With the hood and front fenders painted, it is on to the cab. The immediate problem is a three foot vertical crease in the cab, just in front of the door. This baby is about two inches deep and I am trying to figure out what could have caused it. My best guess is some type of cowboy equipment - maybe at the rodeo someone backed a horse trailer into it.
With a dent this big I am going to have to perform a kickpanelectomy. This is a complex procedure to remove the inside panel of the cab so I can bump out the dent. With my huge ass air compressor, that is still bigger than my wife, there will be plenty of air to run the cut off tool and nibbler.
Sparks were flying when I started cutting into the metal but I had more protection than a frat boy on date night; safety glasses, respirator, gloves, and ear guards. Four out of five is not bad. I got my air nibbler going and was cleaning up around the opening when I saw an open spot and just started cutting up to the top. Thankfully I stopped before I got to the end as I had cut two inches past the replacement part I had purchased.
With the panel removed I now had access to the dent. I know most of the guys will be able to relate to this. I basically spent about an hour just looking at the dent wondering how I was going to repair it. The next hour was spent hoping it would magically fix itself. And then I was ready, I got out my hammer and dolly and started bumping. Even with the kick panel removed it was still hard to get the hammer in the small space. I hammered, and bumped, and banged on my dolly for 5 hours.
I actually made good progress getting about half of the dent out. WhooHoo. However, the next day I could not move my right hand. All the banging really stressed my wrist and I really could not pick anything up with it. With my left hand I could comb my hair just fine and brushing my teeth was a little harder. And after a few tries my aim was good enough to hit the toilet. I did clean up the floor and cabinets and as long as my wife doesn’t read this post I should be okay.
Nice job...I have been checking back on your progress and cheering for you! I have seen that type of dent in countless photos and it appears to be from the door. Perhaps caught by the wind and opened to wide? I see a little kink in the outer edge of your upper hinge too.
ReplyDeleteThere is a tool that you can use to weld studs on the outside and pull the dent out with no holes. Here is a link to one http://www.hsautoshot.com/4550.html
I hope you heal up quick and can get back to work as I am looking forward to your next update.
Alex