Do-it-yourself body repair: all methods and stages

Even minor accidents can result in quite large financial costs. When contacting workshops, a high price may be charged. You can eliminate body deformation, remove cracks and damage, restore paintwork and polish car headlights with your own hands. To do this, you need to have the necessary tools, resources and a little time in reserve.

Types of body repair

At home, restoration is carried out using several methods :

Difficult.
Local (small).
Painting and polishing.

Do-it-yourself body repair requires careful preliminary preparation. It is recommended to study the sequence of actions and watch the video “How to do body repairs yourself.”

Complex repair

Complex auto body repairs done by yourself involve straightening various dents. If necessary, damaged elements are replaced, for example, wings, geometry is restored and semi-automatic welding is carried out.

Minor repairs

minor car body repairs are used to correct small dents, chips and scratches . Otherwise, they may lead to the appearance of pockets of corrosion (rust). Minor car repairs with your own hands are carried out only after the end of the warranty period .

Bodywork includes:

Geometry restoration is carried out after dismantling all removable elements.
Removing dents and signs of corrosion, patching holes and removing all defects. If there are hopeless elements, they are replaced.

Polishing and painting

Body repair and painting are stages that require special attention. You should not clean a surface that is larger than the damaged areas. The final stage of do-it-yourself body repair and painting is applying the paint using a compressor.

To polish on your own, after the paint has dried, it is recommended to use a sander.

Do-it-yourself tin work

If you have straight arms, bending tin and making pipes out of it is quite simple!

Making a pipe from tin with your own hands is an excellent alternative to buying an expensive drain or ventilation casing. In practice, the savings turn out to be colossal, and if you consider that having mastered the technology, you can literally “stamp” pipes of any (okay, almost any) diameter - then it’s definitely worth reading my tips and at least trying to implement them in practice!

Below I will talk about what we need to form the pipe, and also describe the algorithm by which I have been successfully bending tin products for five years.

Tough as it is

So, let's start our review of the technology with an analysis of the material. We will bend a pipe from tin:

The basis of the tin sheet is steel that has been processed in a rolling mill. As a rule, sheets with a thickness of 0.1 to 0.7 mm are found on sale - the thicker, the higher the price.

Rolled products from which sheet metal is cut

To protect against corrosion, the steel base of the tin blank is coated with a material that prevents oxidation of the metal. Most often, compounds of chromium, tin and zinc are used for this.
At the final stage, the product is cut in accordance with standard sizes. Most often, construction stores sell tin blanks with a width of 512 mm to 2 m, but if necessary, you can find or order wider parts.

Blanks for work

This metal has obvious advantages:

The small thickness ensures a reduction in the weight of tin products.
Surface treatment quite effectively protects the steel base from corrosion upon contact with environmental factors.
Thin metal is cut well, and very powerful tools are not required for processing - hand scissors are quite sufficient.
Rolling and heat treatment of blanks during the production of sheet metal provide them with high ductility. Thanks to this, sheets and strips bend perfectly along a minimum radius without the risk of cracking.

The downside of the flexibility of sheet metal is low bending strength, therefore, when manufacturing open parts, stiffeners must be added to their design. However, this does not concern our situation: the pipe itself holds its shape perfectly.

Tinsmith's tools

As I already noted, tin is a soft and plastic material that is processed quite simply. But this simplicity also has a drawback: a metal tool not only leaves marks on the surface of the sheet metal, but can also damage the protective layer upon impact, causing the development of corrosion.

That is why the following tools are used to work with tin and thin galvanized steel:

metal scissors. I use the most common, spring-loaded ones with not very long handles - with relatively little effort they cut 0.7 mm steel perfectly;

It is very important that the blades of the scissors are sharp, otherwise the edges of the workpieces will turn out uneven, and we will have to spend time and effort removing the “fringe”.

Shears for galvanized steel

hammer with a rubber/rubber-coated striker. Why rubber is needed is already clear - to prevent metal from hitting metal;

mallet - in principle, performs the function of a hammer with a rubber attachment. Both tools are interchangeable, which does not prevent me from having both a mallet and a hammer at my disposal;

pliers (several pieces, different sizes). They are used for bending metal, since it is impossible to grasp the short edges of a sheet or strip with your fingers, despite all its plasticity;

Photo of a standard mallet

calibrating blanks - steel pipes (I have two, with a diameter of 50 and 100 mm) and angles. Used as templates for bending round and rectangular parts, respectively;
measuring instruments - ruler, tape measure, level and compass;
Marker - A sharpened steel rod that is used to mark tin sheets. You can buy or sharpen a two-hundred nail.

You can use a center punch for marking

a workbench is the most necessary thing. The workbench functions as a place for marking the cutting stand, a work table - in general, it is on it that we will perform all the work.

Of course, this set will only be enough for us to make several pipes - up to two or three dozen. If the work is large-scale, then you cannot do without at least a sheet bender - a device that allows you to bend large metal blanks evenly.

Step 1. Preparation

Instructions for making a pipe from tin begin with a description of the preparation of the workpiece:

Laying the material on the workbench

On a workbench or other flat surface we roll out sheet metal, leveling it using mechanical action if necessary.
We measure the length and width of the pipe by marking the material with chalk, marker or marker. When marking, we take into account that the width of the workpiece should be equal to the circumference of the pipe + 1.5...1.6 cm for forming a seam.
We control the perpendicularity of the drawn lines using a square.

Cut to size

We take scissors and make first a side and then a longitudinal cut. You need to cut strictly along the lines, trying not to make large indents. If the cut line “walks”, problems may arise at the stage of seam formation.
Once again we level our workpiece. If necessary, tap the edges to remove waves and process them, removing burrs.

Stages of body diagnostics

Car repair requires a preliminary assessment, carried out in several stages:

Determine body VIN code .
Compare with the sample provided by the manufacturer.
Step by step check the body parameters in areas that are problematic.

From Wikipedia: VIN (Vehicle identification number) - and vehicle identification numberconsisting of 17 characters, it encodes information about the manufacturer and characteristics of the vehicle, and the year of manufacture.

If a DIY car repair requires scanning the thickness of the paintwork, then brass, aluminum and ferromagnetic materials are used for this.

Painting and polishing

For painting in accordance with car repair technology, you need to use only substances intended for coating the surface of the car. In some cases, several stages of painting are required. After body repair and painting, the surface is thoroughly washed.

The painted car is polished. Sanding is performed using soft abrasives only after the paint has completely dried.

Types of body damage

In order to make body repairs, you need to determine the type of damage :

Deformation of individual areas.
The appearance of cracks and destruction.
Distortion of the shape of openings (windows, doors).
Damage to anti-corrosion and paint coatings.

It is impossible to prevent the occurrence of operational damage. In order not to spend a lot of money on eliminating them, you can carry out body repairs yourself at home.

What is body repair

Body repair is a set of technological actions aimed at restoring the body. The basis of this process involves eliminating damage of any nature.

There are two types of body repair:

full - used when eliminating large damage. Most often it is used when restoring a passenger car after an accident;
local - used to detect scratches, chips and other minor damage.

Methods for restoring car tins

If the metal is severely damaged , then to repair the body on your own you need:
Use an anvil and a small mallet .
Place the anvil on the outside of the dent.
Make light blows with a mallet from the inside.

From Wikipedia: Mallet - carpenter's hammer made of hardwood or rubber

Geometry straightening

In case of severe deformations, auto body repair requires complete removal of the paintwork . In this case, to completely restore the body, you cannot do without a welding machine and an industrial hair dryer. Welding is carried out using graphite electrodes. First, the dent is straightened from the rim to the central part. To do this, the metal is heated and only after that they resort to a targeted effect. Thanks to this, the tin becomes pliable and plastic.

Correcting dents without painting

Restoring a car body with minor deformations can be carried out without repainting . In this case, the change in shape is carried out mechanically. The process takes a lot of time and involves exposure from the reverse side.

Soldering metal onto a dent

When independently repairing a body without pulling, the method of soldering special solder using a soldering iron, acid and flux (a chemically active substance) is used. This option allows you to eliminate defects and get an ideal result.

Spot welding method

Repairing a car in case of body damage involves correcting the entire defect from the outside. Using a welding electrode, metal is picked up in the deformed area. Extraction is carried out with a reverse hammer. The graphite electrode breaks off and the welding site is ground.

Welding a patch to the body

You can even eliminate through holes yourself . In this case, you need to completely cut out the damaged piece, and then weld the patch. If the areas of corrosion are not large, then the damaged areas are cleaned to solid metal.

Geometry Alignment

The main tool used to restore a car body is a slipway. This tool is designed with high strength ratings, sufficient for heavy-duty work. The main action during leveling is tightening. It involves the use of a fastening system that acts on the points of the structure, under pressure on which the body part acquires its original shape. This task involves a high level of complexity, which is not easy to cope with without experience.

The jig provides the measurements needed to accurately carry out repair work. Geometry alignment is carried out in stages:

Secure the vehicle to the slipway platform.
After calculating the points on the machines, equipment is attached to them.
Start the pile installation.

After starting, the slipway and equipment automatically pull out the damage in the desired shape. The equipment involves the use of a computer program that calculates the required level of effort and the measurement indicator of the rack.

The advantage of a pile installation is that it does not disturb the quality of the metal in fault areas when eliminating them.

Sequence of body work

When carrying out body repairs, as shown in the video, you must follow the sequence of actions:

Geometry restoration.
Carrying out welding and straightening work.

After completing the body repair of the car, paint and polishing is carried out:

Cleaning and dismantling of external parts (bumpers, headlights and lighting equipment).
Processing defective areas to bare metal with a chisel and sandpaper.
Applying putty to an uneven surface.
Next comes the sanding and priming stage .

Requirements

To carry out bodywork yourself, you need premises and equipment. The requirements for these conditions are determined by the characteristics of the repair. For one-time work, it is necessary to equip the room (usually a garage) with lighting. It is necessary to install both stationary and portable lighting fixtures, carefully positioning them to ensure good visibility of the car from all sides. As for equipment and materials, their choice is determined by the type of body repair.

The requirements are highest if work is planned to be carried out regularly. Then the garage needs not only to be illuminated, but also insulated to ensure the possibility of repairs during the cold period. In addition, you should purchase a device for restoring body geometry. It should be borne in mind that the cost of a branded tool is high, but you can purchase or create a homemade analogue.

You will also need many tools to perform various repair operations, and straightening hammers and a welding machine are required.

You can purchase them either in sets or individually. In any case, it is better to choose the most universal equipment possible. This will reduce the total number of tools by using each of them to perform different jobs.

To carry out particularly complex repair work at a high level, equipment such as laser tools for monitoring body geometry and an ultrasonic flaw detection apparatus is required. However, if you plan to do minor body repairs yourself, it is not advisable to purchase such expensive equipment. Even with complex but one-time repairs, the costs will most likely be unjustified.

Parts and supplies should be purchased as needed. It makes no sense to store all the spare body parts in the garage. In addition, purchasing them should not be a problem for most car models, with the exception of particularly rare ones, since there are many such products on the car market, both branded and non-original. Features of workplace organization can be studied in the video.

Required tools and materials

Before you do car repairs yourself, you should get everything you need:

Hammer, keys and measuring devices.
Homemade slipway with a purchased hydraulic unit.
Sander and sandpaper (#60 or #100).
White spirit, primer and polish.

From Wikipedia: a slipway is a floor-mounted system for straightening a deformed car body, acting with the help of multi-ton pressing and tensile forces.

Restoring the body can be done without any problems if you have basic welding and straightening skills. The actions performed do not depend on the car brand. Carrying out body repairs and painting in-house can save you time and money.

How to make a tin pipe: a process of 8 technical steps

Tinplate is a material that belongs to rolled products. This is a type of sheet steel. After rolling, the sheet is treated with anti-corrosion substances.

In order to make such a pipe you will need only 2-3 tools

For heating equipment, you can make tin pipes for the chimney yourself . This material is elastic, so it is processed manually. In addition, steel is characterized by rigidity and strength, so tin products of special strength are made from it.

Features of working with tin: how to bend a sheet of iron and cut it

To create products from tin with your own hands, it is worth familiarizing yourself with some of the nuances of working with this material. Recommendations will help facilitate installation and create a structure in the shortest possible time.

An element of the appropriate configuration will allow you to give the sheet of tin the required shape. Bending involves tapping using a hammer.
To ensure an even fold, tapping is done close to each other.
A special leather loop will help make cutting out a steel workpiece easier. This element is mounted on scissors and put on the fingers.
After cutting, the edge is processed with a planer, which prepares the hacksaw material.
Products made of tin sometimes need to be cut. This is done to give the product a shaped shape. This procedure is performed with a can opener.

In order for the material to be cut well with a knife, it is cut with a hacksaw, and then a knife or scissors is used.

Tin work is simple and can be done independently. The ability to make such a design will be useful in everyday life. A tin pipe is made simply; the main thing is to know certain nuances of the process.

Direct and secondary damage

Direct and indirect (secondary) damage can be divided. Direct damage is the area of the body panel that was in direct contact with the object that caused the damage. This place may have a violation of the integrity of the paintwork or a metal rupture.

Indirect damage has bent and distorted metal located in the area adjacent to the direct damage. Sometimes secondary deformation can be located several tens of centimeters from the area of direct damage. It is difficult to fully define and analyze.

When repairing damage, the repair method is determined by the possibility of accessing the damage from the back of the body panel. If there is access from both sides of the damage, then the straightening method is used with a hammer and support. If there is access only from one side, then other repair techniques are used, such as pulling with a spotter, using an adhesive system or a vacuum suction cup.

When repairing damage, you should try to choose the easiest path. Even if you have special equipment, this does not mean that it needs to be used everywhere and always. If possible, use simple tools, and if necessary, use more complex ones. Sometimes a dent can be squeezed out from the back side by hand, without any tool. It must be remembered that now automakers use fairly thin metal in the production of body panels, so it does not require much effort to restore the deformation.