The side of my bed had a dent. I popped it back into shape, but now that the metal is stretched it keeps popping back and forth. Anybody know a fix?

 

You have to carefully heat it to a cherry red in different spots and then let it cool. That will shrink it back into place.

 

Here you go:

https://www.amazon.com/Key-Metal-Bum.../dp/B000HXH3M8

Just be aware it's super easy to stretch sheet metal. Hit it with a hammer against a dolly, and the metal displaces slightly thinner and stretches out. Child's play... Unfortunately, stretching sheet metal is not a particularly helpful skill for most bodywork. What a shame, because anybody can do it.

The trick you need is shrinking metal, no easy feat. That book covers several techniques to shrink the metal and get rid of the oil canning you're experiencing.

Another important subject that book covers is how to unlock damage. Most impacts create primary damage, that is, the crease at the center of the dent. Secondary damage is created around the perimeter, and this book explains the importance of unlocking this secondary damage first before attacking the primary damage. Sounds funky but it works.

Another factor to consider is our trucks have fairly thin sheet metal. I think it's also lightly tempered to increase stiffness to help compensate for the thinner material, and these factors can make it tricky to work.

Edit:

P.S. If you need any advice on how to mess up bodywork repairs, I'm your man. It's one of my skills, along with numchucks and the bowstaff.