Ideas or tips get this back into proper shape...

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Try pulling, you can always cut.

I would recommend watching some Youtube videos on paintless dent repair, PDR. I know your not bothered about the paint but it will show you where to start, they are usually really good at explaining where to hit the crowns. You will be surprised what they can achieve.

Thanks guys, YouTube for coaching is a good suggestion.

The car is extremely solid so the door gap being a bit tight at the top seems dent related rather than body structure. Think that requires some pulling/pushing out...

@rjames - good point, it I really mess it up would need to cut anyway (and I have the panel).

A 2x4 with a smoothed out edge would be a good start

To beat up the rest of the car so it looks equally bashed in? Some help you are

I would try pulling, preferably with a bunch of weld-on studs and a big slide hammer.

I honestly am thinking 2x4 also. Reach it up in there to get the end under that upper dent. Use a small block as a fulcrum and see if you can push/pop that upper dent out. If you are successful, you'll be 90% home. Of course I'd research on Youtube first in case there is a better way.

I second that recommendation, the paintless dent videos helped me understand how to work the panel stresses out.

I used a rounded 2x4 to get my rear wheel well clearance equal. I used a sander to just give it a slight curve on the 4" face of the 12" piece then rounded the edges pretty heavy. I wanted a large area pressing on the fender without risking an edge the 2x4 creating a crease. Then put a 12" square piece 3/4" to spread the load with a scissor jack between them. Then just slowly pushed it out with the jack, working back and forth across the wheel well till it matched the other side.

A scissor jack won't fit in there but and inflatable air wedge will. Then just start working that crown. It will take a few hours, just go slow and don't stretch the metal.

Pay a PDR guy $100 bucks, watch him knock it out in 10 minutes.


I would say a 2x4 vertically for support about 6" rearward of the dent. Then another 2x4

Only work the top and bottom. The bottom is very sharp so you might need something equally as sharp like a large prybar or tire iron.

Thanks for all of the ideas and responses. Inflatable wedge is a clever idea (as are the others).

I sent pictures off to a couple local PDR guys and they all ran screaming - apparently this is unattractive work compared to what they can charge new BMW owners. Can't say I really blame them but a touch frustrating.

Will keep shaking that tree.

^^^^^
I see two small dents here, not one large one. Bump those out and the rest will fall into place.

Good point/observation gentlemen, thank you.

certainly a good paintless dent man first, they work miracles, then you may have to heat shrink and body work but not too bad

Thank you George

More fabrication then dent repair but best vid's are Fitzee's Fabrications

After watching this one Porsche Macan, Paintless Dent Removal I watched watched a bunch before trying the techniques with regular body hammers and dollies the next weekend. Standard body repairs are more brute force without trying to reverse how the metal folded into the dent. So it tends to get stretched which then you have to shrink.

Along those lines, this book is old as dirt but fantastic for just that reason. It goes through a lot on how to read the damage and reverse it.


https://www.amazon.com/Martin-BFB-Bumping-M...n/dp/B001GUZP4O

About a gallon of bondo?

BTDT on dads car. Almost indentical.

Tried pulling it, but really screwed it up.

The upper part of the dent is at a harder bend angle and was tougher to move. Ended up taking it to a pro which is what you should do.

Love the idea of a dent pro. They can be magicians.

Are you going to paint the inside or texture? I personally hate the textured fenders vs the paint, but it really depends on what you do with it.

Good luck.

Yes! Great videos Mark, thanks for sharing that.

Haven’t gotten that far yet, in fact I don’t think I’ve every really looks for what is supposed to be inside the fender well...

Is there undercoating there?

I found with Dads car - early 74 (1868) that it was Olympic blue with a yellowish kind spray on it, and lots of road tar splatter.

I would work the bottom of the fender first and get that line close to straight then I would go up top and press out around the outside of the upper arch and work your way in.
Try to imagine where the impact took place and how the pressure developed the folds. That is the process you try to work backwards. Angles of impact and how the energy would spread.
After all that a shrink disc to suck up some of the stretch and you should be very close.

Thanks for the responses, will look for signs of the original metallic blue.

Good tip on working the impact forces in reverse.

Old car = thick metal. Much harder for them to work with than the new thinner gauge body panels.

Hi,
For the major part of the dent repair attempt, I would very gradually inflate a basketball on the inside of the wheel well. You will be surprised how much it can push out. Once you have most of the dent out then you can better evaluate how to finish the job. I am not sure that PDR can hep in this case but it might. If not, then you can try with more conventional dent pulling using a spotter and pull pins.
Good luck and let us know how the repair turns out.
Bill.

Sent more requests out today - more screaming. Or laughing. Sigh.

Looks like I'm flying solo on this one. I did poke around on it some today - and fixed a dent on the rear trunk surface with some hammering and various shapes of wood. That came out pretty well so fingers crossed on this bigger section.

Basketball idea is clever!

Repair guys probably aren't aware that there is access to the back up that high on the body. It's crazy that the entire rear fender/quarter panel is all single layer in a 914 and accessible from beneath. A modern car it's all closed off with elaborate plastic, pins, screws and such and gets to be double layered very quickly. Thats actually a very good place to have a dent in a 914 considering how the car is built.

I tried explaining it, but I think they have a high margin cookie cutter business they don’t want to stray from it.

That is an AWESOME visualizer btw.

Figuring I only would be out to $60 and some time I bought an air dent puller from Harbor freight today and gave it a go.

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2 1/2 hours later it’s better but there is a ridge that the impact created which is being especially stubborn. I better understand why sheet metal panels have pressings in them to give him additional strength now.

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Use a lever system behind the panel and push those out, then shrink disc and you will be real close.

Thanks, will give that a go over the weekend.

Do you have a hammer and dolly? Tapping along the creases would help. The puller is a larger area then you are trying to correct at this point.

Good morning - thanks for the response.

Yes, done with the puller from now. Man - that was hard work. I can see why the local PDR guys all ran screaming away. This set up would have likely been a dream on modern thin panels, but on this after sitting so long it was a lot of work.

I am planning on working the crease at this point, and will need to buy a shrinking disc (new tool!).

Will keep going but not excited about doing this in 100+ degree weather, think I'll get it washed.