Car Body Repair Basics

Generally looking, there are four major categories of car repair:

1. mechanical repairs
2. electrical and electronic repairs
3. the drive train and undercarriage repairs
4. chasse and body repairs

The first three categories are defined by the parts that have to be removed and re-installed. To clarify, these categories have a clear pattern of assembling and disassembling thus making this procedure conclusive.

On the other hand, chasse and body repairs, although having spare parts to install, demand more skill and competence in work. The majority of body repairs include fixing, painting, etc. the parts that are already on the car.

Chassis and body repairs can be, roughly put into two different categories:

1. massive body repair: this includes situations such as: total damage to the car due to a car-accident or else, serious corrosion to the body (especially on vital spots), partial damage where only one part of the car is damaged, etc.
2. minor body repair: various scratches to the body, minor dents on the panels, doors, bumpers, minor corrosion on harmless spots, or other.

Our advice regarding body repair: if the damage is under category one and is out of reach of your skills, let the professionals do it. This isn’t just a matter of money or time. Quality body repair, under circumstances of serious damage, is also a matter of safety on the road.

However, if the damage is minor you have a good chance of making a quality repair on your own. The most important thing to know is that you have to have some spare time, a lot of nerves and to be ready to make corrections if everything does not go well the first time.

After all, people do finish schools for this kind of work, so any expectation that you’ll do the job as a professional should be set aside immediately. Especially if you are doing it the first time.

Preparation for the Car Body Repair

Preparation for work (working conditions, tools, parts, etc) Here’s some steps on how to make a good preparation for body repairs:

1. Find a clean environment to work in. The best place would be a garage or a shed of some sort. The most important issue is to be indoor, where there is no access to dirt, dust, draft, wind, or anything else that can cause problems during work. This is because of the paint job that comes after the primary bodywork. It’s also important that you have a room around the car so that you can work freely.
2. The primary body work (like sanding or body filling) can be done outdoors if the weather is OK. It’s a pretty messy job so if you do the dirty part outside, there will be less cleaning later. It would be preferable that the day is sunny and warm without any moisture or mist. This is because of the body fillers and other adhesives that you will use. In cold weather or with the presence of moisture, the job could be spoiled. -if you’ve chosen your garage, make sure to put some old sheets or newspaper on any part that you don’t want to get paint or dust on. -wear some old clothing or a working suit that will protect you from dust, paint or other. Protective goggles are also a must-have.
3. For minor body work, depending on what part of the car you’ll be working on, the next tools and material will be needed:

• set of hammers, various sizes and shapes, depending on the job
• a multi-purpose screwdriver or a set, to take of the parts that could get in the way of your work (upholstery, side strips, etc)
• a set of basic wrenches that match the task
• a set of metal spreaders, in order to work with the body filler
• a set of pliers, ones with which you can hold, bend or cut metal
• sandpaper of different granulation
• a paint gun, you can use the cheaper ones since the professional guns are very expensive
• grinder
• power sander
• a chuck for the sandpaper
• body filler, used for filling the dents
• primer, for better adhesion of the paint
• paint (you can buy it in a can or spray, the spray is much easier to use if you can find the matching color)
• cleaning agent, ask for it in the body shop, every shop should be equipped. This is used for cleaning the surfaces of dust, dirt or other that can make problems during filling or painting
• tape, not the one for packaging. Ask for the one that’s used for the protection of parts that are not supposed to be painted.

As you can see, the list is pretty long. But don’t be afraid, most of these can be bought at the local store for a fair amount of money. Also, much of this material and tools can be found around the house