Replacement Panel/Repair quandry

[1979bettywhite]

Hey guys -

I recently had a mishap with the Jeep. On Friday last week, I was getting ready to leave for work on a nice day. Was taking the Jeep. She was warming up in the carport. My parents were dropping off a car for the day, since they had to go separate ways in the afternoon. My house was a good location to leave one for the morning.

Well while we were talking in the house, the parking brake let loose on the Jeep and she rolled down the driveway into the front of my Dad's truck. We did not realize it until it was too late to do anything but watch. I think the situation actually was a blessing in disguise as no one was hurt, and if his truck had not been there, she might have kept going all the way into my neighbors house. There were only two crape myrtles in its path, and I don't know that it would have hit them and stopped.

So now I am in the process of figuring out the best way to approach getting things repaired. The PO, or a PO or so before the PO had some decent body work done in that they patched over the old tub with some sheet metal and bondo. It's fairly thin sheet metal and it buckled some at the bottom of the door. As of now, the tub got pushed enough so my doors no longer fit at the rear gap. I can get them to close, but the door is right on the rear lip to even overlapping it a little. So I know some work will have to be done there to get them to fit again.

The question I have is that hopefully some of you guys have had some decent experience with bodywork. I have none. I know there are a few aftermarket panel options out there (OMIX-ADA, Classic Enterprises, and Nor/Am). I am wondering if the best route to go is to get a body shop to pull the dents out the best they can, then cut and patch with panels? I don't think I want to fork over the money to pay for a new tub, and it will probably take some massaging to get it to fit anyway. I want to be able to play in the Jeep without worrying too much about a pristine finish etc. She is no show queen, and I would like to be able to use her off-road.

I have gone by one body shop and am going to go by a couple more to see what they say. It's getting harder and harder to find good metal working guys that are strictly in the restoration business. But I should be able to find a shop. They most likely will have to work on a per hour basis as we don't really know what we are looking at until we get in there.

Any advice or experience you guys have with panel replacement, or repairing some collision damage? Don't think this is a task I want to tackle myself. Any idea what costs might run?

Thanks guys.

 

[mriplaybass]

If the ledge where the snaps are is still straight, you might want to try hammering the dents out before trying to replace the entire panel. If the metal is still solid, that is. I don't know if you have any body hammers and dollies, but you should be able to improvise if you are not looking for perfection. Hold a dolly (chunk of metal, piece of hard wood, hard plastic, etc.) on the outside and gently tap with a hammer (something with a relatively small face, 1"to 1 1/2" diameter, no BFH!) along the crease. Don't try to get the panel flat at one location, rather work a little bit at a time along the entire length of the crease. Do this at each dent until the panel looks reasonably straight. You can then apply a thin coat of body filler and block sand to get everything straight. The important thing to remember is don't try to beat the metal into submission. Light taps with a hammer will move the metal back into place a lot more effectively than brute force. Trying to force a dent straight usually results in just distorting the panel somewhere else where it was already straight to begin with.

 

[1979bettywhite]

Thanks for the tips. I might try this some before committing to a body shop. Although the crease is pretty sizable. Have my doubts about getting that back straight. But maybe I should give myself some credit.


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[Torxhead]

When I smashed up my corner, It required some frame straightning to go with it, but I did use those diamond plate aluminum covers to cover the body damage. Doing this also allowed me to move the gas filler off to the side of the CJ for better flow. Its going to get smashed up again anyway.

 

[1979bettywhite]

Thanks Torx. I think my frame is good to go. And I think since this damaged my top rail, I will have to get it repaired if I want to put my soft top back on. If this was solely a trail rig though.....

I wish there were more trails close to me. But I like to drive her on the streets as well.


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[Lumpy Grits]

If that was my Jeep-I'd have a shop do the work as the have hydraulic presses to iron stuff out.
NEVER-EVER trust the p'brake on any CJ to hold!
How bad was your Dad's tk ding'd up?

One other thought-Just iron it out kinda smooth, and get some corner guards...
LG

 

[1979bettywhite]

Thanks LG. Corner guards may be the best option! Don't know why I did not think about that! Only problem is my doors not fitting. May take a little more body work.

I usually have the wheel chocked but did not that morning.

Dad's truck took about 4k worth of damage. 2010 f150.


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[Lumpy Grits]

Fords make nice cushions.
If the Jeep had hit a Chevy, the Jeep would have been total'd.......


If the doors don't close-I would take it to a shop before you do ANYTHING and have the frame ck'd out.

Best of luck!
LG

 

[1979bettywhite]

Good idea. All looks good, at most it was 10-15 mph. There is enough bondo and patch panels that I think it's all body related

And I do take offense as my daily driver is a 2011 f150. [emoji4].


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[Lumpy Grits]

Get under the frame with a tape measure and check measurements on each side to see if the frame is tweek'd. 10-15 mph will do some damage.

Sorry to hear about you and the 2011, F'd150. Do you carry good walking shoes with you?

 

[1979bettywhite]

Running shoes. Half Marathon on Sunday. I am guessing someone could straighten the frame up?


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[Lumpy Grits]

See if you have any Jeep CJ clubs near you, and ask who they would use.
You may even find someone in the club that can do this type of work.
LG

 

[JAE]

I would say never trust the parking brake on any jeep cj or not

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[mtnwhlr]

It's fairly thin sheet metal and it buckled some at the bottom of the door. As of now, the tub got pushed enough so my doors no longer fit at the rear gap. I can get them to close, but the door is right on the rear lip to even overlapping it a little. So I know some work will have to be done there to get them to fit again.

This part sounds to me like you will need to take it to a shop and at least have it pulled back out before you can do anything else. Good luck

 

[WHATROAD]

Another possibility is to check with a local tow owner/driver. They tend to have a good idea who does what and how good.

 

[Dep]

It may have bent the frame, so like someone else mentioned you can take measurements to see or take it to a frame shop. Frames are by design able to flex and still keep thier shape. it could have gone under the bumper of the truck and not touched anything,the jeep body could have just taken the impact. I went into a ditch with mine and hit a telephone pole , my doors wouldnt close because the body buckled, but the frame was ok..

 

[1979bettywhite]

What is the best way for me to measure the frame?


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[Lumpy Grits]

Use a tape measure and measure from the frames body mounts to the ground.
Make sure your tires have the correct psi and you are on a known flat concrete floor.

LG

 

[mriplaybass]

The best way to measure the frame is with a tram gauge. Bolt holes should be symmetrical. You can measure diagonally between the same set of bolt holes and calculate the difference. 1/8" difference is usually within tolerance. 1/4" is getting out there. Beyond this, you will need to have the frame straightened. You can kind of make your own tram gauge to use under the Jeep by taking a known straight piece of rigid steel and lay it on the floor on a diagonal. Then, using a plumb bob, drop a line down and mark it. Do the same for the rear diagonal point. Record the measurement between the 2 points and repeat this process on the other diagonal. Subtract the 2 measurements and the difference is how far out of square your frame is.
The method Lumpy suggested will give you an idea as to frame twist, but not frame squareness. However, be aware there could be error due to uneven tire wear, spring fatigue if the springs are older, and there is also the infamous "Jeep lean".
The type of impact your Jeep had would typically cause a squareness problem. If you are taking the body off, you can make a cheap measuring tool with a few pieces of wood and a few nails. I made one just to do quick measurements so I would not have to put my tram gauge together, and to give me a rough idea how much I am pulling when I have the vehicle on my frame straighter. Frame measuring tool

 

[Lumpy Grits]

:ty:
I did forget the squareness deal.
LG