A older body guy at a shop I temped at told me something that stuck

I was helping out at a place in Cleveland a few years ago, and this retiree named Frank saw me struggling with a quarter panel alignment on a '96 Impala. He just said 'Stop fighting the metal, son, listen to what it's telling you' and showed me how the panel had 1/8 inch of flex he'd never get with a hammer alone. Anyone else ever had a old timer drop a piece of advice that totally changed how you work?

2 comments

2 Comments

lindab4928d ago

Oh man, that Frank sounds like a real pro! Did you ever try that trick of working a panel from the center out and letting the metal relax? I had a similar moment when an old body guy told me to stop chasing dents with a hammer and instead use a dolly to feel where the metal naturally wanted to sit. That little piece of advice saved me hours on a rusty fender.

jadew6328d ago

Yeah, I tried that center out thing once. Spent an hour working a dent in a quarter panel till the metal looked like a crumpled beer can. Sometimes "letting the metal relax" just means it's gonna relax right into a headache for you. Linda, I'd rather use a dolly to find where the metal wants to sit than end up with a panel that looks like a topographical map.