I did a search of other strings about beginners but didn't find what I wanted, so:

Unbolting old parts and bolting on new parts is something I have experience in, but repairing damaged parts is new. I have a '50 F-3 and have found parts at junkyards but even those aren't perfect. I am ready to get the body in good shape again but really don't know much.

I have read some books on the subject, taken a welding class (almost ten years ago and haven't touched it since), done a little fiberglass patch work. My wife got me a body hammer and dolly set for Christmas and I practiced on a dented cabinet in the garage (the door closes better now). What are some other tools, products or skills I should aquire to get going? I do NOT have a welder yet . What should a do-it-yourselfer have in their garage to do bodywork.

John

 

Hi John - Sounds like you have a pretty good start.

How about:

A sandblaster
An air compressor
A palm sander (works great for knocking down the filler)
Lots a sandpaper
A couple good sanding blocks
(we have a sm. straight, lg. straight & a lg. curved block)
Face masks and stuff for safety

Can't think of anything else.

 

I think carlene basically covered all that is needed for bodywork. When it comes to priming/painting thou, if you decide to tackle this venture yourself, you will need yet more tools! =)


You did not mention who the maker of the body hammer and dollie set was, but if it is a cheaper set, nothing wrong with that, just make sure to inspect them very well. Make sure that the faces on the hammers are their inteded shape, flat, some are rounded slightly..and the same with the dollies make sure that filler or something similar hasnt been used to make them look flat ofr sale. Also check where the head meeds the handle, check for filler there as it can fly off and hit the more in oppertune spots! ouch!!!

I would also recomend a good set of pry bars if you will be doing any of the bodywork while on the truck. Helps to kinda push the metal out from behind.

Also might want to consider investing in a couple Cheese grater for the bondo.
As well as maybe a Stud puller setup.. It welds a copper stud to the panel which can then be pulled via a slide hammer, and lastly cutting the stud off.

Hope this helps! =)

 

Carlene,

I forgot to mention safety, I do have gogles and masks that are rated for particles (not chemicals). I also have a small sanding block, flat on one side curved on the other, and a couple sanders.

One sander is a block, just kind of vibrates, and a belt, I don't know what it will do on metal but it eats wood like a crazed beaver. Are these good sanders or should I get a disc sander? What about wire wheels in drills or granders, will they strip paint and rust without chewing up good metal? Is normal, all-purpose, sand paper fine or should it be for metals?

I've heard that snadblasting can heat the metal too much. How much do you use one on body panels?

 

I think we're thinking of different things. My small sanding block is the basic block you pick up at Home Depot. It has the curved top for grip and the ends come up to secure the sand paper.

The curved one I was talking about has just a slight curve for the sanding surface. It works great on these older trucks since there's a lot of curved surface to cover. I get the sticky sandpaper rolls and cut to fit. So far I've only been using 80 & 100 grit paper. And yes, I'm just using normal sandpaper at this point. When I get to doing my finish sanding, I'll be wet sanding so that is a different type paper.

I think a belt sander would be too tuff on the metal. I'm not sure about the one that vibrates. I've had real good luck with the rotary palm sander.

I've had very good luck with sandblasting. It's a lot easier than trying to hand or machine sand the whole thing and cleans the metal better. You're not going to warp the metal on these old truck unless you pick up one of those industrial blasters or if you blast the same area for any length of time. There's quite a few threads in this forum and in the Garage forum on sandblasting. You may want to check them out.

Hope this helps get you started. And good luck.

Oh yeah, take progress pictures.

 

Scott,

I checked my hammers and dollies. They are Michigan Industrial Tools. The faces are all machined and polished so I don't think I need to worry about filler or anything.

We had to go through JC Whitney for the body hammers. Will a parts store carry the cheese graters and stud puller? I take it that the stud puller makes it so you don't have to drill holes to pull a dent?

Where can I get a decent sand blaster?

 

We got my cheese grater at the auto paint store where we got the body filler from.

Got our sandblaster from Sears, but didn't see that size the last time we went there. Saw a couple real nice pressure feed blasters this weekend at Harbor Freight for real reasonable prices.

Can't help you on the dent puller since I'm not using one. Our dent's had way too many years of being there so I just hammer/dollied the dents.

 

I like the faces of the body hammers to be slightly higher in the center. Perfectly flat doesn't work as well. Maybe this is just my personal quirk, but I have heard it from others as well. Also, I can second that vote for the sticky-back sand paper. It is much more expensive in the roll, but it lasts much longer than the cheaper stuff in sheets and produces a better finish. The dent puller that was discussed earlier is handy if you can't get behind the dent with your hammer. It sounds like that is not a problem for you; on this project anyway. I also suggest a real quality straight edge. This helps after you've looked at the panel for two hours, and your eyes are getting fuzzy. Good luck, John

 

It is starting to sound like I may have to invest another couple hundred to a thousand dollars on tools. It won't be too bad if I can use someone elses welder.

I don't think I'll need the dent puller as the doors on my '50 would be the only area I can't reach and they are in good shape.

I can see the advantage to sticky sandpaper - If it isn't sliding around on the block it isn't wearing itself down on the back.

I noticed in another string someone mentioned they use Bondo brand marine grade body filler. Is anything wrong with typical Bondo brand filler? It has a ford (mustang) on the can so it must be good.

Thanks for the help

John

 

Hi all,

I started sanding paint off of a fender from a junkyard. (It looks like the donor truck and mine were both originally black.) The inside and some areas are shaped to wierd to power sand very well. The same with a few low spots. I think I talked my wife into letting me get a sand blaster.

So is there any special feature I should look for in sand blasters? I saw some on-line at Sears. There was a 50 lb. and a 100 lb. model and a small 4 lb. "Go-Anywhere" one. Is the capacity just how much blasting media can be put in it and therefore representative of how long between refilling?

I also do not have an aircompressor yet. What should I look for in a compressor so that I can use it for sand blasting, painting and running air tools? Which one requires the highest CFM or PSI and how much?

 

Hey John -

For the sandblaster, the 50 lb should be plenty. Just make sure you get the pressure feed and not the siphone feed.

Do a search in this forum and the Garage forum for sandblasters and you'll find out much about the do's and don'ts and the water traps you'll need to add. If I recall, some of them even talk about the compressor size needed.

I really can't help you on the compressor. Ours is one of those old Service Station ones and we can run 2 of just about anything on it.

 

Carlene, thanks.

This was the only string that came up in this forum. I usually tell it to look at old ones too, but maybe I didn't this last time.

I'm glad you mentioned the pressure feed over siphon feed, the first one I looked at is a siphon feed. Thanks.

 

Re: Beginner: What do I need to get started?



Money

 

tediesel,

Aint that the truth!!! Don't forget time.

My truck was driveable when I was in highschool. We worked on mechanical stuff then and tolerated the body. I left it at my parents house when I was in college. I just had to daydream about what I would do with/to it. I just thought once I graduate and I have the time and money it would be cherry.

It has been almost two years since I graduated from college, gotten my own house and hauled the truck to my own driveway. I'm still waiting for the time and money to really go at it.