According to legend, "there is more than one way to skin a cat." But does anyone really know how to skin a cat and the various methods? Even more disturbing, why are cats being skinned to begin with? When it comes to auto body techniques the same "skinning a cat" saying can be applied to metal finishing techniques as well. When it comes to metal finishing, you might get three different opinions from four different body guys. And what's more, they may all yield the same results, those being a smoothed metal surface ready for prep and paint.
The method that we employed in pulling the dent in this '64 Chevelle is the industry standard practice. Once again we found ourselves at Harrison's Restorations, where Roy Landgrave, an autobody instructor at a local high school, gave us the straight dope on metal work. With 10 years under his belt as an instructor, Roy kept emphasizing that patience and a disciplined approach will do the job right the first time. It's hard to tell from a few photos, but from start to finish the methods that were demonstrated took about four hours to complete. And this was only one dent using one method. If you have a few to repair, count on taking several hours for each dent. Now let's get busy, shall we?
 Tools of the trade: We used...  Tools of the trade: We used this nail gun/stud gun in our dent removal process. The nail gun is one of the preferred tools of the trade when it comes to dent removal. Besides the nail gun, a slide hammer that physically holds the nail is used to make pulls. Without the slide hammer a nail gun is... |  ...useless. Next is a pick...  ...useless. Next is a pick hammer or a metal refinishing hammer. Any experienced body man will tell you to avoid using the cheaper body tools. If you were to use these tools everyday, we'd agree. Since many of us are not body men, a less expensive set should work just fine in the home garage. |  The dent in the rocker panel...  The dent in the rocker panel is a bit difficult to see in the photograph, however when a straight edge is held up to it, the dent becomes quite... |
 ...visible. The metal in this...  ...visible. The metal in this area of the vehicle is of a heavier gauge so a bit more work will be needed to pull this particular dent. |  The first step in repairing...  The first step in repairing this dent or any dent, is to remove all paint and primer from the metal's surface. The stud gun spot-welds the nail to the surface of the metal. If any paint is present, it obviously won't work. |  After sanding the paint away,...  After sanding the paint away, the red circles in this photograph illustrate the ridgeline in the dent. It's this ridgeline that physically keeps the low spot in the metal. |
 The next procedure is to spot...  The next procedure is to spot weld a nail/stud to the metals surface. A novice metal worker may be tempted to start at the lowest spot (usually in the middle) in the dent. Any experienced body man will tell you that starting... |  ...at the outside or edge...  ...at the outside or edge of the dent is the preferred method. Pulling a dent from the outside in, will avoid any high spots, high spots are the enemy and can literally stretch the metal, making it thinner. |  And here is where the bullet...  And here is where the bullet hits the bone, so to speak. The slide hammer is attached to the nail and a few light raps are all that is needed. The temptation to yank the dent with heavy blows on the slide hammer can be over powering. Resist the urge to try and pull the dent all at once. Like we said, high spots can occur as a result and that would negate all our hard work. |
 Here is where the pick hammer...  Here is where the pick hammer comes into play. Remember that ridgeline in the metal we spoke of earlier? The pick hammers job is to flatten that ridge while the slide hammer is pulling the dent. Our body technician, Roy Landgrave, kept pressure on the dent with the body hammer, while he lightly tapped the ridgeline in the metal. This is where patience and method come into play. Small steps work the metal a little at a time. |  Once that particular area...  Once that particular area has been worked the nail is removed. Roy showed us his preferred technique. Using a pair of needle nose vice grips he twists the stud at its base until it breaks loose. Some guys snip the stud then grind the stump. That requires more work than necessary; it's easier to just twist it off. |  This photo illustrates just...  This photo illustrates just one phase of the work that was put into pulling this dent. Notice the black spots? This is where the studs/nails were spot welded and pulled. The black marker illustrates the ridgeline we have been speaking of. A dozen or more rounds with the stud gun and hammer will get us where we want to be. |
 Now that the body filler has...  Now that the body filler has set up, it's time to sand it all back down to an acceptable level. One of the biggest problems many people encounter is they... |  ...tend to sand too much of...  ...tend to sand too much of the filler off. Once again the hand comes into play and feeling where you're at is the only way to do the job. |  Now that the body filler has...  Now that the body filler has set up, it's time to sand it all back down to an acceptable level. One of the biggest problems many people encounter is they... |
 ...tend to sand too much of...  ...tend to sand too much of the filler off. Once again the hand comes into play and feeling where you're at is the only way to do the job. |  When sanding, you want to...  When sanding, you want to achieve an affect known as "feathering". This photo illustrates how we feathered the body filler, paint and primer. Notice how one layer of paint fades into another? This is feathering. Feather or layering will avoid any low spots in the final finish of the dent pull. |  We shot a high build primer...  We shot a high build primer onto our finished area and... |
 ...then covered it with an...  ...then covered it with an opposing color of guide coat. |  Success! Four hours later...  Success! Four hours later we are done. The dent is pulled, filled and primered. And since we did it right, a magnet will stick to it. Nobody will ever know there use to be a dent here, except the hundreds of thousands of people reading this article. | |