Chapter 1 Routine maintenance and servicing

Bodywork and fittings 11•3almost attains its original shape. There is littlepoint in trying to restore the original shapecompletely, as the metal in the damaged areawill have stretched on impact, and cannot bereshaped fully to its original contour. It isbetter to bring the level of the dent up to apoint which is about 3 mm below the level ofthe surrounding bodywork. In cases where thedent is very shallow anyway, it is not worthtrying to pull it out at all. If the underside of thedent is accessible, it can be hammered outgently from behind, using a mallet with awooden or plastic head. Whilst doing this,hold a suitable block of wood firmly againstthe outside of the panel, to absorb the impactfrom the hammer blows and thus prevent alarge area of the bodywork from being“belled-out”.Should the dent be in a section of thebodywork which has a double skin, or someother factor making it inaccessible frombehind, a different technique is called for. Drillseveral small holes through the metal insidethe area - particularly in the deeper section.Then screw long self-tapping screws into theholes, just sufficiently for them to gain a goodpurchase in the metal. Now the dent can bepulled out by pulling on the protruding headsof the screws with a pair of pliers.The next stage of the repair is the removalof the paint from the damaged area, and froman inch or so of the surrounding “sound”bodywork. This is accomplished most easilyby using a wire brush or abrasive pad on apower drill, although it can be done just aseffectively by hand, using sheets of abrasivepaper. To complete the preparation for filling,score the surface of the bare metal with ascrewdriver or the tang of a file, oralternatively, drill small holes in the affectedarea. This will provide a really good “key” forthe filler paste.To complete the repair, see the Section onfilling and respraying.Repairs of rust holes or gashesin bodyworkRemove all paint from the affected area,and from an inch or so of the surrounding“sound” bodywork, using an abrasive pad or awire brush on a power drill. If these are notavailable, a few sheets of abrasive paper willdo the job most effectively. With the paintremoved, you will be able to judge the severityof the corrosion, and therefore decidewhether to renew the whole panel (if this ispossible) or to repair the affected area. Newbody panels are not as expensive as mostpeople think, and it is often quicker and moresatisfactory to fit a new panel than to attemptto repair large areas of corrosion.Remove all fittings from the affected area,except those which will act as a guide to theoriginal shape of the damaged bodywork (egheadlight shells etc). Then, using tin snips or ahacksaw blade, remove all loose metal andany other metal badly affected by corrosion.Hammer the edges of the hole inwards, inorder to create a slight depression for the fillerpaste.Wire-brush the affected area to remove thepowdery rust from the surface of theremaining metal. Paint the affected area withrust-inhibiting paint, if the back of the rustedarea is accessible, treat this also.Before filling can take place, it will benecessary to block the hole in some way. Thiscan be achieved by the use of aluminium orplastic mesh, or aluminium tape.Aluminium or plastic mesh, or glass-fibrematting, is probably the best material to usefor a large hole. Cut a piece to theapproximate size and shape of the hole to befilled, then position it in the hole so that itsedges are below the level of the surroundingbodywork. It can be retained in position byseveral blobs of filler paste around itsperiphery.Aluminium tape should be used for small orvery narrow holes. Pull a piece off the roll, trimit to the approximate size and shape required,then pull off the backing paper (if used) andstick the tape over the hole; it can beoverlapped if the thickness of one piece isinsufficient. Burnish down the edges of thetape with the handle of a screwdriver orsimilar, to ensure that the tape is securelyattached to the metal underneath.Bodywork repairs - filling andresprayingBefore using this Section, see the Sectionson dent, deep scratch, rust holes and gashrepairs.Many types of bodyfiller are available, butgenerally speaking, those proprietary kitswhich contain a tin of filler paste and a tube ofresin hardener are best for this type of repair.A wide, flexible plastic or nylon applicator willbe found invaluable for imparting a smoothand well-contoured finish to the surface of thefiller.Mix up a little filler on a clean piece of cardor board - measure the hardener carefully(follow the maker’s instructions on the pack),otherwise the filler will set too rapidly or tooslowly. Using the applicator, apply the fillerpaste to the prepared area; draw theapplicator across the surface of the filler toachieve the correct contour and to level thesurface. As soon as a contour thatapproximates to the correct one is achieved,stop working the paste - if you carry on toolong, the paste will become sticky and beginto “pick-up” on the applicator. Continue toadd thin layers of filler paste at 20-minuteintervals, until the level of the filler is justproud of the surrounding bodywork.Once the filler has hardened, the excesscan be removed using a metal plane or file.From then on, progressively-finer grades ofabrasive paper should be used, starting with a40-grade production paper, and finishing witha 400-grade wet-and-dry paper. Always wrapthe abrasive paper around a flat rubber, cork,or wooden block - otherwise the surface ofthe filler will not be completely flat. During thesmoothing of the filler surface, the wet-anddrypaper should be periodically rinsed inwater. This will ensure that a very smoothfinish is imparted to the filler at the final stage.At this stage, the “dent” should besurrounded by a ring of bare metal, which inturn should be encircled by the finely“feathered” edge of the good paintwork.Rinse the repair area with clean water, until allof the dust produced by the rubbing-downoperation has gone.Spray the whole area with a light coat ofprimer - this will show up any imperfections inthe surface of the filler. Repair theseimperfections with fresh filler paste orbodystopper, and once more smooth thesurface with abrasive paper. Repeat thisspray-and-repair procedure until you aresatisfied that the surface of the filler, and thefeathered edge of the paintwork, are perfect.Clean the repair area with clean water, andallow to dry fully.If bodystopper is used, it canbe mixed with cellulosethinners to form a really thinpaste which is ideal forfilling small holes.The repair area is now ready for finalspraying. Paint spraying must be carried outin a warm, dry, windless and dust-freeatmosphere. This condition can be createdartificially if you have access to a large indoorworking area, but if you are forced to work inthe open, you will have to pick your day verycarefully. If you are working indoors, dousingthe floor in the work area with water will helpto settle the dust which would otherwise be inthe atmosphere. If the repair area is confinedto one body panel, mask off the surroundingpanels; this will help to minimise the effects ofa slight mis-match in paint colours. Bodyworkfittings (eg chrome strips, door handles etc)will also need to be masked off. Use genuinemasking tape, and several thicknesses ofnewspaper, for the masking operations.Before commencing to spray, agitate theaerosol can thoroughly, then spray a test area(an old tin, or similar) until the technique ismastered. Cover the repair area with a thickcoat of primer; the thickness should be builtup using several thin layers of paint, ratherthan one thick one. Using 400-grade wet-anddrypaper, rub down the surface of the primeruntil it is really smooth. While doing this, thework area should be thoroughly doused withwater, and the wet-and-dry paper periodicallyrinsed in water. Allow to dry before sprayingon more paint.Spray on the top coat, again building up thethickness by using several thin layers of paint.Start spraying at one edge of the repair area,and then, using a side-to-side motion, workuntil the whole repair area and about 2 inchesof the surrounding original paintwork iscovered. Remove all masking material 10 to111595Ford Fiesta Remake