I should have started this thread a few weeks ago, but I guess I’ll start documenting my repairs to this car. It was in great shape 6 years ago but it had an issue where is got stuck at about 3500 rpm and would not go back to idle. I drove it home and garaged it but life happened and it sat for a bit. I moved from WA to TX and trailered it down planning to fix it, but new job and stuff got in the way for a year or so. FINALLY I pushed it out of the garage to clear a space to work on it and my idiot ex wife backed into it crushing the rear drivers side fender pretty bad. I had to pull it off the tire to push it back in. Then I got divorced and was a single dad living in an apartment so it sat in storage again... I’m remarried now and while I don’t have a ton of time I am getting after it finally....

So here is where I am so far... I drained and pulled the fuel tank. I cleaned it up and am getting ready to paint it before reinstalling. I also changed out all the vacuum lines which I think was causing my idle problem. New battery installed. I checked the oil and it looked brand new so I guess I changed it RIGHT before I had the issue. I pulled all the plugs and dropped some marvel mystery oil in and spun the motor a bit to get oil back into the top end. Oddly it started and ran about 10 seconds with no fuel so yay! Next step is to blow out fuel lines with air, swap the fuel filter and after I clean out and repaint under the fuel tank I’ll reinstall it and fill it up. I THINK it’s going to run... hopefully I’m right. If it does I’ll change the oil and be HAPPY.

I also started in on my bad fender. I’ll post pics, but I’d say I have a 20% improvement so far. I’ve been hammering metal and have made the crease much less and gotten the metal off the wheel now. I just wanted to get it to where it would not rub in case it does run I can drive it some. It honestly looks better and my wife was fairly impressed at the improvement. I WISH I had taken a pic before I screwed with it but I’ll start documenting it now I guess.

I’m sure I’ll have questions so any input is welcome... thanks!

Looking at those pics it doesn’t look NEARLY as bad as before I started. That crease in the middle was deep and it was depressed quite a bit more. This is a bigger nastier dent than I usually tackle I’m a bit concerned about the body line above the dent. That’s where I started working... that was raised about a 1/4 inch and I’ve beat it mostly flat, but that next wrinkle is challenging. Once I get the fuel tank in I’ll get it up on jack stands and pull the wheels so I can really get after it with a hammer and dolly. I guess it’s just a good learning opportunity. There is a bit of rust but that’s just humidity and will sand off. Over all the car is very clean and has no cancerous rust that I have found yet. Any suggestions on getting it running or massaging that dent are welcome. I have more time than money so I’ll try to beat it straight before I cut it out.

Thanks again

You should be able to bring that fender back. I've been trying to learn metal bumping myself and found the ancient, but still relevant book, The Key to Metal Bumping by Frank Sargent very helpful for figuring out how to read the damage and tackle the repair. Even more helpful are the many Youtube videos. I look forward to seeing this progress. Good luck!

I’ve been watching a TON of YouTube! It’s been helpful.

Well it was hot today and then it started raining (Yay Texas) but I got. Few things done. I had some bubbled up paint on my fuel tank I wanted to fix while I had the tank out so today I hit all those spots with a wire brush and lightly sanded the entire tank. Then I gave it a bath in dawn and hot water dried it off and hit it with some sarin black Rustoleum. It looks pretty nice I think. I could have taken more time to sand it, bondo those pits from the rust, etc... but it’s still 1000% better than the scratched up, fuel stained, rusty mess it was before. Click to view attachment