Let me tell you about my dents Gents. They make me sick. Really! I think about them at school. I go to bed thinking about them. Sometimes I dream about them. I wake up and they are the first thing on my mind. That's not right is it? I think I have some mental disorder? I get home from school and they have not yet like went all Steven Kings 'Christine' on me and fixed themselves. Really about the 'sick' stuff. I am dead serious! I can put my hand in them and my stomach actually feels sick.

I am going to start working on them this summer. The big ones? I just don't know guys. It looks like a job I don't even dare to tackle. Here is what I know about body repair. First off I have a small Makita 4" grinder and I have a slide hammer with some idea how to use it. The small dents I didn't picture them. I think I can handle them, I think... I have a basic idea on how to use body putty and think I have a decent understanding on how I am going to work out these small dents. They don't worry me so much.

My neighbor told me the best thing to do with the big dents is get a new quarter panel to repair the damage there on the lower left-front bottom of the bed and have it welded in. Or a donor truck to cut body parts off from. Guys, There is no way this can happen. Not on the money I make tending lawns. The dent on the cab? Looks rough as well. I can probably pull it out but to get the shape back? And that small crease that runs along the edge of the cab as it makes it's turn from the rear to the side? That's professional grade know-how there.

Any advise guys? Any at all? You got to keep it simple guys. It's real easy to talk over my head. Anything you have to say to me is valuable.

My weekends are mine. soon as I can I will start on a small dent. I will post pictures as I progress along. Hopefully learning as I go. As for funds? I figure I will be making close to $400 a month this summer. Maybe a little more. Hopefully other than gas and upkeep most of it can go towards my truck. That is if my mowers and my weed eaters don't give me problems. And my truck in general. It has a lot of work to do this season.

Guys? Thanks for reading! Thanks for your thoughts! Should some small thought come to you that may be of a benefit to me? Man! Send it to me. I need all the help you will let me dig out of your heads.

Here are some pictures of Brutus's injuries. Yes, my trucks name is Brutus.























Catatonic

Your in luck!! they have a name and a cure for your "mental disorder"

the "disease" as it is commonly referred to, is called.... FORD TRUCK FANANTICS, and the only known cure at this time is to spend at least 3 hours a day on the site and post up often!

good luck, I know you can do it !!!

The ones in the bed will pound out from the back side of the bed. The rear pillar will need a dent puller and that crease its going to make it difficult to say the least.

Smokey, the dent is pushed right into the fuel tank. If I take the tank out, I will have good access to this dent? That sounds great if I am understanding you correctly.

Alright!

amkatt1 said:

Your in luck!! they have a name and a cure for your "mental disorder"

the "disease" as it is commonly referred to, is called.... FORD TRUCK FANANTICS, and the only known cure at this time is to spend at least 3 hours a day on the site and post up often!

good luck, I know you can do it !!!

Click to expand...

Hey, at least there is a cure. Thanks my friend! You give me hope.

Like Randy say's it's not going to be easy to get all of those out - try looking at some youtube panelbeating tutorials just to see how its done.

Best idea i think is to find the local panel beaters in your area and pester them for a part time job (even sweeping floors etc) and see if they will show/teach you how to repair your truck (which looks pretty cool by the way) .... you never know you might even get a career out of it.
One wee trick you can use to get a shop to take you on is offer to work for free for a trial period - most guys will take you up on that.

If I have learned anything in my life it is if you have a truck then you have work especaly with that beast lol. Haul off brush, clean up propertys, scrap... some times you can find a lot to clean up for just the scrap and come out ahead

As for the body work all I can tell you is when you have a dent the steel will expandand never be perfect again, your going to want to work it back as close to perfect as you posibly can before you use the filler the less you need to use the less chance you have for chiping and cracking, also if it where me I woulld not use any bondo on it for rust or holes better to weld in new steel or replace the pannel

Hope this helps

its going to take some skills to straighten your truck out. You cant just knock the dents out because the metal will be stretched and require shrinking. The best part is that basic metal working tools (hammers and dolly's) are reasonable cheap and if you take it slowly you can only improve the body. Just make sure you do take it slow as patience is the key. Like someone else said watch some youtube videos and take your time

the way it seems they are all in body lines and they never come out perfect box isnt too hard maybe take awalk round a local savage yard sometimes u can get parts for really cheap that one on the cab will suck the big one i thank god mine is mostly rust than dents and what little dents there are can be easily knocked out