Repair dents above rear wheel well

[FoxTwoX]

Good day everyone, To update everyone I am seeking to purchase my first Festiva. A few on the hook have some dents on the panel above the rear wheel. As I understand this is part of the unibody structure. My question is how I would go about fixing dents of any kind on this part of the vehicle. Dent fixes dont have to be perfect 100% solutions but i would like to make it look as good as possible, but dont know how to approach this type of repair.

Thank you everyone for understanding and helping a newbie and idiot like me.

[firebush357]

Depends on which part of the panel is dented. Most of it can be reached from the inside if you remove the interior plastic panels.

[FoxTwoX]

29368580001_large.jpg

The area circled in red.

festiva is a random pic from google images. but thats the area i speak of

[firebush357]

Yeah most of that can be reached from the inside and just popped back out with body repair tools or a hammer and 2x4 depending on how professional you want it done.

[william]

That spot is easy acceded by pulling the tail light.

[WmWatt]

Or you drill holes and use a slap hammer from the outside to pull the dents out then fill the holes. Do some body work research on the Internet, mostly Youtube.

[theastronaut]

It's best to work them out from the back side. Don't drill holes, it's a mess to fix them and it can rust from the back side if they're not welded up. Welding them up is going to shrink the metal causing a distorted spot. Depending on how bad the dents are them metal may be stretched, so you may experience an "oil can" effect once you work the dent out. If so you'll need to shrink the stretched spot so the panel has the proper tension across it, preventing the panel from oil canning.

[FoxTwoX]

It's best to work them out from the back side. Don't drill holes, it's a mess to fix them and it can rust from the back side if they're not welded up. Welding them up is going to shrink the metal causing a distorted spot. Depending on how bad the dents are them metal may be stretched, so you may experience an "oil can" effect once you work the dent out. If so you'll need to shrink the stretched spot so the panel has the proper tension across it, preventing the panel from oil canning.

how do you fix said oilcan

[theastronaut]

I use a torch to heat shrink stretched areas. Heat it quickly until it just turns blue quench it with a wet rag.

[FoxTwoX]

I use a torch to heat shrink stretched areas. Heat it quickly until it just turns blue quench it with a wet rag.

roger that, thanks

[WmWatt]

suction cups?

[1990new]

Be careful trying to force it out form the inside by pressing on the ridge with any hard object as it will create a new crease.
If you have have a football lying around, deflate it and put in in the cavity behind the dent then pump it up until the dent pops out.

[bolokid]

Call "Paintless Dent Removal."

[WmWatt]

From what I've read about dent removal you have to apply pressure on the back surface at the point of impact to reverse the damage, so to speak. If it's a long dent you start at the deepest point which would be the point of imapct and work along the dent toward the shallowest point. Hope that helps. Before doing it I'd get a coupld estimates from body shops. It might not cost that much to have them hamered out by someone with experience and do any painting yourself.