Straighten panels - Body work question

[soundcontrol]

My radiator support is kinda bumpy, and I want it nice and straight, (don't wanna replace it right now). And this question goes for other panels that had dents and bumps also. I been at it with a planishing hammer and a dolly, but with my lack of experience, its not getting any better, maybe worse. Is it even possible to make it nice again? I seen other people fix the most wrecked panels, but I just can not get it right. What to do? Use a press?

[torredcuda]

Metal work is an art that takes some practice but the right tools help. Not sure what you mean by planishing hammer and dolly? What do you have for a selection of body hammers and dollys? In that area some heat (not to much!) will help you work it a little easier. Also a body file is great for showing high and low spots.

[RUNCHARGER]

You can get that really nice with a body hammer and dolly. What seems to be going on? The basic is to support the low spots and tap the high spots. Does it need shrinking? I got this one straight, it was one of the first bodywork things I tried.

[Cuda Cody]

Hammer and Dolly takes bit of practice to get good at it.  But you can make that section look as good as new.  Maybe watch a few YouTube videos to get some ideas on the techniques.  But yes, it can be done.  And the heat idea will work good too, but you need to be careful.  It's called Shrinking Metal and some people use a torch or a shrinking disc.  It's not something that most people pick up and become expert at in a day.  But you can get pretty good with a little but of practice.  Find some scrap metal to practice on. 

[Cuda Cody]

Also, your VIN number is on that panel.  I would NEVER replace it.  It's very savable.

[RUNCHARGER]

Hopefully I can explain this clearly enough. I would gently work one dent at a time and in my mind it is more important that the cross brace is straight from the left side to the right side than being perfectly flat. The metal will want to go somewhere if you hammer it too much.
What you may want to end up with is a brace that is straight right to left but the center of the flat part may have extra material in it because it has stretched. If it hasn't stretched too much (right now it hasn't) and you don't want to risk shrinking it the best thing may be to have slight divots in it and fill them with a very small amount of filler to make the brace flat on top.
So you would have a good edge on the back, a good edge on the front with the correct contour left to right. Then a very thin skim coat of filler in the middle to make it flat between the front and back. That filler would be 1/16" thick. That method may help you.

[RUNCHARGER]

Also, what type of dolly are you using? It really helps if your dolly matches the shape you are trying to achieve.You don't need a store bought dolly, you can shape one with a grinder using any steel you have laying around. A lot of times I will take a grinder to shape a 2 x 4 piece of wood and hammer form something over it as well.
On your rad support I would probably use a small piece of leaf spring about 6 or 8 inches long as a dolly. The leaf spring is thin enough to get in there right to the inside edge. I would probably try to gently work it with a wooden mallet first to see if I could shrink it a bit. If the wooden mallet wasn't moving it enough I would use a body hammer. Light hits are better than hits that are too heavy.
I am by now means an expert on this but I do enjoy screwing around with it and seeing what I can do.

[Cuda Cody]

   Good advice.   

[RUNCHARGER]

Thanks Cody: I hate giving advice because I'm not even sure I know what I'm doing but if I can help someone else I like to try. I pick up "The Rodders Journal" sometimes and I see bare metal 100 year old cars and I'm just amazed what these guys can do.

[soundcontrol]

Also, your VIN number is on that panel.  I would NEVER replace it.  It's very savable.

Yes, thats the reason I don't wanna replace it. It's stock, not rusty, just bumpy. I will take all the great advise here, then I found some good YT videos, and try. I have a bunch of different hammers, one shrinking hammer, with spikes, not sure how that works... and some different dolly's, and yeah, its hard to get a dolly in behind there, I might have to make one.
I think it's just my lack of skills, I'm pretty good shaping panels with minor bends and stuff, but to make them straight...thats very hard.

Gonna watch all of theese, look interesting:
https://www.youtube.com/user/MetalmanSweden/videos

I'm also thinking about adding a front panel to that, like this b-body in the picture, looks great, hides the cables, and gets way stronger, but it will be more complicated on an e-body since the hood latch plate is connected in the middle, have to make a hole for that and the bolts. Have not decided yet, but I'm tempted.

[Cuda Cody]

@soundcontrol  that photo above that you posted looks like a coat of bondo.  I don't think that is a metal patch.    Pretty sure that is just plastic filler to make it look smooth.  I would be very concerned about putting bondo on an area that gets the hood slammed down.  A skim coat would be okay, but to much and you could risk it cracking under the slamming of the hood closing.

[soundcontrol]

@soundcontrol  that photo above that you posted looks like a coat of bondo.  I don't think that is a metal patch.    Pretty sure that is just plastic filler to make it look smooth.  I would be very concerned about putting bondo on an area that gets the hood slammed down.  A skim coat would be okay, but to much and you could risk it cracking under the slamming of the hood closing.

No, thats all metal, you can see the whole job here:
http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/modern-bullitt-build.80384/page-18
I won't use any bondo, but a metal cover there is much more difficult on an e-body. Looks great though.

[Cuda Cody]

   Silly me, I thought you were talking about the pink stuff.     I see the metal now!  You are right.  That's a metal section he put in there.   

[soundcontrol]

Here's another question, everywhere there is overlapping panels, there is rust in between, I know it's pretty much impossible to fix that, (except for replacing otherwise good panels). I assume everyone just sandblast, epoxy coat, seamseal, paint and be done with it, but is there anything else to do? Everywhere I had some minor rust on overlapping panels, I cut out a piece and replaced, and I used a rust converter on the parts I really could not get to, then some epoxy primer before I welded it up. But there is tons of overlapping seams on the car, I was wondering if I should try to get some rust converter in between, where it's possible, most concerned about the firewall to upper cowl part, where all the water from the windshield goes, maybe add rust converter there, make it sit and hope it will get in to the seam before I add paint and seal it? Maybe blow compressed air on it will help it go down there? If the seams are airtight, will the rust continue?

[RUNCHARGER]

They make a weld thru primer for that. I'll tell you the best method though, although the factory didn't have the technology back then. Modern panel bond is better than welding, it's secondary benefit is that it seals the joint.