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Found a trick for fixing aluminum panels without warping them
I was working on a '17 F-150 aluminum hood last week and kept getting heat distortion every time I tried to shrink the metal. Finally tried using a wet rag on the backside while I worked the dent from the front with a hammer and dolly. Kept the heat localized and the panel stayed flat. Anyone else got tips for working with aluminum vs steel?
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knight.mason29d ago
Flip the panel over and work from the backside with a long, flat dolly against the dent from the front. I've been using a cheap plastic dead blow hammer on aluminum panels with a piece of .040 stainless shim stock taped over the dolly face, keeps the metal from gouging or stretching. Also ditch the torch for spot heating, a soldering iron with a wide tip works way better for warming small areas without turning the whole panel into a wavy mess.
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hannahw3018d ago
Hold up, you're spot on about the soldering iron being better than a torch (I've seen too many guys cook their paint), but one thing I'd tweak - using stainless shim stock against aluminum can set up some nasty galvanic corrosion if you're not super careful about moisture getting trapped between them. I'd swap that for a piece of thick brass shim instead, it's way softer on the aluminum and won't react with it over time. Also, that plastic dead blow trick works great until you're dealing with really thin aluminum like hood skins, where even the plastic can leave micro dimples that look terrible once you block sand the filler over them.
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the_angela29d agoProlific Poster
Stick with that soldering iron trick, it saved me from ruining a hood last year when I got too aggressive with a heat gun. Just go slow and let the metal tell you when it's ready to move.
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