How do you guys deal with a dinged up frame?

[rockytopper R.I.P 5-13-2017]

Apparently my nomad saw a few back roads in its day. The bottom of the rails are pretty dinged up. How would you address this? Cap it or?
Thanks
Rocky

[chevynut]

Just about every frame I've seen has some dings and dents. Some are bad enough that we cut out a section and replace it, or straighten it and weld it back in. We use a 1/32" cutting wheel on a die grinder for most cutting work if we don't use plasma. One frame we did had two big dents right in front of both of the rear kickups as if it hit a curb or something. We cut those out, hammered the metal back into shape, and welded it back in.

Another option for some dents would be to make something like a stud gun used for bodywork. Tack weld the head of a bolt to the frame and use a bar with a hole or slot in it with a fulcrum across the frame rail. Just put a nut on the bolt and pry the dent up, then cut and grind the bolt off.

Finally, there's filling and sanding. This is the main reason I discourage my customers from going with powdercoating. I don't know of any filler that works with powdercoating so you end up with dents, scratches, and wrinkles in the frame. If you use filler and paint, you can cover it all up.

[rockytopper R.I.P 5-13-2017]

Thanks laz. The car is headed to the body shop this Friday. I will get with my body man he has the stud gun puller. The frame is getting painted with por15 epoxy as is all the bottom of the car. If I fill I will use use JB weld in a stick. It is far better than body filler for metal repair. I learned of it from another local body and paint guy who has restored some pretty nice cars. He uses it instead of welding in some cases like plugging small holes etc. My cutlass is full of it lol.

[Bitchin'57]

Thanks laz. The car is headed to the body shop this Friday. I will get with my body man he has the stud gun puller. The frame is getting painted with por15 epoxy as is all the bottom of the car. If I fill I will use use JB weld in a stick. It is far better than body filler for metal repair. I learned of it from another local body and paint guy who has restored some pretty nice cars. He uses it instead of welding in some cases like plugging small holes etc. My cutlass is full of it lol.

I'm going to smooth my frame with a product called All Metal. It sands like lead and is very strong.

[chevynut]

I'm going to smooth my frame with a product called All Metal. It sands like lead and is very strong.

I've used it on my Nomad body and it's a polyester filler loaded with aluminum powder. Some say it works under powdercoat but I've never seen it done. It's not the easiest stuff to sand but it can get you close to a flat finish with coarse paper. You'll probably need some high build primer over that. I just used regular filler on the frame I primed, but I only filled the sides since it was a 2-piece frame.

[MP&C]

I'd use the dent puller but keep in mind with the forming process used nothing on that frame is likely to be perfectly flat. Do you get the worst of it and let the rest of the imperfections go or are you looking for a show finish for the frame?

[rockytopper R.I.P 5-13-2017]

I'd use the dent puller but keep in mind with the forming process used nothing on that frame is likely to be perfectly flat. Do you get the worst of it and let the rest of the imperfections go or are you looking for a show finish for the frame?

Robert I'm building a driver so no show quality required. I mainly just want to pull them out as much as practical they don't need to be perfect at all. Sense the frame is going to get blasted I thought I might try to improve on it some.

[chevynut]

Sense the frame is going to get blasted I thought I might try to improve on it some.

"Might as well......"

I was just joking that this is how a frame-off starts, and didn't know you were really doing it.

[MP&C]

Yup, stud puller/dent puller. Mine uses the "throwing star" consumables, so it doesn't leave a stud there when done. Heat, pull, twist, next..

[rockytopper R.I.P 5-13-2017]

"Might as well......"

I was just joking that this is how a frame-off starts, and didn't know you were really doing it.

I didn't pull all those parts off for the fun of it lol. I really am going frame off. Else I will have to cut that brand new floor assembly in half to get her in......