[Shop-talk] Amateur body work

[Jorge Garcia]

Bob & John,
About 15 years ago I took about 3 semester of body shop classes. I
even almost painted a car. I did  all the prep work but my teacher shot the
paint. But I agree with both of you completely, body work is an art that takes
years to master. I also have at my do disposal a porta-power, a MIG welder, a
plasma cutter, and assorted body hammers and dollies. What I don't have is the
the skill to use these tools proficientle. I bought the truck based on the
pictures the auction house had posted. The pictures of the truck did not show
the worst  damage. My fault, I bought sight un seen just the pictures. I am in
the process of obtaining the required body parts ( rear d/s door, fiberglass
quarter panel, and assorted minor parts). What I want to do is to be able to
open the driver's door (the rear door is deformed and keeps the front door
from opening) and somehow bang the cab corner damage before taking it to
someone who will cut the affected area and graft
 new matal from a donor (that has yet to be found). I wanted to find a website
with lots of pictures that hopefully show someone fixing similar damage to a
pick up truck.
Thank you for your comments and suggestions.
Jorge