Can this dent be fixed?

[Surfdc]

So after feeling all good about overhauling my power-steering system, I was filling the reservoir and left the cap on the intake, point up, shut the hood and dented the hood!! Can this dent be fixed? if so any ideas how??
Thanks in advance.

 

[BILT4ME]

So after feeling all good about overhauling my power-steering system, I was filling the reservoir and left the cap on the intake, point up, shut the hood and dented the hood!! Can this dent be fixed? if so any ideas how??
Thanks in advance.

Pics?

Maybe that explains my dent "up" from the inside on my hood from the PO.......

Yes, the dent can be fixed. Heat, hammer, and repaint, but if it's shallow enough one of those paintless dent removal placed can do it as long as they have access to it from the inside.

 

[Surfdc]

Thanks! Just got off phone with paintless dent repair and he reviewed the pics and said the outward dent likely stretched the metal and was not repairable.

 

[jpoole]

Of course it's repairable, the question is what approach best matches your preferred input and desired outcome.

 

[BILT4ME]

Thanks! Just got off phone with paintless dent repair and he reviewed the pics and said the outward dent likely stretched the metal and was not repairable.

Well, yes it's repairable.

My son had a huge dent in the top of the hood on his 70 GMC, where a tree branch landed on it. (About a 5" diameter end)

He pulled the hood and we discussed the possibility of heat shrinking and working the metal to flatten it back out and clean it up. Mind you, he had NEVER done body work of any sort (he was 19 when he decided to do this) and he researched it on YouTube as well as listened to his Old Man how to approach this. I have not done this personally, but I work with metal all the time and I have seen results of some "Old Timers" doing this.

So, here are a few pics of him using pull pins, hammer and dolly, then heating and cooling, then ultimately sanding, priming, skim coating, and painting the hood on his truck. It's not perfect, but you have to be looking for it to know it's there.

Each time he thought he was done, I asked him if he could still see it. He would reply "Yes". Then I told him that in two years, as he's driving down the road, STARING at that dent while he's driving and asking himself if he felt he did a good enough job to be happy about it. "Good Point" he said, then he went to the next level.

So, not only is what you have repairable, YOU can do it. This was done with a MAPP gas torch, a buzz box welder, a grinder with a soft pad, and a wet rag over and over. For his first time doing this, he has probably 20 hours in this, but it became a challenge for him and was not about the cost of a new hood at all.

 

[BILT4ME]

More:

I would try to convince him to work over the hood on my LC, but the front edge is rusted out, so I'm just going to find a different hood.

 

[jpoole]

@BILT4ME shares a great approach to take. You could also hammer it down and skim over it with filler then sand/prime/paint, get a replacement hood, etc. etc. Lots of ways to make it better than it is now you just have to figure out what's best for your truck.

 

[Surfdc]

Wow great work by your son!! Ok thanks guys. Gonna watch videos on YouTube and and try myself!

 

[Pascoscout]

Get yourself a shrinking disc for an angle grinder and watch a video on how to use it. Hammer that dent down, remove the paint on the stretched area and then hit it with the disc, heating and cooling, over and over until the stretched metal shrinks back to tight. Should be able to get it to just a skim of bondo, primer and paint. May need to paint the whole hood for the best look.

Not repairable to the paintless dent guy means it needs body filler and/or paint, not that it can't be fixed.

 

[jemsec]

Body shops that repair hail damage should be able to fix this in short order. It appears to be the reverse of a dent from hail. Worth a try.

 

[LINUS]

+1 to what @Pascoscout said - I was thinking shrinking hammer / dolly & watch some YT to see what heat & dry ice might help too.

Very fixable, just what you’re willing to spend in either $$ or your own time to get there.
If it’s otherwise a rust & dent free hood, better to work what you have IMO.

 

[NCFJ]

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I would try to convince him to work over the hood on my LC, but the front edge is rusted out, so I'm just going to find a different hood.

Good on both you and your son! Seeing a young man jump in with both feet and do a job like this does my heart good. It'll also open his mind up to trying all kinds of things that may seem past his knowledge and talent.

On the inside rear view mirror of all of my vehicles is a little sticker, just black print on clear. It says "NIKE" it means "Just Do It"

 

[Surfdc]

Good advice guys. Watched some videos on shrinking disc technique last night. Was trying to do it without having to repaint. But geez that seems like it is magic.
I’m willing to try myself for sure. Removed the insulation last night and was looking around. Looks like a dent from the underside and a big zit from the top!
The hood is rust free and perfect. It’s even been repainted once because the clear coat was terrible about 9 years ago.
Here is what I see from the drivers seat to remind me to put all caps back on and remove all tools from under the hood before shutting it!!