Fender busted in hit-and-run :(

[majicwrench]

What a bummer Bartus. Yes it is a do-it-yourself fix, but how nice do you want it?? I use scissor jacks to push a lot of things like that out, you probably have one in your trunk cheaper than porta power, use some small 1x4 wood chunks to keep from denting things out. Then hammer and dolly, go slow. Cheapy hammer/dolly sets available most budget auto supply stores. Then bondo. DIY quicky will not look perfect but should be OK.
Such is life.
Keith

[Zippy]

Sorry you got hit. It definately looks fixable. I am not good at body work so I have no advice to offer, just let me know when the epidemic is over. I don't want anything to happen to my car.

[BartusCompater]

So started ripping into everything today. Getting the fender off has not proven to be easy. It's welded on completely, so it feels like I'm basically just cutting a chunk out of the car. Any hints on the easiest way to get it off? Right now I'm just using an angle grinder and going around the easy parts like under the hood. I'm wondering how I'm going to take care of the area near the back like within near where the door hinges, and up at the front of the car.

[aj81spider]

Don't know if it will be any help, but here's a guy who documented replacing his fender.

http://www.glocktech.net/fiat/restorati ... t%2014.htm

[kmead]

I wouldn't remove the fender to fix it. The body shop certainly won't. You will do much more damage removing it than leaving it in place.

Removing it will make your job much much harder. Getting it all to the right shape and then back on the car will prove much harder to do.

Just pull the dent out, smooth out the area and repaint it.

Sorry to see, but don't make it worse.

[124JOE]

did you call a body shop for a quote? thats where mine would be

dont you have insurance? thats how it would be payed for

think of the guy who has to weld it up
he wants as little to weld as posable

so he would cut cose to the dent "if he was cutting at all"


you may be doubbling your final cost

[grittracing]

I would have tried to hamer it out 1st. what do you have to loose if it didnt work than you could cut the bad out and wield new. I wish you luck

[BartusCompater]

I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I saw that tutorial that someone else linked and figured removing the fender would be easier and would make repairing it more easy as well. I've got a body hammer kit here at the rental store where I work and I'm just going to weld everything back together and use that. Woo, learning experiences!

Oh, and I only had liability insurance on the time that it was hit, hence why I'm not taking it to a body shop.

[BartusCompater]

I am impressed with myself after my first attempt at body work. Took my fender from looking like this:



To looking like this:



Almost ready for paint

[TulsaSpider]

Sorry to hear! yay for progress!

[124JOE]

way to go
its getting better

[KidDingo]

Nice job!

You're much braver and more talented than I am.

[Fiat88]

Looking good man!