
3. Wash the area surrounding the paint chip and dry it thoroughly.
4. Using a small soft brush or Q-tip, clean out the paint chip.
5. Shake up the touch-up paint
6. Take a paper match and trim the non-lightable end to a point. Matches work well for applying paint.  
7. Apply a small amount of paint to the chip. Try not to get any on the surrounding paint.
8. Allow the touch-up paint to dry thoroughly, then apply a layer of clear coat over the touch-up paint.
9. Allow the clear coat to dry then apply a second layer. You want to build the clear coat up higher than the surrounding paint.
10. Allow the paint to dry for 24 hours.
11. Using 1500-grit sand paper, lightly sand the area. Make sure there is no dirt on the car or the sand paper. This will cause scratches.
12. Using 2000-grit sand paper, sand the area again until smooth.
13. Finish the process using a fine polishing compound on a soft cloth. This will bring back the shine.
14. If you can still see swirl marks, try a car cleaner polish or a cleaner wax with a fine abrasive.
15. The paint chip should now be gone and very hard to see. Only you will know where it was.  

Tips:

Always check your Owner Manual and Service Manual before beginning any repair.
Don't be in a hurry. Make sure the paint is 100 percent dry before sanding.
Only sand a very small area surrounding the paint chip. Don't go crazy.
Sand only in one direction; do not go round in circles

[rbwdriven]

by the way good write up.

I'll add one thing.

With a big dent instead of drilling a hole and using a dent puller.  This causes you now have to fill the hole that you made.

Rent a stud welder.  It looks like a gun that shoots a little stud (almost a reversed nail).
 
1. Grind area to be pulled first.  
2. Use stud welder to apply stud in area.  
3. Use dent puller in same manner to pull area out.  
4. Grind stud off and boom your done.  
You might have to do some light fill work after this but it does get a lot of the area pulled.

This leaves you with your panel pulled and no hole it in.

Little tricks I've learned in the painting industry.

[silverkorn]

one thing to keep in mind for that dent puller is you need a welder and know how to use it

[rbwdriven]

the type I'm talking about is a gun that basically welds the rivet to the body panel.

it is very easy to use but you atleast have to have some common sense in using it.