door body repair

[bohemianpasha]

Any suggestions as to how I would go about fixing this door damage? I had my door open and someone (a relative) backed into it and pushed the car about 2 feet with the door! I tell you, these cars are sturdy. Luckily it seems to be structurally OK- door closes fine, etc, but the door has some damage on the edge. I was wondering if I need some kind of fiberglass repair kit or if I can use some bondo. Thanks.

[Bonemaro]

Re: door body repair

How good are you with fiberglass? That could easily be repaired with some grinding and a bit of "sculpting."

[bohemianpasha]

Re: door body repair

I don't have any experience with fiberglass. I might have to leave it for someone that has the experience. I thought maybe they sold some repair kit you can use but it would still need the grinding and sculpting and if not done right it will look even worse. I wonder how much a shop would charge for a repair like that.

[Beefcake]

Re: door body repair

you wouldn't need fiberglass filler to repair that. Just go to your local auto paint store (don't go to advance or autozone) and ask them for "finishing putty". It sands alot easier than bondo or fiberglass filler. Buy the smallest amount possible and fill it in and buy some 180 grit sand paper and sand it smooth. Then put 3 light coats of primer on it and sand it with some 400 grit. Then, you'll have to paint and clear coat the whole door. Since the cars white you won't have to worry about the painting not matching like if it was metallic. If you need anymore help let me know. I'm I-CAR and ASE certified in collision repair so you can trust me. Save yourself $700 and do it yourself.

[bohemianpasha]

Re: door body repair

you wouldn't need fiberglass filler to repair that. Just go to your local auto paint store (don't go to advance or autozone) and ask them for "finishing putty". It sands alot easier than bondo or fiberglass filler. Buy the smallest amount possible and fill it in and buy some 180 grit sand paper and sand it smooth. Then put 3 light coats of primer on it and sand it with some 400 grit. Then, you'll have to paint and clear coat the whole door. Since the cars white you won't have to worry about the painting not matching like if it was metallic. If you need anymore help let me know. I'm I-CAR and ASE certified in collision repair so you can trust me. Save yourself $700 and do it yourself.

Thanks Beefcake. That sounds fairly simple. I looked online since I don't think there are any auto paint stores around. Do you recommend any particular brand of this "finishing putty"? So I don't need to do anything to prep it? Just put some on, let it dry and sand?

[T-Mill]

Re: door body repair

correct me if I'm wrong beefcake, but won't he want to sand the damage down some to get rid of some of the "needled" fibers... otherwise there could be pockets of air in there? It should still be pretty straightforward, just need some sanding/grinding to get rid of those loose fibers

[bohemianpasha]

Re: door body repair

I had an idea of using some kind of door guard just to cover it up, but I'm not sure if they make any that wide and if it would look OK. I'd really hate to try to fix this myself and f it up. If they had maybe a 1 inch door guard that is thin enough so it wouldn't look too obvious, it might work. What do you guys think?

[RickS]

Re: door body repair

Fiberglas is the way to go. Finishing putty or glazing putty is more suited after bondo work to fill tiny air bubbles. Just pick up a small can of resin and a small package of fiber (I'd get the sheet, rather than the hair) and cut off a couple small rectangles of the sheet to cover the damage..

Sand the damage until all jags are gone. Use a medium grit. Then wet the fiberglas rectangles with resin and apply it so that half of it covers the outter damage, and flip the rest around to cover the back of the damage. A plastic body spatular will help (or a stiff bit of cardboard with a straight edge.. just to work the fiber into place smoothly). Allow it to dry. Sand again. Reapply more fiber if needed and resand. Once it is back to the original shape you can touch up the paint or you can have the whole door sprayed.

Rick

[RickS]

Re: door body repair

you wouldn't need fiberglass filler to repair that. Just go to your local auto paint store (don't go to advance or autozone) and ask them for "finishing putty". It sands alot easier than bondo or fiberglass filler.

The problem is that once he sands the jags, he will need to fill the chunk of door that was damaged along the edge. Glazing/finishing putty is very, very soft. Which is why it sands so much easier than fiberglas or even bondo. It will not hold any structure. The paint will be stronger then the repair. Open and shut the door a few times and a small chunk of dried, painted putty will fall free of the door.

Fiberglas is strong and will make a permenant repair. He can use glazing putty after the fiberwork to fill minor imperfections (air bubbles, etc) but if he uses a sandable primer and some fine wet sandpaper, he will not even need the finishing putty.

Rick

[bohemianpasha]

Re: door body repair

Fiberglas is the way to go. Finishing putty or glazing putty is more suited after bondo work to fill tiny air bubbles. Just pick up a small can of resin and a small package of fiber (I'd get the sheet, rather than the hair) and cut off a couple small rectangles of the sheet to cover the damage..

Sand the damage until all jags are gone. Use a medium grit. Then wet the fiberglas rectangles with resin and apply it so that half of it covers the outter damage, and flip the rest around to cover the back of the damage. A plastic body spatular will help (or a stiff bit of cardboard with a straight edge.. just to work the fiber into place smoothly). Allow it to dry. Sand again. Reapply more fiber if needed and resand. Once it is back to the original shape you can touch up the paint or you can have the whole door sprayed.

Rick

I think I'm gonna try your method Rick, thanks. Since I have no experience with fiberglass, once it dries, is it easy to sand if I put too much on it? Can I do it by hand or do I need a sander? Also, do they sell car quality spray paint that I can use to touch up the color after it is sanded and primed? Do you even have to prime the fiberglass? Thanks in advance for feedback.

[RickS]

Re: door body repair

I think I'm gonna try your method Rick, thanks. Since I have no experience with fiberglass, once it dries, is it easy to sand if I put too much on it? Can I do it by hand or do I need a sander? Also, do they sell car quality spray paint that I can use to touch up the color after it is sanded and primed? Do you even have to prime the fiberglass? Thanks in advance for feedback.

A sander shouldn't be needed, but I would suggest a sanding block to keep your sanding flat. Start with medium paper and work finer. You can use the finishing putty if you get small air bubbles, use extra fine wet sandpaper with the finishing putty. If the air bubbles are really small you can skip the finishing putty and buy a quality "sandable filler primer" and you will kill two birds with one stone.

You should be able to match the touch up color based on make/model as long as your car hasn't been too sun faded. If so, you can take a chip of your paint from the damaged area and match it pretty damn close.

Good luck man. Sorry for the slow response.

Rick

[Derek3.4]

Re: door body repair

just do what these guys told ya and you're good to go. It's not that difficult. you could probably find some vids on youtube about sanding and painting stuff like that if you need to watch something.